Seersuckers, Sculptures and the Sculptor

Monday, March 31^st, 2015, 4:00 PM: I was sitting on my stool playing CountryRoads on my guitar, when, suddenly I heard a knock on the front door. My Lands'End Seersucker Suit had arrived. Earlier that month, I had been invited to a performance at the new Geoffrey Smith Gallery. It was a cocktail party, so, I had to get something a bit formal. My dad suggested a Seersucker suit, with a white shirt and black tie. My mom ordered the suit, while my dad and I got the shirt, tie, and dress shoes. The suit arrived, and I put it on to see if it would fit. It was a bit too big, so, dad and I went to Hometown Cleaners andTailors, and asked for it to be altered a little. The tailor, Miss Esther, was a very nice lady and very funny. 

 Tuesday, April 7^th, 2015, 5:15 PM: After a guitar lesson with JonathanCummings, dad and I went back to the tailor to retrieve the suit. It fit perfectly. We took it home, and mom took some pictures of me in the full suit, shirt, tie, and everything, and Rose, my Zager guitar. The next day, I practiced the set-list with just the jacket, to make sure I could still play with the long sleeves on the jacket. Everything was going great.

Thursday, April 9^th, 2015, 4:45 PM, Performance Day: I was getting ready to go perform, putting on my suit, putting Rose in her guitar case, and saying hi to mom. It was only a few yards from our house to the gallery, but, we took the van anyway. We got set up, and then, people came in. I started playing for half an hour, and then stopped. Then, Geoffrey gave a speech about his creations. He was the one that built the big sailfish in the fountain in the middle of downtown Stuart. I played for another half hour, and then, Dad went home with the guitar, and mom and I stayed. There were a couple kids there, and they made their own VIP for kids section in one of the rooms. One of the girls gave me a small box that said “You are a VIP. Please come to the room with the VIP sign.” I went in the room, talked with the kids, and went home. We had awesome rock star pizza, watched Mystery Science Theater 3000: Hobgoblins, and then I went to bed.

Three tunes from the performance:

Volcano

Southern Cross

Odds Are

Vincent

by, Fletcher Morton

 Vincent Van Gogh was born March 30^th 1853 and died July 29^th 1890. Cause of death was suicide. He was only 37. Some of his best pictures include self-portraits, Starry Night, and The Potato Eaters. The pictures right before his death were surprisingly his best.

I am learning a song about Vincent Van Gogh by Don McLean called Vincent. 

Vincent, By Don McLean

Verse 1

Starry, starry night, Paint your palette blue and gray, Look out on a summer’s day, with eyes that know the darkness in my soul, Shadows on the hills, sketch the trees and the daffodils, catch the breeze and the winter chills, in colors on the snowy linen land.

Chorus

Now I understand, what you tried to say to me, how you suffered for your sanity, how you tried to set them free, they would not listen they did not know how, perhaps they’ll listen now.

Verse 2

Starry, starry night, flaming flowers that brightly blaze, swirling clouds in violet haze, reflecting Vincent’s eyes of china blue, colors changing hue, Morning fields of amber grain, weathered faces lined with pain, are soothed beneath the artists loving hand.

Chorus

Now I understand, what you tried to say to me, how you suffered for your sanity, how you tried to set them free, they would not listen they did not know how, perhaps they’ll listen now.

Bridge

For they could not love you, But still your love was true, And when no hope was left in sight, on that starry, starry night, you took your life as lovers often do, But I could have told you, Vincent, This world was never meant for one as beautiful as you.

Verse 3

Starry, starry night, portraits hung in empty halls, frameless heads on nameless walls, with eyes that watch the world and can’t forget, like the strangers that you’ve met, the ragged men in ragged clothes, the silver thorn of bloody rose, lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow.

Chorus

Now I think I know, what you tried to say to me, and how you suffered for your sanity, how you tried to set them free, they would not listen, they’re not listening still, perhaps they never will.

 Meanings of the song:

“Look out on a summer’s day” was said by Vincent while he was in an insane asylum.

“Flaming flowers that brightly blaze” is reference to a picture of sunflowers in a vase.

“Swirling clouds in violet haze” is reference to Starry Night.

“Weathered faces lined with pain” is reference to The Potato Eaters.

“You took your life as lovers often do” is Vincent’s suicide.

The entire last chorus is Don understanding Vincent’s condition and why he was poor and institutionalized, because nobody understood what the paintings were or their meaning.

Don McLean wrote the song as an argument that Vincent wasn’t insane. He got the thought in his head and then wrote the lyrics on a paper bag. The song is so sweet and beautiful that it elicits an emotional response in the listener. 

This song requires finger picking all the way through. It's a challenging song for me. 

I really like it and hope that you do too.

http://www.vangoghgallery.com/