I’m not sure why, but I’m still surprised at the Apple Music suggestions I’m given. I’m sure most of the time it’s due to some weird one-off I listened to or searched, but sometimes I swear it’s some weird fate thing that I refer to as the Ghost of Steve Jobs.
The latest shocker?
It’s funny because my thoughts on the superiority of Van Haggar are well-known (and usually disagreed with) by anyone with whom I’ve ever discussed rock music. It’s not that I don’t totally appreciate Diamond Dave’s pipes, showmanship, or hair, I just honestly prefer Sammy Haggar’s vocals. I’m partial to “Dreams” and “Why Can’t This Be Love.” Fight me.
For whatever reason, I clicked on the Rhino High-Five and when I saw “Just a Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody,” it all made sense.
The Ghost of Steve Jobs was at work again.
Last week, we lost another great one when our friend Ken died. It feels weird to call him “my friend,” because he was everybody’s friend, so I’ll call him our friend. Everyone would have found something to talk with him about, no matter how different you may have seemed.
Ken was an intense dude. He was incredibly intelligent and complicated, and was an influential part of my life during a pretty intense period of growth in my life. Intense is a great word to describe him. He’d argue passionately about everything from music to food to philosophy. Yes, sometimes he raged, but he also loved all of us as fiercely and he did acknowledge when he was wrong.
And since Ken loved music, we talked a lot of music and played a lot of music. He really played as he was a talented musician and vocalist. He really loved the old stuff—the standards—like “Just a Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody.”
Of course, this sent me straight to YouTube, because I remembered how ridiculous the video was…
And then I really listened.
There would come a day
When news will pass away
What could they say about me
When the end comes I know
There were just the gigolos
Right, 'cause I'm without me
'Cause I ain't got nobody
Nobody cares for me, nobody
Nobody cares for me
Damnit.
And then I cried, then laughed, and then laugh-cried.
I wondered if this was all some plot from beyond from Ken to get me to go anti-Van Haggar.
It did put me down a YouTube rabbit hole, which led to Rosemary Cooney, Louis Prima, Perry Como, Harry Belafonte, and Doris Day—classics.
He did know another hand gesture. I’ll miss you. 47 wasn’t enough.
Bogus Basin Photo by Kevin Fitzgerald on Unsplash