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How to dance like nobody’s watching

Take a lesson. Learn it.

From the guitarist at the YouTube link: “I don’t often see this, but when it happens it’s always 99% kids that are doing it. Before they become jaded (age 8), they still have that spontaneous spark, that reaction to music that we all used to have. Emotion is no.1 priority and they express it without shame. If I could hire kids for my shows, legally, I would do it. Imagine being surrounded by these mini-tornadoes during every song. It’s the ONE thing that gets people to pay attention. “Awww, isn’t that cute!” the adults say, smiling at each other.”

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • Tom Hyland February 11, 2021, 6:12 PM

    That little girl is precious beyond all belief. I’ve been there, too. Summer of 1971 ZZ Top came to Roswell, New Mexico to play a gig at the local YMCA. None of my friends had ever heard of them. They wanted 6 bucks a ticket. There was about 8 or 9 of us all together standing out in the parking lot and we’d all dropped acid about a half hour earlier. We were kinda forgetting where we even were when the three ZZ Top dudes came outside and asked us what we were doing. Truly, we didn’t know. Somebody mentioned something about 6 bucks and ZZ Top yelled at us… “GET YER BUTTS INSIDE RIGHT NOW!!!” We were in a very delicate condition and didn’t like getting yelled at by ZZ Top so we moved inside abruptly, and free of charge, too. All together there might have been 20 people total in the YMCA. Billy or whoever announced, “We are ZZ Top from Dallas, Texas and we are GOING TO ROCK YER ASS!!” They went straight into “La Grange” and it was like getting hit by thunderbolts thrust by Zeus. We were so unworthy. Such shame and confusion. I love that little girl on the sidewalk being totally natural. This is how it should be.

  • hooodathunkit February 11, 2021, 7:34 PM

    It was at this time that the disciples came to Jesus with the question, “Who is really greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus called a little child to his side and set him on his feet in the middle of them all.

    “Believe me, unless you change your whole outlook and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. It is the man who can be as humble as this little child who is greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.”

    Dance. Like a little child.

  • Sean February 11, 2021, 8:00 PM

    Oh. STOP. The ASSHOLE father doesn’t even notice his own daughter after 3+ minutes. JOY? of childhood?! My own father would have dragged me over there and let me LISTEN for as long as I wanted, given me a 5-spot (in those days), to teach me to APPRECIATE a busker, and THEN got on the next, or NEXT bus. What a fuckin jerk, but alas, so typical. Ugh, sometimes it’s hard.

  • jwm February 11, 2021, 8:07 PM

    Tom Hyland;
    Love that story!
    I saw ZZ Top at the Rapid City Convention Center during Sturgis 1991. About two thirds of the way through their set I had to piss so bad my eyes were watering. I bolted for the head only to find every stall taken, and a dozen bikers ahead of me in line.

    We heard the first few bars of “She’s Got Legs.”

    The action was as instinctive as yanking your hand back from a flame. In a flash, every zipper came down and guys were crowding in three and four at a time all tryin’ to hit the porcelain at once without watering someone’s boots in the process. And as fast as it was happening, everyone realized how absolutely comic the whole scene was. Add bursts of near crazy laughter to top off all the urgency. I made it back to my seat before the song was over. What a show. Girls everywhere! I didn’t even think to check my boots.

    JWM

  • Dan Patterson February 12, 2021, 5:09 AM

    “Have muhhhccy!
    Been waitin’ fo the bus-all-day!”

  • Bear Claw Chris Lapp February 12, 2021, 6:03 AM

    Gerard thank you for that. On occasion at some events I move like no ones watching, I would not call it dance.

  • Dirk February 12, 2021, 7:36 AM

    Awesome, what memories. My childhood was filled with music, all kinds. We are a musical family, not particular what flavors up. My children are grown and gift my wife an me with grand children,” the best gift ever!”

    Not a day goes by in our pre and post parent days, when Musics not on. I recall my children do simlar moves daily, and I smile. What a gift. Gypsy Kings are on, don’t speak a lick of Spanish, no need.

    Music is the language of the world, and I’m dam greatful for it.

    DW

  • Phil in Englewood February 12, 2021, 11:00 AM

    Tom Hyland – great story, thanks for posting it. My favorite musical shows always had some sort of serendipity and spontaneity involved.

  • James ONeil February 12, 2021, 11:47 AM

    Sigh, some folks gotta find a way to bitch about everything.

    I’m getting more tolerant in my old age though, can cut them some slack, and can just let them get by trying to get by.

  • Skorpion February 12, 2021, 12:49 PM

    @Sean: I hear ya. Pops was a musician himself, and would have done all of that, plus maybe talked with the musician between songs.

  • Tom Hyland February 13, 2021, 11:19 AM

    VERY INTERESTING story about this dude playing guitar on the streets of Vancouver.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WuAm_Bmi5Y

  • Lynnehashadit February 15, 2021, 8:23 PM

    The little one – she gets it. That’s everything.