Klem, you certainly made an impression. Your prowess and skill as a musician was undeniable and a joy to behold. For those of us who were lucky enough to get a chance to play with you or even be in the room when the “magic” went down it was always special. Of your many virtues, among the greatest was your abilty to elevate the game of garden variety musicians like myself. The pure joy of making music with you was always special and sometimes it was downright electrifying! For those of us in your jam circle you will be Legend.
Beyond the jamming I will miss you immensely as a friend. The dumb ass conversations, hanging out, drinking Peroni’s til dawn, the crazy political rants and your insane twisted sense of humour. Every single time was memorable. You were completely one of a kind.
Nearly everytime we jammed out or played an open mic someone would come up to me and ask “Who’s the guy with blue guitar” ?
They said you have a blue guitar,
You do not play things as they are.
The man replied “Things as they are
Are changed upon the blue guitar”
‘I do my best to tell it true,
A thing ecxeeding hard to do.
My eye is on a distant star”
They said you have a blue guitar.
“I have” the man replied, ‘it’s true,
The instrument I strum is blue,
I strum my joy, I strum my pain,
I strum the sun, I strum the rain.
But tell me What is it to you?
“You see things as you think they are.
Remove the mote from in your ear,
then talk to me of what you hear”.
They said “You do not play things as they are,
Start again and play it straight,
Don’t improvise, prevaricate.
Just play things as they really”
The man replied “Things as they are,
Are not the same as things that were
Or will be in another year.
The literal is rarely true, for truth is old and truth is new,
And faceted - a metaphor for something higher then we are.
I play the truth of Everyman
I play the truth as best I can.
The things I play are better far,
When changed upon the blue guitar.
Excerpted from “The Blue Guitar” by Wallace Stevens
Rest well and go easy my friend. I’ll see you on the other side.