The other evening I was channel surfing, out of boredom, and came across a show on C-Span. It was a broadcast from the National Press Club and they were doing an interview with James Taylor. Taylor is a poet who happens to play guitar. He has been a favorite of mine musically for longer than I care to tell. His stuff is mellow, reflective and just good.
The most apparent thing about this interview was the strong feeling about Taylor's peace of mind. He seemed so relaxed, content, upbeat. There was a sweetness to his spirit, as though he had finally found the peace that he had been searching for his entire life. It was as though he could look back on his life and say, "You know what, I did okay."
The lady who was interviewing him did an exceptional job, I think. She was polite and had thought out her questions, obviously. She asked James some tough questions but they didn't phase him. She asked him about Carly Simon's song, You're So Vain. She asked who that song was about. He replied that he understood that it had been about Warren Beatty. You older folks will remember that this was one of those sources for curiosity, back in the 1970's.
I found her questions about music to be insightful and I just loved the give and take. She asked James if he liked current pop music. He replied, "Not really."
She asked him if he knew that Taylor Swift had been named after him and he said that he was aware of that and that he liked her work. I found it surprising and bizarre that Miss Swift is named after a great singer/songwriter and that she is herself a singer/songwriter of renown. It's a funny world.
She asked him what was his favorite song of those which he had written and performed. He said that it would have to be Sweet Baby James, which he wrote for his nephew when the boy was born. It was meant to be a western lullaby and I like it a lot. The interviewer also asked him to name his favorite person for a duet and he was uncomfortable with that question. Heck, he had done a lot of them. I like Mockingbird with Carley Simon, myself.
He said that he listens to classical music around the house. I gather that his wife is involved in that career field. I also learned that he has kids around 11 years old, quite a job for a guy in his sixties.
Overall, I was just happy for him. He seemed to be growing old gracefully, a rare feat, indeed. I know that his Dad was a minister and that James himself had struggled with substance abuse of some sort. I remember hearing a recording in which he seemed bitter against God. I don't pretend to know him or the facts of his life story. I am just glad that here at the sunset, he seems to be at peace, after seeing all the "Fire and Rain" of life.
Goodnight, sweet baby James.
I'm CE Wills.
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