I. Chimeras and Phantasms
"To die, to sleep- To sleep, perchance to dream- aye, there's the rub, For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause; there's the respect That makes calamity of so long life."
William Shakespeare, "Hamlet," Act 3, Scene 1
Dreams could be thought of as visions when asleep. Likewise, visions could be dreams when awakened. Energized by the images of the unconscious mind, the brain was charged with the powers of symbols. They were chimeras and phantasms of a soul in catharsis.
Omens and coincidences also shared the dream-making and vision-shaping. They were "outside" confirmations as opposed to the brain-images aroused within the mortal coil.
Many inspirations came through dreams, but not all. Signs often pointed the way in the development of a person. As an example, a curious serendipity occurred which directed my attention to the father of folk music, Lead Belly, the self-proclaimed "King of the Twelve String Guitar." It was a living dream, a strange singularity.
II. Lead Belly
Before Lead Belly, I was already a 12-string guitar aficionado. My favorite musical acts featured the 12-string instrument: Gordon Lightfoot, The Beatles, Leo Kottke, Pete Seeger, the Byrds, Tom Petty, et al. Another 12-string group had formed earlier in folk music history, centered around "the blues" and fronted not only by Lead Belly but Blind Willie McTell, Charles Lockwood Jr. and Jesse “the Lone Cat” Fuller.
On an autumn afternoon, I went from reading an Acoustic Guitar story by Michael Simmons on "The Origins of Twelve String Power," which featured Leadbelly and his 12-string "Stella," to a regional search for "The Last Songs of Lead Belly," a CD box set. Whether it was karmic affinity or an intuitive recognition, I experienced an "a-ha!" moment that launched my quest to hear my future patron.
My wife and I went to a CD store in a nearby city only to have to drive to New Orleans to the Barnes & Noble, where we found the box set. Befitting the occasion, something extraordinary occurred in terms of synchronicity, or an a-causal connection. When I walked into the B&N, I was drawn to the magazine stand, almost as an afterthought. There, on the cover of Acoustic Guitar, was Lead Belly, the King of the Twelve String Guitar! I immediately sensed a link at work. I found my wife in the store in the CD section. She understood immediately my find: it was a sign, an omen! There were no mistakes in the universe. We were heading in the right direction! The way opened anew. On the way home, we opened the shrink on the “Last Songs,” listening carefully to our first encounter with Lead Belly. He was warm, sublime, fantastic and real. I knew with certainty he was one of my musical kinships.
