Editorial: Oldies but goodies
'Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here!" So says Albus Dumbledore, grand wizard of Harry Potter's world. This wizened soul knows the joy of a well-conjured tune, one that keeps the heart, mind, and spirit young. Just look at some of the musical graybeards still performing.
'Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here!"
So says Albus Dumbledore, grand wizard of Harry Potter's world. This wizened soul knows the joy of a well-conjured tune, one that keeps the heart, mind, and spirit young. Just look at some of the musical graybeards still performing.
Ringo Starr hit 70 this week. Yeah, the oldest Beatle, who's been touring with his All-Star Band since 1989, longer than he spent as part of the Fab Four - almost as long as he's been a grandfather (since '85).
His rotating cast of bandmates might be better-known from VH1's one-hit-wonder specials than for any recent hits, but so what? Ringo never seemed to take the business or even Beatlemania too seriously. The fun was in the music, the onstage give and take, the delighted audiences.
Sadly, too many of Ringo's peers won't reach a similar milestone. They were taken by disease, gunshots, overdose, that whole "hope I die before I get old" mentality - trademark of the guy whose gut was hanging out at the last Super Bowl halftime show.
But for many more, thankfully, the playing, the magic, is still the thing. The talent gracing local stages of late attests to this. This week, B.B. King, 84, at the Keswick, and Chubby Checker, 68, at Dilworth Plaza. Last month, Carole King, 68, and James Taylor, 62, at Wachovia Center - where the cute Fab, 68, will appear in August.
As Keith Richards, 66, who makes a centuries-old Dumbledore look young, says: "I don't see any reason why it should stop if there's those of 'em still out there that wanna see it and I wanna play it. ..."
Magic, indeed.
