El Musico
Every Latino family has at least one musician as its member. Sometimes several. The circles are all the same: garage band, wedding band, party band, Mexican music band, Spanishrock band or Tejano music band. Then, like the Bryan Adams song says, “Jimmy quit and Jody got married…I should have known we’d never get far…” And so it goes with the Mexican bands like “The Chacho Band”, “Giddy Hernandez and the Party Band” … they sputter out as the call to other matters rings in their heads - a bell rung by the tongue of tradition. However, there is always the one who is different from the other “musicians” in the family. There is always the one who is the real “Musico”. His passion for music knows now bounds. When he / she hears those notes they are carried off to another time and place.
Most people identify with some harmony or melody that gives cause to moments of finger snapping and may evolve into dancing. But El Musico could not only hear the music he could see the music. I do not mean visualizing notes but more like pulses of light. What most people do not know is that music is one of the many voices of the soul. It is the real way our Gods speak to us and with us in our sleep. Few are in tune with this part of nature. As we get older our filters are clogged with so much shit that we lose sight of the fact that everything is connected. Music is part of that adhesive glue that holds everything together. Real musicians know this.
Therefore when you see El Musico, guitar in hand and sheets of music under the opposite arm and most importantly - his gaze which is focused beyond everything around him - please do not disturb him or hit him for a joint or cigarette or tell him how good his gig turned out. Respect his space as he stares into and listens into space.
"Music is not a real job. Give up that pipe dream and raise a family". EL Musico is another one of our characters who ran away from home years ago to pursue his passion for music. He too has followed the transformative path that Heroes march upon to differing beats but the goal is the same.
On a side note, a patron who was listening to El Musico play commented, "Wow, I wonder if his story is similar to the Sonata for Violin G Minor?"
This is what he looks like now.
