1964–1980: sing Broadway show tunes and Negro spirituals in family car
1966–1974: learn almost the entire musical score to My Fair Lady
1967: play kazoo, self-taught
1967:have kazoo confiscated due to complaints from Italian grandmother
1967–1969: perform with Our Lady of Peace school choir
1967–present: get in trouble several times for banging drums too hard in local music stores
1968: attempt but fail to whistle Andy Griffith Show song
1969: steal father’s harmonica, play it, break it
1969: sing in several variety shows with father (including Broadway hits “Okalahoma,” “Stop the World I Want to Get Off”)
1970–1973: perform with Lordship School Choir, sing two solos
1971: receive tin whistle from Irish grandmother
1971: lose tin whistle when Mother throws it out the window of family car
1972: enroll in flute lessons, 5th grade
1972: get dismissed from flute lessons when teacher realizes I can’t read music
1972: join 5th-grade recorder club without knowing how to read music
1973: acquire own harmonica
1974: learn to read music from Mother
1974–1976: sing soprano with
1975 pass out on scaffolding while practicing with Johnson Junior High choir
1976: play with brother’s trumpet
1976: am forced to take free piano lessons at prep school while others play baseball outside
1976–1980: sing soprano with Lauralton Hall school choir
1978: abandon piano for swim team
1978: play and break sister’s clarinet
1980: sing with
1980–1982: take guitar lessons
1980–1983: sing in car alone frequently
1982: guitar teacher dies, guitar lessons end
1985: discover significance of Brandenburg Concertos
1985: date man who has FCC license
1986: attend Run–DMC concert
1987: watch drag queen sing selections from La Boheme in F-train station,
1990: purchase recorder at Costco, learn to play “The Jungle Book”
1994–2002: make repeated visits to Sam Ash Music,
1994: learn lyrics to song “4 Wet Pigs”
1997: assist in rewrite of My Fair Lady to My Fair Roshi, spring Zen retreat
1997: perform in My Fair Roshi
1997: have recurring dreams about playing violin
1999: try to learn Italian with singing language tape, create reputation at office
2000: receive guitar for birthday
2000: play new guitar only in secret, mixing Bob Dylan and Elton John’s lyrics
2001: refuse to participate in karaoke e of any kind
2002: memorize a few of MC Solaar’s greatest hits in French
2003: acquire copy of Macintosh Garage Band musical editing software and accidentally call it “Garbage Can”
2003: write own music with free loops from software and force friends to listen
2003: acquire copy of SoundTrack editing software
2003: use SoundTrack to chop up parts of Broadway musical Hair and make new rap tunes
2006: program cell phone mix tracks for exclusive rings
(Debbie Naples is a dabbler in many things. She lives all over the place, but recently admitted to keeping house in Connecticut.)
Posts
