1960 and all that music . . .

Before our senses began being bombarded by entertainment and information, there was a much simpler time that only people born in the 1960s or prior can fully understand. It wasn’t necessarily a better time, but because there was so little to do it was a time when certain universally beloved things like music were truly being perfected.

I remember reading a quote from Geddy Lee, lead singer of Canadian rock band RUSH, in which he said something to the effect that he thought musicianship was better in his day simply because kids had nothing else to do. He spent his childhood hours in a garage practicing his instruments every waking moment, because personal computers, video games or smart phones hadn’t been invented – and there were only three channels on TV.

Makes sense. Lee put in his 10,000 hours to become an expert, as Malcolm Gladwell writes about, at a very young age indeed.

Another person who did the same, but years prior to the RUSH singer/bassist/keyboardist, was the great Sir Paul McCartney who we saw live on Sunday evening in Edmonton.

Sir Paul and his former band (maybe you remember them), played music endlessly in Germany long before the Fab Four had become famous. Besides singing, writing more number 1 songs than anyone in history, McCartney plays bass guitar, harmonica, trumpet, lead guitar, cello, piano, ukulele, banjo, violin, mandolin and more. . . .

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