linear notes from homespun ~

...last week my dear friend and surrogate big brother departed this earth and much too soon. i met Peter through my first job here in Tucson and we became fast friends.

...he loved films and adored those little scenes many would forget about. you know those small exchanges between characters that didn't necessarily move the story forward but rather moved the relationships within the story forward. he also loved sports and i liked how when his team was no longer in the playoff hunt he sort of switched full focus to the next sport and his team's chances there. Peter also was a firm believer in the magic spun from Canines. he would show me photographs of he and his loyal hound Petey in the various nooks of the desert they have found.

...some nourishing memories resurfaced this morning as i strung wires around the homepsun room preparing to record this tune with Peter in mind. some years back we shared many late night rides home after our 14 hour shifts @ work. for a stretch there Peter needed to get a ride home from work as he was cleared after a surgery to work but couldn't drive. he hooked me up with gas cards which i certainly didn't require and tried to turn down but Pedro was having none of that effort. after our shifts we would take Gates Pass late at night and often took the scenic routes through mountain to his place in Marana. we spoke of films, sports, and most of all music. (dare is say we attempted to right some of the wrongs we saw of the world as well)

...D'Ro, as he was sometimes called, loved music and was a serious listener and supporter of bands he loved. he particularly loved "LIVE" recordings which was a help to me as i tended to prefer "STUDIO" albums. he seemed to transport himself to the venues where these albums he loved were recorded. he was a DJ for a time in his younger years as well.

...i had the good fortune to turn Peter on to Gram Parsons as we were chatting about Emmylou Harris many years ago. i thought i was a fan....oh my. Peter slid into the deep in and in a short time had all the albums and read what he could get his hands on and even had some original artwork purchased for his house.

...we saw many shows together and a few stellar one in the front few rows came to mind this morning (Tom Petty/Gillian Welch/Dwight Yoakam/Todd Rundgren/James Cotton)

...he was as fiercely loyal to me as a friend as he was of his bands of choice. he stayed @ the house here for some stretches here when i was visiting Abby @ the Mayo Clinic some years back. so sweet of him.

...so much to be thankful for within the years and times we shared. given Peter's love of Gram and motorcycles this song seemed to really raise it's hand up and demanded i pick it. a great lyric from Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons. this tune is from their first Flying Burrito Brothers album entitled the "Gilded Palace of Sin" (lyrics below)

missing my friend, this is for him today.

sound as ever,

~ jeremy

We've all got wheels
To take ourselves away
We've got the telephones to say
What we can't say
We've all gone higher
And higher every day
Come on wheels take this boy away
We're not afraid to ride
We're not afraid to die
So come on wheels take me home today
Come on wheels take this boy away

Now when I feel
My time is almost up
And destiny is in my right hand
I'll turn to him
Who made my faith so strong
Come on wheels make this boy a man
We're not afraid to ride
We're not afraid to die
Come on wheels take me home today
Come on wheels take this boy away
Come on wheels take this boy away