A Summer Moment

Driving home tonight from The Asylum.

86 degrees. Humid. All four windows down on The Big Ride. Radio on.

My kind of night. My night.

As I got close to home Layla came across the radio. The original version. Not the slow one, which I also love.

So I'm cruising faster than I should be cruising and my whole body smiles. My whole psyche, my whole being, my whole past and my whole future.

Layla is memories. It is association. It is good feelings and good music and good guitar and a long step back to a simpler time in my life.

It goes deeper than that for me. If you are an Allman Brothers fan you know that Duane Allman played on that track with Clapton.

You know that bird sound, that very cool bird sound at the end of the song? That was Duane.

And he contributed a whole lot more than that musically. Clapton and Duane dueled back and forth on that song, two guitar Gods duking it out with mutual respect.

Such a great story. At the time, Duane and Eric were circling each other like gunslingers. Each was in awe of the other. They had not played together before.

The Allman Brothers were in Miami where Clapton and crew were recording Layla. Duane asked if he could sit in.

Clapton knew who he was dealing with. They created history.

So I am driving home from HELL but digging on the weather, my weather and the way it makes my mind feel and Layla comes on.

The perfect moment.

A moment when I can lay my head back on the headrest and just smile.

My short hair blowing in the wind.

Tonight is summer.

A taste. A promise. A feel. An emotion.

The music.

I am still smiling.