Mule Bus Stop: Bros Landreth #2

Mule Bus Stop: Bros Landreth #2

“The great psychologist The Big Lebowski said, ‘well that’s just, like, your opinion man,’ You can say that to yourself. You can change your mind. I’ve really been exploring this idea of the observing self in an effort to find out who I really am. I realized I’ve been telling myself stories about who I am for a really long time. So this idea of thinking something, observing what your knee jerk reaction is, taking a beat, and then deciding what your reaction will be has been really important.”

I go to church every Sunday
I go to work every Monday
But I can’t win
No I can’t win
Win your love

We talked about how our defensive reactions are usually out of fear- fear of loss of love or respect. We create identities to hide our shortcomings and allow us to hide behind our proficiencies. We talk about how attaching ourselves to these stories make it difficult to fulfill our most important needs- to be recognized for our true flaw-full selves and to be loved anyways.

“Are you giving me a tip?” Tyler is sitting on the step of the van playing a resonator which is parked in a dollar store parking lot. Tyler is my first random sighting- he didn’t know the tailgate was happening in Buffalo but recognized the van and pulled in. A young girl is getting out of a car while her mom records her. The girl walks over with the widest smile and hands Tyler a dollar. I’m 25 again and busking at the base of the Sears Tower remembering how this is reaction of every child experiencing music. The type of smile that happens before a created identity, the one Joey’s daughter gets when she plays an instrument. Her true self, an unexpected example.

“We’re parents too; we love having kids at our shows,” David is speaking from the stage to a family seated upstairs. “What’s your kid’s name?”

“Levon”

There’s an audible pause of reverence from the crowd. The child has been presented to the prophet. Some chuckling starts as people realize the moment. What they don’t realize is that the dad is one of my customers, Sam, and that this is reincarnate Levon’s first concert.

The Bros are headed to Brooklyn and I’m going to Massachusetts to fish with my friend Jeff.

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