In The Wilderness: BeBop

~BeBop~

Ofay, I saved the 'beaner' for last, because, out of all the original members of the band, he's the only one I still talk to, get advise for and laugh with. You will not ever have one conversation, regardless of the solemnity of the call, without breaking into at least two hearty laughs. That, dear brothers and sisters, is the gift that keeps on giving (meaning you'll laugh to yourself a couple more times in retelling the story Bebo told you earlier). The 'bean' is--probably the only--person that I can tell the raw, unexpurgated truth to, of something in my life, no matter how embarrassing or humiliating, and then receive 'his' honest and truthful feeling on the subject. I end up going with his suggestion 90% of the time, and the other 10%, he's respectful in not telling me, "told you so." That's not his style (well at least he wouldn't tell me that). Bebo was the only trained vocalist in the group, and long after he started his own group, I remain dependent on him in absolutely every studio project I embarked on--a group still going on today, dear brothers and sisters. Thank God, we still talk. With Bebo being the only other member to take on the 'heady' position of band owner and leader, the advise I get from him is really rare. You have no idea how many people simply can't stomach the idea of being the sole person responsible for a project, business or band of any capacity. This is tall, skinny, blond Bebo. The facts are that he could run for Mayor in Orangeburg without putting a dime into campaining and still get over 70% of the vote. I don't know if he's even remotely interested, but there probably is not another original person in the group that affects so many lives in a 'positive' and hilarious heart burning way than my dear brother, the B.

~nuff said.