My New Guitar Solo – Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper)

What’s amazing to me is how, if and when a musician surfaces doing something far away from whatever is his/her “norm” as a musician, and happens to do THAT, TOO, perhaps even better than most who DO do (professionally) whatever it is he/she is now demonstrating publicly for others? WOW, the jealous hatred abound in the air! lol

I’ve had to delete many comments from my latest guitar performance video, left by those who are seemingly at odds about my having a decent video online playing the guitar! lol It’s nothing new… AUDIENCE?! The same lame thing happened whenever I finally posted a little ditty playing the piano a couple years ago! I literally LOST “friends” over that one! lol

So here’s a little secret for all of the haters out there… is that I’ve been playing the guitar since 7th grade, people. SHHH!!!

As soon as my best friend, David McCutcheon, realized how “cool” it might be to actually get GOOD on the guitar?? (vs. the totally uncool violin? lol), that was enough inspiration for me to continue learning my very first guitar solo that day, literally while he waited. By dinner time, I could play the damn solo right along with the recording.

As I practiced that day, and while Dave observed each increasingly better “pass” at the guitar solo heard in Huey Lewis & The News hit song, “If This Is It” (the first guitar solo I ever learned, and without the use of any kind of fancy “slower downer machine” either… all I had back then was a cassette tape player and a rewind button) …and in an effort toward not only becoming proficient enough to strum chords on the guitar for the family band, but also to soon treat the guitar as the “LEAD” instrument I discovered it could ALSO be?! This quickly became my new quest in the 7th grade. The girls my age (in 1986, mind you) just weren’t havin’ it with the violin. The GUITAR, however?? Well WOW did that open up some social doors! lol

Now, before all of my drummer friends wig the *&^ out about the fact that I ALSO play the drums? Can ya just like… keep your negative comments to yourselves? Your comments are embarrassing… not for ME… but for YOU! So I will continue to do you the service of deleting your negative comments, so that you and your fake FB profiles are not perceived by others as coming from a place in your heart of “jealous rage”… lol…

And don’t even make me get out my dusty old clarinet, people… because I can play THAT, TOO! …and I just MIGHT! I kinda get a kick out of watching these haters become so LIVID pissed that they feel it necessary to lash out in my comments section, perhaps to alleviate themselves of their own personal frustrations and insecurities for having never succeeded past the level of “HACK” on ANY particular instrument?? Just… wow, people. Wow.

The human psyche hard at work here online as I watch in utter amazement the effect my performances on other instruments seem to do to the egos of all the haters! Have at it! Right here! Unleash the hatred! Because it feeds my own ego, quite frankly! When any “hater” is inspired enough to verbally demonstrate their insecurity, frustration and hatred on my pages? It keeps me goin’! I LOVE IT.

So, THANK you! (but I’m still deleting your comments lol)

And also, thank you to my buddy, Dave McCutcheon (Paul McCutcheon and Carole McCutcheon) for having been my only cheering section back in the day. 1986 was a horribly challenging year for me, and I’m so thankful for having had that guy in my life… (sigh). Ya know what? I’m going to dedicate the guitar video we posted yesterday, “Time After Time”, in his memory.

For a more concise definition of what Dave McCutcheon added to my life, it is very simple to explain for you. Dave’s answer for me, time after time mind you, was to only keep looking UP. So… to Dave, and also to the One Dave continually suggested would be my answer for any inner conflict I might be up against, or suffering through… I’m going to dedicate this guitar performance to GOD, too… as in Jesus Christ, God, who has already forgiven me for being proficient on other instruments.

The lyrics for “Time After Time” could have just as easily been written for our Father God, and who knows… maybe it was. Only Cyndi Lauper could answer this for us…

And though Dave is no longer here to root for me, believe it or not, I’m still left with some of THE coolest personal friends who have seen me through so many of life’s more humbling obstacles… SO, and while they’re all still on this earth to receive the humble gratefulness… for those who helped me get through what were, without question, the most difficult moments of my young-adult life, I’d like to also thank Dwight Young and Tony Christoff.

You both know what I went through, and endured, to be able in now presenting these humble offerings into the world… I thank you.

Here’s to Dave… and here’s another to all who have been true FRIENDS for me throughout this human condition called “life”. I love you all. -AD

Written by Alex DePue