All these ghosts I have driven out,
driven them from my house
It’s a simple life I lead
still got a lot to learn about
— the prophet willy porter

It’s a Crappy Day at work. One doesn’t go upper case unless it’s Really Crappy. I’m editing papers in cities i’ve never heard of. Hell, I haven’t even heard of their states. Delaware? Is that even a real place? (Mind flashes back to the day at the Austin American-Statesman when, in an unfortunately Very Large headline on page 3, I discovered it’s not spelled Deleware. Who knew?)

Amid a flurry of early East Coast snow deadlines even though it’s 75 where I reside, I have lost the will to live. But it’s kind of dark in the place where I edit and it’s probably on the floor somewhere.

And then, for reasons that remain a mystery to me, I crank up Willy Porter’s Dog Eared Dream.

I used to buy an album a week, back when people still bought music. Yes, I’m old. I would loiter for hours in the record store. Sometimes I bought stuff I knew, sometimes I bought staff picks, sometimes I bought albums just because I liked the cover. Willy was one of those.

But about a minute into the album, I was smitten. Fantastic guitarist, great songs. It instantly became my Favorite Album of the Week. I might have explained that upper case thing earlier.

Mo and I heard him live once opening for the Cranberries, in a set that was far too brief given his warmup to the warmup status. He was the highlight of the evening, even after Dolores O’Riordan nailed us with a stuffed skunk.

That was a long time ago, back when we still had a democracy. I haven’t listened to him in a million years. Until tonight.

Now I’m singing along and doing the Reformed Baptist Head Nod and feeling so damn happy. An album takes you back to a moment in time, a simpler era when I edited one paper in one city where I actually lived. Such a wonderful memory.

I’m not whining. I have a job. I have a best friend and an indifferent cat. And I have a Willy album on Spotify whenever I need him.

It’s a simple life to lead. Still got a lot to learn about.

Like maybe how to spell Delaware.

Thanks, Willy.