Re: [Harp-L] Sons & Daughters

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Bill Hines" wrote:
"My wife tivo'd some show she wanted to watch last night, new show
called
Sons & Daughters. She rewound to show me a few parts about this one main
character who is a "closet harmonica player", his wife found a loaded
harp belt in his stuff or something. The subject came up a few times in
the show, no playing I don't think, didn't watch it all. Maybe in future
episodes? Something tells me the harp is about to come into one of those
cyclical "en vogue" popularity things."

I saw that scene when it aired.  The guy wasn't treated half badly by
the writers.  He defended himself against his wife's attitude --
basically, that he must be wierd if he secretly played harmonica --
calmly and reasonably.  His daughter asked him if he could teach her to
play, too, at which the wife expressed amazement, to which the daughter
replied that she thought it was cool. And nobody laughed or contradicted
her.

You know, I've lived and performed most of my life in an environment in
which harp players weren't very popular, or even respected.  I remember
seeing a sitcom a few years back in which the lead character, a
mean-spirited blind guy in a wheelchair -- I agree that it's not a great
setup for a sitcom, but I didn't write it -- compared a certain
something unpleasant with being stuck in an elevator with a harmonica
player. That kind of gratuitous nastiness aime dat harmonica was
completely absent from the new show, even though there's a lot of
general nastiness on it (along with some very funny stuff).  

I'll be delighted if harp gets to be really popular in my lifetime, even
if it's one of those cycnical en vogue kinda things.  And I will be
really, really glad if kids start thinking that playing harp is cool. 
The next thing would be lots of kids playing harp, and a few years after
that, lots of amazing harmonica music.  And more gigs.  And maybe more
people buying CDs with grat harp playign on them.  And harp players
winning Grammies.  And all that.

Regards, Richard Hunter
hunterharp.com