more about Billy

I don't know what compelled me to write about Caddyshack, Billy Barnard, Edna and the Plaza Cafe in yesternight's blog entry (I suspect the good people at Schlitz might have something to do with it- hey, it's the beer that made Milwaukee famous!), but I realized that my good man Billy might have gotten short shrift to make way for Dame Edna. Well, he's been on my mind now, so no I feel like I have to give him his due.

Because of his mannerisms, looks, and the way he talks, I often referred to him as 'the poor man's Burt Reynolds.' I also heard faculty members describe him as 'the only professor to openly use the F-word while making photocopies in the Music Dept Office.' I took his Jazz Studies class- a big survey class, it was very popular on campus. One of his requirements was for us to see at least two concerts over the course of the quarter and write about them- even if it was a jazz band at a bar and we were writing on a cocktail napkin. But, he said, "make sure you start writin' before you start drinkin' or it won't make no sense at all." I took guitar lessons with him for a year and at every lesson he would say "yeah, man, you get a couple more tunes in order and pretty soon you have a bunch of songs you can play with folks." Songs with folks. I like that concept. I'm going to start thinking of my opera roles that way. Just songs with folks.

Figaro #10 is tomorrow night. The end is near friends.

AW