topic Re: Me In A Former Life in Share Your Photos

Me In A Former Life

FloridaDrafter — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 08:27:54 GMT

I don't mention this a lot, but when my wife and I first married, I was a pro musician. I didn't make a lot, but enough to do it full time. This shot was taken in a night club in Beckley, WV. My wife was a photographer and had been hired by another venue, Charleston (WV) Colosseum, to shoot a show there. I was playing in a club along her route home, so she stopped in and got a few of me on stage. I know she was using a Canon 35mm film camera, but not sure which one. I do know she was using a 200mm lens and 1000 ISO film, but that's about all we can remember. Hey, I was a musician in the 70's and 80's, so I fried a few brain cells, LOLOLOL! This was taken late 70's/early 80's. That fedora hat I'm wearing was my grandfathers.

BTW, that tube you see running up my mic stand goes to a device called a "Golden Throat" which allowed me to make my guitar talk 🙂

Re: Me In A Former Life

Tronhard — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 07:04:05 GMT

Great image and carries a lot history and memories - fried brain cells accepted!

Ernie is apparently quite a musician, so you may be able to explore some common ground with him. I admire anyone who plays an instrument. I would love to have learnt when I was young, but never got the opportunity. I tried to learn the guitar but had to sell it to get a motor bike so I could got to college! I did sing until my voice broke though...

Still, I am quite content to explore my graphical artistic side - it keeps me off the street (well on it sometimes too) and means I have no money spare for booze, drugs, hot cars, or fast (or slow) women.

Re: Me In A Former Life

Tintype_18 — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 14:58:22 GMT

Interesting thread. Im sure the fedora held a lot of memories. Keep it as a family treasure. Had a chance to play in a band in night clubs in Queens, NY when in high school. Father didn't trust me! However, when I went to college, I made up for lost time. Didn't participate in music in college, BTW. Lost interest.

Re: Me In A Former Life

shadowsports — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 15:42:37 GMT

Greetings,

Here's to happy memories

Peter Frampton was the master of the Golden Throat.

Anyone interested can see that here. Starts at about 5:40

https://youtu.be/y7rFYbMhcG8

Re: Me In A Former Life

FloridaDrafter — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 17:46:28 GMT

Thanks for the link, Rick. I didn't want to drop any names, LOL! They are pretty hard to use. Try talking with a 1/2" tude in your mouth, heh.

Newton

Re: Me In A Former Life

FloridaDrafter — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 18:34:40 GMT

@Tintype_18 wrote:
Interesting thread. Im sure the fedora held a lot of memories. Keep it as a family treasure. Had a chance to play in a band in night clubs in Queens, NY when in high school. Father didn't trust me! However, when I went to college, I made up for lost time. Didn't participate in music in college, BTW. Lost interest.

That Stetson was my grandfathers everyday hat and in his day men wore, at the very least, a shirt and tie. So it was pretty beat up and that's why I liked it. I also have his "Sunday go to meetin'" Stetson Stratoliner, still in the box. As for college, I had to skip that and go directly to life. I performed for about 8 years and didn't like where the road was leading, lots of traveling, trying to keep the band sober, etc. I just didn't have the patience. I got back into it in the 90's, but things just weren't the same, then I wrecked my motorcycle and messed up the tendons in my left hand, so that put an end to any kind of fancy guitar work. I still liked music, so I built a recording studio. Tape at first, then digital. I still have all my gear, but play keys now using a Roland V-Synth, but that is just for my own enjoyment.

Re: Me In A Former Life

FloridaDrafter — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 19:56:22 GMT

@Tronhard wrote:
Great image and carries a lot history and memories - fried brain cells accepted!

Still, I am quite content to explore my graphical artistic side - it keeps me off the street (well on it sometimes too) and means I have no money spare for booze, drugs, hot cars, or fast (or slow) women.

That's where I ended up, as a graphic artist and cartographer. I've had so many jobs since those days, from derrik hand on an oil rig, a land surveyor to draftsman where I learned to use computers, which landed me in IT. I did all of the graphics for the company I worked for along with my networking duties. I used CorelDraw and Adobe Illustrator for logos, presentations, etc. Then started working from home in 2007 (I did that for 10 years) using AutoDesk Land Development Desktop, and that's when I took early retirement. What luck, and I say luck because one company split into two, and company two took me with them on my condition that I work from home. No bragging, but I was very good at what I did and they agreed, so hard work DOES pay off. Working from home allowed me to regain interest in photography. Although I had deadlines, they were just that, a date with no daily progress reports, no questions. I would send my check plots to their plotter or printer along with a PDF for the signing surveyor to "mark up". Since I used Acrobat Pro, it would pull the marked up PDF's into AutoDesk as an overlay. Pretty slick. But I digress, LOL!

*EDIT* I left out the best job. Until my wife retired from photography, I was her part time assistant for quite a few shoots, it didn't pay well, but had great fringe benefits 🙂