Date: Mon, 06 Jan 1997 14:51:02 -0600
From: Chris _topher_ Lakey 
To: Friends of Guy Clark 
Cc: Christopher Friedrich 
Subject: TVZ - Sunday in Nashville

Saturday night the winds came from nowhere and brought rains and
lightning along with them.  The music stopped, the lights flickered and
I made my way to the door of the coffee house to see fallen trees,
swaying street lights and a large dumpster crossing the parking lot.
Some people were scared, others were curious and I was a little of both
but mostly just disappointed because there was no more music.  

Sunday the temperature was 15 degrees cooler than the day before and the
sky was a beautiful white and blue with clouds that seemed to dance as
they made their way south while we made ours north.  Maybe they heard
Townes playing on the stereo or perhaps Townes was up there in his
flyin' shoes leading them.  Either way it was a beautiful day and we
were on our way to Nashville for Townes Van Zandt's memorial service.

The service was held at the Belmont Church on the corner of 16th and
South.  We made it there early despite my being directionaly
challenged.  Travis arrived moments later and  parked right behind us
(took a while, but we got out).  Outside the church were all sorts of
interesting people dressed in everything from jeans to Tuxes (and
dresses too).   Steve Earle was the one in the Tux and he did an
excellent job coordinating everything.  We waited to sign the guestbook
and were handed a black & white photo of Townes that looks like it was
taken about 10 years ago. The seats filled up quickly and we sat while
Robert Johnson, Lightnin' Hopkins, Hank Williams and other played over
the speakers.  It was both humerous and touching at the same time.

I won't fully describe the service but I will say that Steve Earle, Emmy
Lou, Lyle Lovette, Guy, Susanna, Rodney Crowell, John Lomax III, Townes'
sons and many others spoke and/or performed.   Kevin Van Zandt played "A
Song For" and I would have sworn it was Townes himself straight from 25
years ago. The ceremony was very moving and helped me to see Townes in a
way I hadn't seen him before.  Perhaps the tapes will be  available so
everyone can share in the experience.  After the service I told Guy that
everyone on the list was thinking about him.  He said thanks.

Back in Huntsville it's a dreary Monday (have you ever heard REK talk
about Nashville suicide weather? It's the same in Huntsville) and I'm
faced with the work I had planned to do this past weekend.  I'm tired
because I drove around Nashville looking for 2007 Belmont Blvd in hopes
of getting tickets to the Jan 18 Steve Earle show.  Sold out!  Looks
like things are getting back to normal and I'm trying to make sense of
this whole weekend and I guess this is what I learned: 

Townes in his music said "Too late to wish I'd been stronger." Hopefully
his music and his life will serve as an example to motivate people to
leave a path of self-destruction and turn to God for strength instead of
the demons that so often haunted Townes and the characters in his songs.

        A whisper deep within
        Embrace the God of Love
        I lifted my face and through the tears
        I saw light fall from above

        Now I'm back among the ones I love
        I'm loved by them in turn
        and it's only on the darkest night
        that green eyed memory burns
        So walk my friends, in the light of day
        don't go sneakin' 'round no holes
        there just might be something down there
        wants to gobble up your soul

                -TVZ from "The Hole"

We love you Townes!

-topher
-- 
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 Chris "topher" Lakey          "Only two things that money can't buy
 mailto:topher@pobox.com       That's true love & homegrown tomatoes"
 http://www.pobox.com/~topher/ http://www.pobox.com/~topher/guyclark/
 (205) 534-4844 FAX: 534-4846  /*       THIS SPACE FOR RENT        */
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