Meeting Joan Osborne
On a Friday, late in October 2017, I caught Joan Osborne playing at an intimate theater in my hometown. I sat front row as she and her accompanist, keyboardist Keith Cotton, ran through a set of Bob Dylan songs. It was great to hear these amazing songs brought through Osborne’s sultry, soulful filter.
The last song of the night was one of her own, St. Teresa, a long time favorite of mine. It contains the line, “Every stone a story, like a rosary,” which I pilfered for the title of a short story collection I have on Tablo.io. I was very happy to hear her sing it live.
After the show, I hung around and spoke to the opening act, young Will Champlin, an amazing up and coming talent. Then, Joan herself came out from backstage, sat at a table and signed some autographs. I got in line and took a minute of her time. I thanked her for playing “St. Teresa,” and told her another of her songs, “Poison Apples,” was a favorite, too.
Her eyes lit up with surprise. “Poison Apples! I gotta bring that one back!” (Note, if you want to impress someone like this, let her know that your favorite song is a deep track on one of her early albums. But honestly, I love that song, and I make mention of it in my book The Gospel of Thomas.)
She signed my ticket and shook my hand. Still very much the 20th Century guy, I have her autograph, but not her picture on my cell phone.
The heart of the concert was her fierce performance of the VietNam era protest song, “Masters of War.” It felt like the song was written yesterday. Dylan’s words transferred easily from their original context into our own, troubled times. Joan let us know she had fans all along the political spectrum, and she bemoaned the bitterness and the deep divides in the politics of the United States. She said, “We will not be able to hate our way out of our current situation.”
That was music to the ears of this writer of love stories. Love is the answer, the way forward, the stronger power still. I celebrate love and teach about love in the time honored way, through my stories.
If you haven't had the opportunity to read my fiction, I invite you to Tablo.io to read my anthology, "Every Stone a Story." I’d love to hear which story reached you, and what you thought about it.
https://tablo.io/kj-cartmell/every-st...
The last song of the night was one of her own, St. Teresa, a long time favorite of mine. It contains the line, “Every stone a story, like a rosary,” which I pilfered for the title of a short story collection I have on Tablo.io. I was very happy to hear her sing it live.
After the show, I hung around and spoke to the opening act, young Will Champlin, an amazing up and coming talent. Then, Joan herself came out from backstage, sat at a table and signed some autographs. I got in line and took a minute of her time. I thanked her for playing “St. Teresa,” and told her another of her songs, “Poison Apples,” was a favorite, too.
Her eyes lit up with surprise. “Poison Apples! I gotta bring that one back!” (Note, if you want to impress someone like this, let her know that your favorite song is a deep track on one of her early albums. But honestly, I love that song, and I make mention of it in my book The Gospel of Thomas.)
She signed my ticket and shook my hand. Still very much the 20th Century guy, I have her autograph, but not her picture on my cell phone.
The heart of the concert was her fierce performance of the VietNam era protest song, “Masters of War.” It felt like the song was written yesterday. Dylan’s words transferred easily from their original context into our own, troubled times. Joan let us know she had fans all along the political spectrum, and she bemoaned the bitterness and the deep divides in the politics of the United States. She said, “We will not be able to hate our way out of our current situation.”
That was music to the ears of this writer of love stories. Love is the answer, the way forward, the stronger power still. I celebrate love and teach about love in the time honored way, through my stories.
If you haven't had the opportunity to read my fiction, I invite you to Tablo.io to read my anthology, "Every Stone a Story." I’d love to hear which story reached you, and what you thought about it.
https://tablo.io/kj-cartmell/every-st...
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