Thoughts of a one-time Band Guy

Some thoughts on the people of Georgia and our culture. When I was about 11 years old I got involved in playing the saxophone. There in my Southwest Georgia town of Cairo I wanted to join the band. I loved music. I had me a good band and instrument instructor. Oh he was a tough man of hard discipline, but things worked out fairly well. The thing that frustrated me was all the social weirdness that started coming my way. Back then football dominated everything. And socially the good looking girls could not stand the band boys, who are now called band geeks. I got bugged because like most mixed up young males I did not want to be treated like a nothing or meaningless soul. So I got more and more into culture. My school had a good drama program so I started enjoying acting. The biggest joy in my life came when I did well in a feisty one-act play by the great Russian playwright, Chekov. Most of the people in my class could not hardly ever figure us thinking types out. They thought we were creeps who read too much and liked music and the arts. One of the amusing things in my life now is the fact I have enjoyed the steadily increasing popularity of the interesting television show 'Glee' which tries to show the fun that can be had with good music and dance programs for young people. I feel good knowing that some teenagers now can really have fun and not just be subjugated by the crass social mechanisms of football mania with all its intense social pushing around of young minds.