Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 863
Location: Central Florida | I've been a member of the OFC almost since its inception, but I've never had the opportunity to make it out to any of the tours, nor to meet any of you individually. But that changed this past weekend when I had the good fortune of flying out to Kansas City and spending a great weekend with Mr. Paul Moody and our mutual friend Clark Byron.
I met Clark in Miami in 1979, and just as we were beginning to forge a friendship, his life took him out of the area and it wasn't until about four years ago that I found him, oddly enough, from a picture that Paul posted here in his photo gallery of he and Clark. I first met Paul several years ago through Glen Campbell's web site and then later here. We exchanged emails periodically, but it wasn't until last year after I posted that my cancer had returned that he called me to offer encouragement and we became fast friends over the phone before meeting face to face for the first time this past weekend. All I can say is, despite his self-proclaimed image as a professional thug, he is without a doubt one of the nicest guys I've ever met, and I'm proud to call both he and Clark (who is also a salt-of-the-earth guy and the one who made the trip possible for me) my friends. I've also been instructed to perpetuate the urban legend that Moody only knows three chords. He gets an awful lot out of those three chords!
We did virtually nothing all weekend but sit in Clark's living playing (Ovation) guitars, subsisting (between meals) on chips and our individual beverages of choice and talking of the vast joys and complexities of life. It was one of the best weekends I've ever had (that didn't include my wife and family). The most interesting thing about the whole setting is that Clark and I both play left-handed, so I didn't even have to bring a guitar! Paul brought along his 40th Anniversary 1627 Glen Campbell reissue--which is an absolute tonemeister in addition to being one visually stunning guitar. But Clark and I each got a kick out of witnessing Moody's frustration at not being able to play any other guitars in the room except the one he brought with him. All we could say in response was "Welcome to OUR world!"
In the subject heading for this thread I mentioned a "Prodigal Ovationist"... that would be me. When I joined this board in 2002, I had something like 16 guitars, about twelve of which were Ovations. Over the course of the last two or three years, I'd sold off every Ovation I owned and replaced them with Martins, a Gibson and most recently an Epiphone McCartney Texan. It's only due to the kindness of my friend Clark that I own the Glen Campbell Artist Balladeer you see down in my sig line. He graciously gifted it to me a few months back.
Clark has a small (relatively speaking) collection of Ovations, but there ain't a dog in the bunch! I arrived at Clark's house a day earlier than Paul, and when I walked in, I was immediately met by a rare left-handed Patriot, a Country Artist, a stunning Custom Legend 12-string and a gorgeous custom-ordered lefty Folklore (all beautifully displayed on stands), in addition to several other non-Ovation electrics (every one of 'em a lefty!). You wanna know how to bring a prodigal Ovationist back around? Just put him in a room filled with some of Ovation's finest models and let him play. I can tell you that after this weekend, this prodigal has returned!
While I don't plan to ever sell my Martin or Gibson (though the Epi could possibly be up for grabs at some point), I'm clearly GASsing once again for a deep bowl, A braced steel string, and I've already shot Ovation Customer Service an email to explore the possibility of upgrading my GC Artist to the same specs as the 40th Anniversary reissue.
But as good as it feels to be excited about Ovations again, the greatest thing I came away with from this weekend is the knowlege that I've not only fortified an old friendship, but firmly established a newer one.
It doesn't get any better than that. |
Of Great Friends, Great Guitars and a Prodigal Ovationist
