Diane -
Thank you so much for sharing that with us. The photo looks lovely here (as it did on your camera when I got the sneak peek in Staten Island). I can tell that you are a very trustworthy soul and obviously Taylor feels the same. I too have settled on the fact that I have a lifetime Soul Patrol membership. I'm not going anywhere and will be ready at his beck & call when the next tour is up and running. He has my full support and devotion.
Thanks again for sharing his message with us.
PS - I MADE IT OUT OF NYC!!!
Amy - I was so worried about you guys, but I'm glad you got home in one piece.
I hope your ride home was easier than the one into Staten Island.
Diane, thank you so much for sharing this with us. I am so happy that he felt comfortable enough to speak with you about what he is doing and thinking about.
Soul Patrol member for life - absolutely. As Liz and I so often say, we are in it for the long haul!!
Diane, thanks so much for sharing with us. I do love the picture.
We're not going anywhere!
Diane,
Taylor couldn't have picked anyone better to send his message through. I know you visit more than this site but think you represent the spirit the NESP was founded on so very well. For the vast majority of people on this site it is about supporting Taylor and what we can give back to him for the music and the positive influence he has been in so many of our lives - and to do so without asking anything more from him than the 110% he already gives. It was obvious the first time I met you that you genuinely care for him and support him and I'm sure he feels it and responds with his trust.
When I was reading your message and thinking about how uncomfortable it must be for him to contemplate being out of sight for a while after the momentum he has built, Taylor's face when he said "gimme a chance" during his audition came into my mind. I had already decided after hearing Taylor sing that there was something very special about this young man and then there he was putting his talent, his obvious passion for the music and his very life on the line with no pretense, no play-acting, no gimmick - - just a competely honest request to judge him fairly on his own merits. As I learned more about him I realized that my first impression was correct - that this was indeed someone very special - both as a talented musician and as a person - someone very deserving of support.
Taylor's comments to you made me realize he still feels as though he is asking for a chance - only this time it is so that he can do what he needs to do without worrying about being unavailable for a while.
It is so exciting to know Taylor is writing again. How can anyone not be patient and supportive through however much time he needs when we know we are the ultimate beneficiaries ? !
I think we all felt that something was different - in a very good upbeat, happy way - about Taylor at the recent New England shows. Perhaps what we were sensing was his own excitement that the writing process has begun ?
Wish I had known in time to tell a friend who admired Taylor's lyrics and thought he had a unique gift for "twisting up the way words are traditionally used " that he was writing again. Who knows - with her love of the written word maybe she's already met up with his Muses !
I put a note in with some things that I was delivering from people I had met during my Maine roamings between the Portland and Concord shows that said I believe we give him so many gifts because it is easier than finding the right words to say to him to express how we feel about the music and his effect on our lives.
After reading Diane's post I am wondering if he would like to hear or - given how short the M&Gs are - perhaps read the stories. Would he be more comfortable with taking a break if he had a better sense of the loyalty and support he has from his fans ?
just a stray thought
Aging Hippie, thank you for your comments and what a great idea about the stories. Let's think about this more and how we could implement it.
Thanks to all of you for your comments about the picture. I only put it where I knew people pretty well.
I edited my first post now. My friend at the meeting was Gypsee. I know she is sensitive about her name being used and I didn't have her permission to include it when Taylor's camp approved the message going out. She has approved it now and I want to make sure everyone knows it was her with me. A lot of you that were at Staten Island already knew that, but I wanted to be clear.
It's great you and Gypsee were together, and are sharing some
special sentiments from Taylor
We will be starting a thread
here where members can post messages to Taylor while he's away
doing his thing
Somehow myspace isn't personal enough,
and sometimes his phone thing doesn't take the calls, so we're just
going to start a thread where people can leave messages for Taylor.
We're going to feel the need to say "hi" and check in when he's on
vacation
Thanks again Diane.
I've been thinking I might want to write a note in a card for the Big E, as thanks for the 2007 tour and all the good times. Is that what you are thinking of, AH?
And I love Liz's idea of the thread with messages for Taylor. I'm not one to call a voice mail machine, but I would sit down and write things...
Thanks for sharing this, Diane.
It makes me quite certain that Taylor's got eyes on all the boards, because haven't we all been posting about how much we'll miss him once the Big E has come and gone? Maybe he felt he needed to say something. It's a lot more than you'll ever get from another musician.
I am intrigued by this idea of telling Taylor our stories somehow. Perhaps a book(let)? I'm happy to ghostwrite for anyone who feels they "can't find the words"... words are my milieu. (See? Big word right there!
)
Can't we all write up a page or two and put it together at The Big E?