A few nights ago, I was watching WITF (our local public broadcasting station) and they were featuring a filmed tribute to Roy Orbinson that was performed about 2 years before his death. What made this particular show so interesting, beyond the staggering talent of Roy Orbinson himself, was the band that evening was made up of a “who’s who” of rock and roll legends.
Under the direction of producer T-Bone Burnett, the stage band included Jackson Browne, Burnett, Elvis Costello, k.d. Lang, Bonnie Raitt, J.D. Souther, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, and Jennifer Warnes, along with the rhythm section from Elvis Presley’s fabled late ’60s and early ’70s touring band.
What I noticed about this lineup of stars is something I’ve also noticed with great doctors, great novelists, great actors and yes, even great marketing minds. And that is the apparent ease with which these people are able to “deliver the goods”.
Now I’m aware of the argument that says what we’re seeing is the result of decades of preparation and practice. But the problem with the argument is that I’ve seen too many of these people perform in their teens – and I’m telling you here and now that ability of this magnitude can’t be reduced to something as simple as hard work.
It’s something I’ve been aware of almost all of my life. The man or woman who makes it look too easy. The one who suddenly stands up or steps forward and delivers a performance or a solution that sends the rest of us back to the drawing board. Whether it’s an evening of song and music, an ad that persuades us to part with our hard earned money, or a paragraph of words arranged in such a manner as to make all of us weep like children – the common denominator, in my view, is pure talent.
It makes you laugh, it makes you cry, it makes you jump out of your seat and applaud. It creates a moment where even the most guarded of us simply give up control and are reduced to child-like awe.
I am not smart enough to tell you what “it” is, or where “it” comes from, or even what “it” says about us humans. What I do know is sometimes there is something present that we can’t reduce to a formula. Sometimes there are gods who live among us.
