The Ultimate Silly Hat Contest Winner is...

Aretha Franklin. Sorry, Shirley, Brad, and Evan!

Wow, oh wow! We've got a new prez! Rockin'!

A few points I got from watching this exciting and very historic event:

1. No Bailout for Atlantic or Epic

Let's hope that the government doesn't take over the music industry. They do not know how to work a crowd. (I couldn't believe nobody said to the millions of screaming fans "Let me hear you say Hope!" or rile 'em up anyways!)

2. She wasn't much like a beauty queen, or a movie scene

Let's hope the government doesn't take over any beauty pageants. Dianne Feinstein for MC? Really, Gus? Out of two million in attendance? I mean...Let's at least get someone who isn't shriveled, grating, and who has absolutely no sense of humor or personality to introduce my main man, dig?

3. In the question of "who's da man"
The answer is Yo Yo Ma.

4. God gave us humor, so we could laugh at
The main preacher man sounded who like a homophobic Bill Murry. Who put him in there?

5. Some preachers do rock
At least the old guy who gave the benediction had a cool voice, AND he tried to work the crowd with a "say amen!" I really thought the fella was gonna fall over. But he didn't!

6. Legato. Is. Not. Just. For. Steve. Vai.

Connecting phrases is sometimes a good thing, even for a poet.

Despite my sarcasm, it was pretty darn cool. What a neat day.

And, STOP THE PRESSES!

I found the tone I've been looking for.

Yo Yo Ma has it. I must steal his amp. Did anyone see him play? I was practicing my guitar as I was watching the show, but I put it down when he picked up the cello. For years now, I've been struggling with the dilemma of sound vs. nature. I love how open, pure, and uncluttered the Earth's tone is. The wind can rip, yowl, whisper, and roar. But it's never got lousy tone. Streams can babble, chatter, flow, and rush, but they don't sound cluttered.

Music is beautiful, but it sounds stifling sometimes. I think that some music with birds and frogs in it is lame. I want that pure sound, but with a man-made instrument.

I have never seen it done. Coltrane came pretty close, as did Bird when he played "Summertime."

But the Yo Yo had it! So did his violin playin' pal...oh, what's his name, yeah, Itzhak Perlman! DARN! Those cats had it DOWN! Their sound cut through me like a knife. Or...the wind.

I now know it can be done. So, I'm off to find that sound. That pure, real, merciless, honest, transparent, cold, flowing sound. The tone of a stream fueled by snowmelt in Vermont. The quality of the wind rushing up the side of the Shenendoah mountains to greet you as you stand at the top, as it cleanses the dust of the world from your hair and your mind.

And when I do, I will certainly stand up before the crowd, and say "I can't hear youuuuuuuu!"