Deja-Voodoo (excerpt from Final Chapter 31)

Music and rhythm is everywhere -- the folks such as those who present Stomp have proven that in their unique performances. I recall the difficult, final few miles of running the Chicago Marathon in crisp October air, the sound of traffic on Lake Shore Drive merged with crowd cheers, distant music and the breathing and footsteps of runners, fatigued but visualizing the triumph of completion. Those sounds created an unearthly life rhythm that I can never forget. Yet it surrounds us -- in bowling alleys and factories, shorelines and forests, from flags and sails -- all those places where musical rhythm instantly forms in our heads.

Excerpts from The Music Inside have, hopefully, caused you to reflect on all those changing musical moments in your life. Yet, I sometimes wonder where all this music is headed. Who is carrying on the tradition of all those Slovak melodies played on ukeleles at my family picnics so long ago? Where are all those old friends who bravely emulated songs of others in our living rooms and garages? What became of the original songs that friends, and so many others, wrote about the times of their lives? Will they suddenly reappear or become re-invented on YouTube? What about those hip media of my times that embraced musical evolutions and presented it to us -- such as Rolling Stone Magazine and MTV -- who themselves transitioned and will continue transitioning their methods of conveying the music?

Jann Wenner, who built Rolling Stone magazine into a publishing empire, is enthused about the possibilities of downloading technology. In Boom!, Tom Brokaw's bestselling book about the sixties era, Wenner declares -- "Now it's instantly available on your computer, on your desk -- anytime, night and day, and that progression is just so powerful." It opens up new sounds for younger generations -- kids who can appreciate the legacy and significance of the Beatles, Hendrix, Dylan, Sinatra, etc. etc. But, in reverse, older generations (those with interest and curiosity) also have easy access to current music of all types.

Music constantly reinvents itself in both form and distribution. But, it ultimately returns, often from strange places in the past. Thanks for listening.