Old McDonald Wrote Some Music

It was my first day in Playland park. I was sporting a gondolier's hat, a red and white, vertically striped vest, black shorts, and white shoes. My job was to entertain. Walk up to people sitting on a park bench and play them a song. This was my job, six times a day for fifteen maybe twenty minutes at a time. This was my job.

By the end of day one it was already a tiresome burden. I had done five of my "strolls" and had one more to do. "I should just skip it," I thought, "who'd know?" But it was my first day. I'll just get it over with.

Across from the carousel of fast horses, right next to the cotton candy stand, was a man holding his daughter. Simple enough, walk up to them, play You are my Sunshine or some other crap and be done.

"Hey guys! Having fun in the park today?!? Care to hear a song?" I said as I forced out a smile.

"We'd love to sing a song!" replied the man, "How about Old McDonald?"

We began singing and to my surprise the man started throwing in some harmonies. Most amusement park patron don't do that. Once we got through a verse and a chorus I began to dish out the usual park employee over-excited mindless chatter.

"Nice harmonies you threw in there!"

"Well, I'm a musician, a composer actually."

With that phrase the entertainer-patron facade was broken, and I really began talking to this guy. Turns out he's a freelance composer in the area, is just beginning a huge project for NBC, and is in need of an apprentice. We exchanged contact info and two nights later I was in the car, listening to his CD he gave me, and getting lost on my way to his place in Yonkers.

I had no clue what to expect. Being mugged, raped, find out the guy murders Dalmatian puppies, or sells coke and only writes music on acid flashbacks... all were possibilities. Then again, finding a professional grade studio in some guy's basement and a stellar musician who writes great stuff and is quite successful was a possibility as well.

What I found was Jacob.

We've been working together ever since that first meeting. Three, four, sometimes five nights a week we meet and work on scoring this NBC pilot. Just last night we met with the director of the project on which we are nearing completion. He seems pleased. I've even had the opportunity to write some of the music myself, instead of just taking a back seat ride. I may even get some on-air credit for it. We'll see.

Blessings in disguise are interesting. Especially when you have to peal off many layers of the mask. And even then, the blessing staring back at you may be in the form of a short-haired Jewish guy from Port Chester. Scary.