You Should Sing With The Turtles.
I came up with an idea. Because it was my idea, I believe Dylan had trouble deciding that it was a good idea.
But wow, it was a great idea.
Back in the fall, I discovered that Dylan had an opportunity to take a class with a professor who had once played guitar with Frank Zappa and, maybe more notably, was a founding member of The Turtles.
Dylan ended up not taking the class with that Turtles/professor – but the professor is still teaching on campus, so….
In my spare time, I did a little research and discovered that The Turtles are still touring together. They tour during the summer – from the end of May, when college is done, until mid-August – when it reconvenes.
“Dylan,” I said one night, casually. “You should sing with The Turtles. What do you think?”
“That would be cool,” Dylan said.
Of course, Dylan doesn’t know the founding member of The Turtles. But that doesn’t mean he couldn’t – at the very least – ask if he could take part in the summer tour.
So in February, Dylan asked if the dean could introduce him to the singing professor. And Dylan discovered that, up until a few years ago, entire classes went on tour with The Turtles!
So I guess my idea wasn’t unique, but it was still a great idea.
The dean had an idea of his own. He asked Dylan to email him a resume, and he’d look into it.
Dylan spent a week getting his resume together. A whole week. I could have knocked his block off. Dylan wanted to make his resume “perfect” so he dilly-dallied until he told me, “I think I’m just going to send it like it is.”
Then, finally, Dylan turned in his resume – however it stood with Dylan being fresh out of high school – and now the dean has it in his possession.
And then, Dylan waited. And I waited.
And while we were waiting, the coronavirus hit the country.
The first thing Dylan missed due to coronavirus was a concert. The day before the concert, the Maryland governor said there would be no more gatherings above 250 people – so the concert was canceled.
I don’t think Dylan even remembers, at this point, that we were waiting to see if he could tour with The Turtles. Touring this summer – for any band, or any audience – seems highly improbable.
Still, I remembered that “we” were waiting to hear back from the dean. So I looked into the professor at Belmont, the guy who looks like such a fun professor, the guy who co-founded The Turtles.
Mark Volman has had at least one recent bout of throat cancer. And, even though class selection is finished for fall, Prof Volman is not scheduled to teach any classes at Belmont.
And tomorrow is Mark Volman’s 73rd birthday.
I’m not sure what it means, but it breaks my heart for the man. I want him to be well, to be singing, to be touring. I want him not to be a candidate for coronavirus fatality. I want him to be healthy and singing and laughing and happy.
I don’t know the man, but I worry about him anyway.
Meanwhile, Dylan has started thinking about other career avenues, and hasn’t even asked about The Turtles. He hasn’t followed up with the dean for other ideas. Like most of us, he hasn’t done much of anything.
And for right now, that is totally fine. We are all just waiting.