Friday, June 8, 2007

Rhymin' Simon and the Bright Colors of Immortality

4 p.m. Thursday. It's real hot. At the traffic light we pull up beside another car with all the windows rolled down, just as the light turns green. I realize music from Paul Simon's "Kodachrome" is spilling out, the frenetic instrumental bridge. I look over and it's two boys, probably about 20, probably Korean. My eyes meet the driver's eyes for the briefest of moments. He doesn't know why.

I can't help smiling.

"That's Paul Simon. Huh," I say to 2, riding in the back seat.

"I thought I recognized it!" she says. There's a pause. "I'm glad they're... I'm glad people play that music you and dad play. I want people to still be listening to it when I'm grown up."


It was a lovely moment and I didn't feel like ruining it with reassurances that if the song has lasted 35 years (for her, 3 1/2 lifetimes), it'll probably stick around for a while longer. I did break the news, however, when she asked me to put the tape on, that I had thrown it away a few weeks ago. It had finally spindled and warped beyond the point of playability.

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