There are fans, and there are fans. I started grooving to James Brown in 1964. I was 6 years old. I didn't even realize, until I was in my 30s, that it was James Brown I was grooving to as an elementary school kid. The name didn't mean a thing--it was the music, baby! Such was my auspicious start. If the music doesn't grab me, I stop listening to X and move on. When something does grab me, a love affair of grand proportions begins. You've got the details in the email I sent. Like I said, I'm your most untypical music fan. But I've reviewed CDs (world music, mostly), interviewed a music producer or two, become friends with musicians and composers, choreographers and dance company directors in my day. Whenever I find music/performers I love, I want to share my incredible find with everyone who will listen. If that ain't love, then I don't know what is. Celebrity, fame, awards, popularity, at the end of the day that isn't what makes something great or not. It all boils down to the art. Too highfalutin for you? That's just my truth, as I see it, from where I stand.

ha ha,