When I lived in Southern California I vowed that I'd never leave. I loved Los Angeles with a fiercely unwholesome passion.
A few years later (still in my 20's) I decided that I wanted to be bi-coastal. I planned to divide my time between Los Angeles and New York.
All I knew for certain is that I wanted to be in a big city..... and near the beach.
I craved big city life and all it had to offer. I didn't think I could ever exist without fine dining, excellent shopping, the theater, opera, ballet, museums.
By the time I was in my early 30's, my wildly destructive life in L.A. was causing major burnout. I still loved the city intensely, but - during rare moments of paralyzing sobriety - I realized that I wouldn't last much longer if I stayed.
This has the possibility of getting incredibly long, so I'll skip all the details and Fast Forward the story.
When I finally left California I was severely homesick for a decade (at least), but something happened to my lust for big city life: it dwindled considerably and eventually vanished.
I grew to love rural life in the Missouri Ozarks. I liked the simplistic lifestyle and the honesty of the country people.
A drastically pleasant change from the 24/7 chaotic frenzy of L.A.
Even though I generally hated West Texas when I lived there, I discovered that I still found an irresistible attraction to country life.
And here in the Tennessee wilderness - despite many inconveniences - I still feel an immense satisfaction being in a rural area with country people. At this point in my life, I'm very comfortable being a mountain hermit.
Hillbilly hermit
last autumn
Are these feelings deeply rooted, perhaps hereditary?
My mother loved the mountains more than anything - undoubtedly because of the extended time in her youth that she spent in Red River, New Mexico.
In retrospect, all of my ancestors (on both sides of the family) came from rural/mountainous areas.
My father's family came from a tiny village in eastern Hungary, right near the Romanian border. His ancestors reportedly migrated from the mountainous region near Transylvania.....
...which is why I often joke about having vampire blood in my veins....
My mother's family came from a tiny village in the Bakony Mountains of western Hungary, right near the Austrian border.
Ironically, there is a distinct visual similarity between the Bakony Mountains and rural Tennessee.
This is Borzavar, in the Bakony Mountains where my mother's relatives were from.
This is the area of Tennessee where I'm presently living.
So, what's my point?
No point, really. Except I think that my country/mountain heritage is in my blood.
When I lived in Los Angeles - long before my adventures into rural life - I had a keen interest in bluegrass music - - but most especially in traditional Appalachian music.
I sang and recorded some of this music. Fortunately many of these recordings are lost (although my singing wasn't too shabby).
I recently discovered this recording of Wayfaring Stranger by Jack White. I used to sing this and his "hillbilly" singing style is similar to mine.
This music probably won't enthrall everybody, but I love it.
