Well this day has arrived folks: I get to see the “When I'm sixty-four” day that I dreamed of as a kid listening to a favorite Beatles album, Sgt. Pepper’s.
“I could be handy, mending a fuse
When your lights have gone
You can knit a sweater by the fireside
Sunday mornings go for a ride
Doing the garden, digging the weeds (this line contributed by John?)
Who could ask for more?
Will you still need me, will you still feed me
When I'm sixty-four?”
A song about Paul’s dad Jim McCartney who turned 64 that year. Yes, I think this song is about a lot of us who reach age sixty-four, too. By the way, I got to talk to Paul a bit, and to George Martin. George actually watched me record my “Fanfare for the Volunteer” album with orchestra for an hour in the control room at Air Studios in London back in the 90s, and he invited me to hang out with him the following day.
AI will take over so much now, and I had the realization this year that it will take over summing up many who are in the public eye, and there’s not a thing you can do about it. It’s the portrayal that will stick. You can always update the bio on the website, or make another entry in the Wiki… but this AI overlord is the summarization of all the info coming in on you in nano seconds across the entire web. But you know, I spent most of my life being fallibly categorized by various people who I didn’t fully agree with anyway: He’s this, no he’s that... people always missing something or other. So what does AI google say about me turning 64 today—summing it all up in a paragraph?
“Mark O'Connor, the American musician and composer known for his unique blend of bluegrass, country, jazz, and classical music, was born on August 5, 1961. O'Connor is known for his mastery of multiple instruments, including the violin, fiddle, guitar, and mandolin. He is a three-time Grammy Award winner and has won six Country Music Association Musician Of The Year awards. He was also a member of several influential musical ensembles, including the David Grisman Quintet, The Dregs, and Strength in Numbers.”
Okay, that synopsis is more than agreeable. And of course by now, it has to be. I like it. The 64-year campaign for good art and music has worked.
But who do I think I am at 64?
Well, I like to live in the present. I am husband to Maggie and father to Autumn and Forrest. Those are the big ones. There are so many folks that I know through my music that are good friends. And my music has afforded me a beautiful home on the lake in Charlotte with my favorite sunsets when I’m off the road. Music career-wise, the year I turn 64 is a very big year as well. I won’t give you the entire list. But I think these photos headlining at Carnegie Hall (Zankel) in New York City a couple of months ago performing my original compositions to a capacity crowd after this long instrumental music career, releasing 48 feature albums, really sums it up. Thank you to photographer Erin Patrice O'Brien for capturing these images on stage.
I’m most at home when I am doing exactly this. The facial expressions here cannot lie. Ever since I was a travelling child musician, it is a way of life and was always about the music.
So like the song says, and my music asks of you all; I hope you’ll still need me (and feed me) when I’m sixty-four! Thank you sincerely for the Happy Birthday messages today!
-MOC