08/30/2024
Barry & I understand a mackeral sky at the moment of the founding: Founders of The School of the Philosophy of Excellent Moments. This came about after knowing Barry for a while and realizing he was a true, (unlike myself) natural intellectual. Any museum we went to, Barry knew who every artist was, their significance, what influences they came out of and/or propagated. As a musician, he was in Maynard Ferguson’s jr band, klezmer, my thing. When a classmate asked me to transpose Baroque music for guitar for a production of “Romeo & Juliet” on the mountain, I was (ahem!) slightly out of my depth! I handed it off to Barry who leapt at the chance and became the strolling minstrel, accompanying the players around the Parc, until the final scene in the crypt, the failing of the natural light heightening the impact of the tragedy.
Yet Barry was humble, never artogant or dismissive or condescending as so many of that ilk can be - except when encountering one OF that ilk. Then his evisceration of the poncet was vicious, incisive and devastating. So after a while, I was wonder, ‘Where is this guy going?’
He burst into our apartment one day, rxclaiming, “I got a job!!!” I was thinking, ‘what is it? Curator at a gallery? Head of an art dept? Sky’s the limit!!!
“What is it?!” I enquired.
“I’m a crossing guard!!!”, he crowed with great satisfaction! It was at this point that I reiterated all the above to Barry, ending with, “Dude, where is all this going?”
“Oh”, said Barry, “That”. “Well”, he went on, “I figure, compared to most people on this planet, I have a pretty good quality of life. And if I open my wallet and I’ve got $2 - Hey! I’ve got TWO DOLLARS!!! And that is an excellent moment!”
This so tickled me, this great man of such capability and breadth and depth was so possessed of - BY! - such humility, I started laughing. And I said, we have to start ‘the School of the Philosophy of Excellent Moments”!!! Barry grinned his magnificent grin and enthusiastically (as usual) concurred! Hence the school was born. This photo was taken at or near the moment of inception at the bottom of Ave du Parc in Montreal, touched and unretouched versions. I miss you Barry, the world was a much better, more fun and illuminated place with you in it. May we meet again and get all the finger pointing we so richly imagined. Godspeed my friend, wherever you are.
