The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “vintage” as an adjective:
—used to describe a wine usually of high quality that was produced in a particular year which is identified on the bottle
—used to describe something that is not new but that is valued because of its good condition, attractive design, etc.
—used to describe something that has the best qualities or characteristics of the things made or done by a particular person, organization, etc.
We likely relate vintage to fine wine or furniture, but some may say we should use antique when talking about anything old other than wine. “WOW! That’s a vintage ’72 cab, eh?” or “Hey fella, want to buy a vintage chair for $500, its got the charm of an old farmhouse“. How about vintage people, can that be applied?
When looking at the 3rd Merriam definition, one could say the best qualities or characteristics of a person represent their “vintage”. “That Sugar Mags > Scarlet > Fire from the ‘91 Vegas show was vintage Jerry Garcia man!“.
Today was my parents 51st Anniversary and during our visit, they shared some fond memories of their relationship and acknowledged the ebbs and flows. Mom’s big walleye that she may have thought was going to pull her in the water (she doesn’t like water much/at all.), their early years when Mom lived with the Balows and they were wildly dating, phone booth relief (inside joke that I can’t expand on), and the latest, Mom getting doused by the sprinklers at the Carlton Greenhouse when picking out geraniums. When people can laugh at their little tidbits of misfortune or lawful craziness, I relate that to a vintage-level characteristic that will last beyond their years.
Today’s vintage moment came when I was showing my parents the “new” vintage 1938 Gibson archtop guitar I just got. I had to show it off, its my first real vintage guitar. My mom was asking many questions about how the notes work and such so I decided to teach her how to play a G chord. I play a G chord wrong, since I use my thumb on the 3rd fret, (but I’ll blame that on Neil Young since watching MTV Unplugged was how I learned to play). Nonetheless, at 80 years old, she picked up the G pretty quickly and as soon as the guitar chord was solid, she even crooned a little bit. My dad also plucked a few, rockin’ it at 82.
Both now have my “cheater G” down and it makes me wonder if it is never too late to learn how to play a guitar.
Well I have about a week and a half to get my “new” vintage guitar dialed in. I hope to play a few on it, if I can let go of my Alvarez for a few songs, at upcoming shows. Check out the Shows page for dates and times, hope to see you there!
Kraig James Music 