A New Season Is Coming My Way by David Steffen
I worked in the music industry for more than 25 years, and in 1997 I decided to turn my attention to the completion of my long unfinished BA. While studying at Fairfield University in Connecticut, and based on my 25 years in the music business, I was asked by the head of the music department if I’d be interested in teaching other under-grads about the business of music as an adjunct professor. I wrote and submitted a syllabus, tweaked it and, once approved, began teaching.
After graduating from Fairfield in 2001, I continued teaching two courses there. That fall I enrolled in the Masters Degree program at New York University and coincidentally, the director of NYU’s Music Business program asked me to teach a couple of courses for grad students. I thought, “hey, I’m commuting to Greenwich Village for classes, why not teach a class as well.”
In the fall of 2002 (and borrowing a phrase from Bob Dylan and Rick Danko,) "If my memory serves me well", one evening I came out of my teaching class at NYU and I found myself at the corner of Mercer and 4th. Walking along 4th I noticed a sign that said “Tonight: Pete Seeger”. Yes, Pete Seeger was still doing some gigs in his 80s.
I reflected on Seeger’s music and his life. The confluence of those minor events—the location in Greenwich Village and Seeger—made me reflect on Seeger's music and his life. This is the guy, born in 1919 who, as one writer put it, “touched millions of lives with ballads rich in history, humor and a sense of social justice.” He was praised for his musical and political voice, and he was also vilified for his politics. With the criticisms, Seeger lost tour dates and recording opportunities, having been branded, among other things, a communist. Nevertheless he emerged from the attacks and name-calling and in the 1960s stayed true to his beliefs. And his legend grew.
In 1959, the songwriter in Seeger had been inspired to transform a biblical thread from an old testament bible verse into what would become one of the most memorable songs of the 1960s. Most of us ‘of a certain age’ know the song “Turn, Turn, Turn”; and the recording by the Byrds was so successful (and so often played on the radio), that many, still today, can easily sing along in the car or at home.
A close listen to the lyrics made some listeners pause, because this beautiful and haunting song was true to its inspiration, drawn from the first three verses of Ecclesiastes:
To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn), and
a time to every purpose, under Heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together
A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late
Seeger put together a lyric of life: birth, death and everything in between. And the Byrds single of “Turn, Turn, Turn” hit number one in 1965. More to the point, thinking about the song more than five decades later both Seeger and that biblical inspiration were correct: To every thing there is a season.
The Mendonoma Coast is a fascinating, beautiful place. We have lived here for more than 15 years. We bought a home on the Gualala Ridge in 2005, and moved here a year later. We both spent time working for local businesses owned and/or operated by great people. Whether reflecting on my years working for public radio station KZYX, Dolly’s years working for Cafe LaLa and Bed & Bone, or my four years at Gualala Arts, we’ve loved it here. In 2016 we took on the additional work of editing and publishing the monthly newspaper, The Lighthouse Peddler, an experience we've embraced and loved; and we're hopeful that we can hand it off to a new team, just as Madeline and Mitch did with us seven years ago.
Turn turn turn. Our daughter, Caitie, lived here on the coast for awhile before going to college at the University of San Francisco. She graduated with honors and has worked hard to accomplish what’s important to her. She got married last year and is expecting the birth of a baby girl in February. Needless to say we’re ecstatic. Caitie has suggested, that now is the time for us to retire and live closer to her in the east Bay. And we agree.
Returning to Mr. Seeger, I can look out and see the wisdom in at least half of those "Turn" lyrics, and agree that there is a time to every purpose, under the heavens. I tend to prefer the ‘glass half full’ view and, for the moment, ignore the half-empty. For me I can see it’s a time to laugh more, to dance occasionally, to paint if I feel like it, to build up where I can make that possible, to heal where I might be needed, and to love.
So here I go. You may recall that 30 years ago, the producers of the Star Trek franchise released the film “Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country” in 1991. Whether it was the British Empire or the Klingon Empire that gave us William Shakespeare—you have to be a Trek fan to get the nuanced humor—the fact is the future, for all of us is the undiscovered country. And so is the next chapter in my life.
I’ve worked in Milwaukee, Chicago, Los Angeles (Hollywood), New York (by way of Connecticut), St. Paul, and Mendocino County. In each migration I thought it possible that “this will be the one. This will be the last time we move.” And once again, this next move, I believe, will be the last one. But wherever the future takes us, it is always, and truly, the undiscovered country. I will miss Mendocino County, the beautiful California Coast, and all of the friends I’ve made in 15 years. And the north Bay, where we will likely settle, is simply another adventure.
I will be speaking with many of you over the next few months, and I trust we will all find ways to stay in touch. I hope that we do. Until then, raise a glass of wine or a glass of water, if you prefer. Embrace this beautiful place and stay in touch. With everyone.
