Mike Pinder died today.
That won''t matter to most of you out there. Pinder isn't the best known berk out there, but to me, he... he was a big deal.
My love of music - my love of rock, my love of the philosophy of rock - was largely informed in my formative years by a group called the Moody Blues, who were one of the first prog groups out there. They did sampling before it was cool, courtesy of a keyboard that played samples off magnetic tape (The Mellotron, which was a convoluted beast). They used computer editing before it was cool, vis a vis big-ass mainframe computers. One of their biggest hits became a hit years after its release because a deejay in Texas needed a long song for bathroom breaks.
Pinder was one of the original lineup.
The last of the Magnificent Moodies.
He will be missed.
And if that ain't the kick in the ass I needed to write another lesson, I don't know what is.
Class will be in session again soon. Until then, here's your song of the indefinite time period... a little something to whet your whistle.
