Oh, man ... one of my main saxophone homies, Karl Reed got married. I was there. I can describe the events of the day in one word:
BEAUTIFUL!
You guys, all of you out there, who may or may not have met Mr. Reed, I gotta say ... it was one of the most beautiful ceremonies I've ever seen in my life. It was truly, outrageously beautiful. He married a girl from India, so everyone (except, er, me!) was wearing traditional eastern garb, very colorful, making the atmosphere a real event! A real party! Karl was dressed like king, you guys! It was amazing. I was so proud of him! He came riding in on a big white horse!
He rode in a horse! A STALLION!
Can you imagine?? Man, it was so beautiful, this day. I was the one who helped him on and off the horse. Which is, actually, now that I think about it, quite an honour. Man, I was so glad to be standing there next to him, with his beautiful new bride at his side, and all the relatives dancing around ... Did I mention that he was on a big white horse!? That was soooo cool, baby.
They also had a huge spread of Indian cuisine, which was really superb. Delicious! Later there was much dancing and carousing - everyone was in fine spirit. They had a Hindu wedding, and it was truly special. Very deep. Man, I tell ya, my bud had on this outrageously divine outfit. He looked like a king! Like a kind sultan! Like a perveyor or provocateur from Delhi, looking for a hip vegan deli, shouting words of love to his friends and devotees. It was magical!
The DJ was playing this amazing, eastern-flavoured dance stuff. The day was picture perfect, the food and convsation wuzall a gas, and to top it all off, there were endless bottles of Santa Barbara's finest wine! Quite extravagant, really. Of course, I didn't tell them that I'd hitch-hiked there from the next town over (Amtrak couldn't take me that far). But that's on a strictly, "need to know" basis, y'know? The guy that took me there was a karate champ, a bad-ass black belt, so I felt like I had my own bodyguard, escort, if you will, when I rolled up in my sweet wheels. On the way, this guy took me to a place called "Ostrich Land" (I swear I'm not makin' this shit up!) where I gazed upon the long-necks of some California bird collector's wildest findings. Anything goes out here, man. Pretty cool, but sometimes just plain nutty. Ostrich farm?!
At some point, I said, "Um, dude ... can you take me to the wedding now?"
What an amazing day. Skies for miles, positive vibes from everyone, my eclectic pal showing that anything's possible, even good things, when you just put your heart out there. Then, after the ceremony (this is the best part, I think), Karl got up in front of everyone, and played a song on the sax, that he'd composed for his love. She was sitting in the front row, nodding and enjoying. Man, he sounded just like Coltrane up there. I almost started to cry. I'm almost crying now, just writing and thinking about it. Which isn't cool, 'cuz I'm sitting here in the Santa Barbara public library at a computer ... C'est la Vie! It's a beautiful day ...
You're a king, my friend! Don't forget it!
Live long, prosper, and sincere CONGRATULATIONS!
-Todd
Posted by calico at September 06, 2003 01:07 PM