You think you're better'n me?
Well, you are. For now.
I don’t really understand the concepts of frenemies. I like my friends friendly and my enemies not at all. So, let me preface today’s post by saying that the person I am writing about today is not a frenemy—at least not on my end.
Photo credit: Phil Ragland
No, Kyle Zornes is a friend. We’ve known each other for several years from acting and improv situations. We were not super-close friends, but we always enjoyed each other’s company. Then, about five years ago Kyle helped me get a job with the law firm he was working at, and we became closer friends. I was pleased to have him as a guest at my wedding and to have some literal water cooler conversations. He’s a funny guy, a good actor, and a talented improviser. We’re both character actors, but of radically different types, and have about a decade of age difference, and so were never really in competition. That said, I don’t think he’s better than me as an actor, and I don’t think that I’m better than him—we’re peers. Kyle ain’t better’n me. Or is he?
Kyle is a massive music fan in a way that I used to be, but have not been since my late twenties. If someone is making Americana or Neo-Traditionalist Country, Kyle has at least heard of them. If they happen to be from his native Kentucky, he probably knows all their music. Three-and-a-half years ago he decided he didn’t just want to be a music fan anymore, and he decided to teach himself how to play guitar. He practiced one-and-a-half hours a day—eventually going to three hours a day, using JustinGuitar.com videos (the course I was doing on my first attempt at playing) and other videos on YouTube. He would post videos of himself playing, and at first it was pretty painful, but within a year, he was pretty damned good. He was guitar playing with mastery and writing his own songs. He became a musician. Eventually he moved back to Kentucky where he continues to really dig into being a musician and songwriter.
Over these years he’s really blossomed. I sincerely think that this song,
"This Red Bandana” is as good as anything that you can find on the radio. See for yourself—here’s Kyle performing earlier in the year on local television in Louisville.
Kyle is accompanied by Emily Miller on fiddle.
It is no secret that one of the major inspirations for making this blog was seeing Kyle do something awesome, and feeling for the first time in almost a decade, the pain that Kyle was better’n me at something. That will not stand! No sir. Well, I may not make my initial goal of playing guitar with enough mastery to play complete songs by ear by October 2, 2020, but I will do everything in my power to be as good as Kyle is right now. Better even. Seriously, though, a little friendly spite is just what I need to kick this challenge into a higher gear.
General check in:
I have been drawing and playing guitar very frequently for the past few weeks, and pretty consistently, but it is clear that I need to add some hours to my guitar playing, if I’m going to be better than Kyle anytime soon. Drawing has been going well, and I can see some gains since I first picked that back up. Quarantine fog has got me pretty bad, and these challenges are based in movement and space, and I find them so much easier to focus on than some of the challenges that are mainly brainwork.
Y’all have a good week, and enjoy another song by Kyle. Below this clip I have his Venmo and Paypal, if you want to fill his tip jar.
https://www.paypal.me/KyleZornes
Venmo: @Kyle-Zornes
Thank you, as always, for reading.
Drop me a line: jeremydnichols@gmail.com
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