I heard an interview with the wife of a celebrity I’ve followed for a few decades.
Never thought much about her other than that she hit the jackpot. Plain Jane type even in her youth, but having a good guy and wealth definitely suits her.
Heard her voice and thought, yep, just as plain as her look. Lucky her to land this guy.
And I thought about his career. He’s done some pretty epic shit. Wrote some of the world’s most enduring songs about love and heartbreak and struggle in his younger days. Then there was the decade or so of watered-down love songs that were nice but lacked the fire of the early days.
I got to thinking, what if he had picked someone who sparked that passion? What albums would he have written with that twin flame fire lit under him?
I see a lot of that these days. People who could have been great if not for the rope they tied around themselves in the name of safety, financial or otherwise.
No one will ever be able to say that about me. If I was there, it wasn’t because I needed to be.
I’m not knocking the celebrity marriage. They should be celebrated. They’ve done a lot of good for this world with their wealth and kind hearts.
But I won’t lie. I wonder about the artistry that was great but could have been legendary.
Or maybe it wouldn’t have. Maybe what is still unwritten, and may very well always be … wasn’t his story to tell.
Cheers to good enough, amirite?