Drive All Night
Do you know Bruce Springsteen’s song “Drive All Night”?
You’ll just have to trust me when I say it’s gorgeous. Without the dreamy instrumentals and his sexy, gravelly vocals, the lyrics seem a little, well…here’s the opening line of the chorus: “I swear I’ll drive all night, just to buy you some shoes.”
Hard for me to imagine being so in love that I’d make that statement, but there are a few things I would drive a long way for, and in fact I did just that this week. Twelve hours of driving over two days - NJ to Provincetown, Mass. and back - to hear a little more than an hour’s worth of music.
And it was worth every minute.
First, I got to hear my friend Donna Byrne - a remarkable singer with great range, emotionally and musically. She officially retired a few years ago, so this was a rare opportunity to hear her once more.
And second, I got to drive. By myself. For twelve blissful hours.
I do some of my best thinking in the car, always have. Something about the enforced absence of all the distractions I routinely surround myself with. (I can’t even use my cell phone in the car these days - the smartphone I bought this spring apparently isn’t smart enough for hands-free dialing.) Long drives may be as close as I’ll ever come to meditation.
And this drive did not disappoint. I brought along a copy of the cabaret show I’m working on and by the time I got home yesterday, I had figured out the solution to the rough spots that had persisted through six drafts. The show is finally done. And I can’t wait to preview it - after a few long drives to rehearse, that is.
