I had heard the chatter about Rob Pattinson being in the April edition of "Vanity Fair" and didn't give it much attention. Sure, I'd be checking out the pictures and reading the article, but I was expecting it. Pretty pictures of Rob and some sort of q and a that tells me little about him as a real person. Same as all the other magazines.
I didn't rush out to get it the second it appeared in print, but I grabbed a copy this week while at K-mart. Normally, I won't cough up the dough for something I'll read once.
The magazine makes it home and I quickly bypass the fluff to the photos. My plan: scan the photos and then go back to look at each one in more detail. After I am done drooling, read the article and review pictures again.
Everything is going according to plan until I hit the photo of Rob in Preservation Hall, touching the piano. The two things that immediately go through my mind are a) the man has way nicer fingernails than I do and b) he is allowed to actually touch that piano.
Most of you are wondering my sanity. How could she even notice that when Rob is sitting there looking so heavenly? Friends, I'm not saying he looks bad, I'm saying his photo team has pissed me off.
I was in the band program when I was younger. It was an excellent program and by the time you got to high school symphonic band, you were expected to perform exceedingly well. Lots of sectional rehearsals and weekly lunchtime practices in addition to the daily classroom practice. When it came time for our yearly competition trip, even more time spent in the band room. And for those of us who were particularly insane, there was jazz band.
Jazz band was after school, in addition to the craziness that was symphonic band. It was a love-hate relationship with me and jazz band. I liked listening to the music and being part of the team, but I could never quite make my saxophone sound the way I thought it should. I'm sure I sounded fine, otherwise the director would have made his displeasure with my performance quite clear.
Let's get back to the point. During my junior year, our symphonic and jazz bands went to a competition in New Orleans. We blew the judges away and won some kind of national awards. That wasn't the only exciting part for us band kids. Getting to explore the city was a big event. And Preservation Hall was one of the major stops.
We looked around and soaked in the history of the place. Couldn't touch the stuff, just look, listen, and feel the spirit of the city and her music.
When I saw that image of Rob Pattinson and how he was allowed to not only come in contact with the instruments, he got to play with the house band, I began to fume. What makes him so special that he gets this honor? Does he realize the history of the place? The significance it holds to the people of New Orleans and jazz lovers around the world?
True, I don't know the man personally. From interviews, he seems to be an avid music fan. But the high school jazz band saxophone player in me is still fuming that Rob Pattinson was allowed to tickle those ivories, while people like myself who agonized over the music and are still in awe of that landmark will never be able to get as close to musical history as he did.
Dude, you are so lucky you play Edward. Instead of kicking your butt, I'll just scowl at you until you play me "Bella's Lullaby".
