The Story behind my "Kentucky Coffee Bean Necklace"
post 14
Let’s Get Personal
Today, instead of writing about Pete Seeger and folk music, philosophy, or tales from the road, I’m going to share a small tidbit about myself.
Over the years, on four separate occasions, I have been gifted necklaces that I wear to every concert I perform. (Actually, one is currently “under construction” so I’ve been wearing only three lately.) At almost every show, people ask “Is there a story behind those necklaces?” There is. Actually, there are four stories. But before I tell any of those, I need to first tell a different story – one about John Gielgud’s underwear. You read that right. John Gielgud’s underwear.
A Story About Underwear
Seven years after graduating from Rutgers, I enrolled as a non-matriculated student in a class called Acting 101 for non-acting majors. It was a one-credit class that met for three hours twice a week. Perhaps the most educational class I ever took at Rutgers. One requirement of the class was to write a paper about a particular actor. I was assigned John Gielgud - an actor popular in the 1930s through the 60s.
(John Gielgud played an important role in my meeting Jennifer. But let’s save that for a different day.)
All these years later, the most poignant memory I have about John Gielgud is his underwear. You see, John played King Louis VII of France in a production of Becket.
He was given a costume that was true to the era of the story – the late 12th century. But the costume only included outer garments. John insisted that to play the role properly, he needed every article of clothing he wore to be true to what King Louis would have worn. So, the costumer (costume-maker) made special underwear for the occasion. John claimed that without the underwear he was just some 19th century dude acting. But when he put the underwear on, he became King Louis VII!
No Magic Here
I imagine it’s safe to say there was nothing magical about that underwear. But I do believe there is a tremendous power in a person seeing, knowing, and being the character he wishes to be. There is a power in being fully immersed in any role you play – whether that is being a mother, a friend, an actor, a musician, or the captain of one’s own destiny.
So, when John stepped into the underwear, he consciously stepped into the beingness of King Louis. The entire transformation was completely within his awareness. It was a matter of a shift of consciousness – all that, and nothing more. No magic. No psychic energy. No inherent power in any of the clothing he wore. But a full commitment to authenticity.
A Concert in Nashville
With that in mind, let’s fast-forward half a century to Nashville, Tennessee, 2015. I had just given a rare but cherished house concert where I was the OLDEST person in the room. The respect and attention I was given by the mostly twenty-something audience will be treasured well into the future. A chord still resonates in my heart knowing that I introduced many aspects of “folk” music to a new generation. Everybody sang throughout the show – many doing so for the first time – as I introduced many old and some new “folk” songs.
Afterward, people asked all kinds of questions about folk music and what it was like being a full-time touring musician. Each person took turns posing with me for pictures. One fellow took a necklace from around his neck and presented it to me as a gift.
He had made the necklace himself. It included a strip of leather he fashioned from the hide of a deer that had been struck on the New York Throughway. That in itself made the necklace valuable to me. I have a strong affinity for deer. I feel pain in my gut every time I see one lying beside a road after being killed by a car. I feel a tiny bit better knowing the carcass of one of those heaven-made creatures is in a certain way living on, coming along for the ride as I go Looking for America.
Strung onto the leather strip are three “Kentucky coffee beans” harvested from a Kentucky coffee tree. Most of these trees grow in the Midwest. But some grow in pockets of New York, and this is where the four beans came from.
No Magic Here Either
I wear this necklace as an “amulet” – for lack of a better word. Technically, an “amulet” is considered to have some kind of power or magic that protects the person wearing it. In my case, I know there is no inherent power in the necklace. But through my intention, it is instilled with a special “vibe” for me.
Just as John Gielgud wore special underwear, I wear this special necklace. When I put it on – before a concert or some other adventure related to my journey – I silently affirm my connection with younger generations, nature, and the artists who use natural elements in their work. These include organic farmers and gardeners, wildcrafters, traditional herbalists, and anybody else whose hands are stained by God’s precious soil.
Conquering Founders Disease
The day I met Pete Seeger and he asked me if I knew what Founders Disease is, I accepted the challenge of adding to the purpose of my music the goal to help “conquer Founders Disease.” The Kentucky Coffee Bean Necklace is a make-believe “power ring” instilled with the completely real intention to move toward that goal. Every time I place it around my neck, I reaffirm that little part of the role I have chosen to play.
Wishing everybody a wonderful holiday season. As we head into 2024, may we continue to
Keep the Flame Alive!
Beautiful! Keep the flame alive.