Happy Friday, Happy Equinox, and…Happy (early) Birthday to my bro, Noah. Welcome to the Friday smorgasbord, with some Beethoven, and shocking tales (literally.)
A Promotion
It was a sunny September morning almost exactly 34 years ago when he arrived. I was occupied in the next room, happily dismantling a piece of electrical equipment brought along just for the occasion. Dad got the coolest stuff from work, and there I sat, pliers and screwdriver in my toddler hands, clipping wires and ripping out components. (Some kids do little league before turning pro. I’ve been breaking things for years. How’d you think I got to be this good at it?)
“Josh, do you want to meet your new brother?”
Everything can change in an instant, although it might take years to realize. If I become a father, brace yourselves for the missives and endless blogs on the meaning of life and parenting. In this case, it was with less fanfare: I walked into the next room, said hello, and became a big brother. It sure has been an honor and a privilege.
Whenever his birthday rolls around, I get extra sentimental. But, that might be dull for you to read, so let me tell you about the Purple King.
In The Court of the Purple King
It was another sunny September day, and the friends congregated in the tiny front yard. Noah always did like color, and was keenly aware of it. (It makes sense that he turned out to be a graphic designer and photographer. Check out his stuff here.) At only four years old, he wanted a purple themed birthday. The ordinary relatives and neighbors were transformed, glad subjects were all wearing that regal color. They brought countless gifts. King Noah held court in the front yard, sitting on a pillow in a camping tent. To see him, one had to crawl into the tent on hands and knees to say hello.
He graciously received the pilgrims in their purple.
I was green.
To this day, the court of the Purple King is remembered fondly. It was the coolest. The harder I gnash my teeth, the more serenely he smiles. Gaa!
When he came to visit, I picked up some grape juice to toast the memory. All Hail The Purple King!
More Gems
The years passed until the Purple King towered over us other two brothers. (I had been promoted again, and there were now three of us.) It was a Purple King birthday celebration not but a few years ago, and we were off to the Kennedy Center in DC, suits, ties, and tickets to see Noseda conduct the National Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven’s 3rd symphony. Ludwig himself had liked this one the best. I had bought us front row tickets, which, in the classical world, are the modestly-priced ones. A few weeks after the main birthday festivities, we were eye level with the fifth violinists’ shoes. Looking down the line, we had a musicians-eye view of the sheet music, and maestro Noseda, recently recovered from back surgery. They had rigged him a glorified backless office chair to perch on. This added to his animation. He waved his arms and huffed and puffed audibly to the beat, bouncing on the pneumatic chair. It was the second most electrifying thing of the evening.
The first happened on the way back. The youngest brother (Zakk) had recently gone mad-scientist on his car, and wired a taser to the passenger door handle. “Anti-theft” he said, with a mischievous gleam in his eye. Still reveling in the concert, I forgot about it. He armed it, I reached for the handle, connected with ten thousand volts ….and the echoes of Beethoven were replaced by my rabid yell bouncing off the posh rowhouses.
In honor of the Purple King, in keeping with our Friday tradition of cultural gems, and in fond remembrance of that electrifying evening, here’s a video of that exact performance…Noseda leads the National Symphony Orchestra in a rousing rendition of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in Eb major, Op. 55…
And happy birthday, Noah!