Heart and Soul

Mrs. Nitmos came across tickets to a Huey Lewis and the News concert recently. Who’s that you ask? He was big in the 80’s. He’s in the "We Are The World" video making the rounds during all the Michael Jackson tributes. Really, he’s there. Take a look. He’s the dude with the feathered hair and natural chin dimple that looks like one of your hip L.A. uncles.

The stage is a hop, skip, and 800 meter jump from my wife’s office so we decided, what the hell, let’s go. So, Monday night, we went. I’ve mentioned Huey several times before in this space. The fact is – though I like him well enough – there’s about 50% tongue-in-cheek in those reverential comments. As much as M.J. defined pop music in general, nobody defines “80’s pop” to me more than Huey Lewis. “Heart and Soul”, “Heart of Rock n Roll”, “I Want A New Drug”, “Hip To Be Square”…you know the tunes. You’ve tapped your toes to the infectious melodies. Don’t lie. I’m not the only Newshead (Hueyhead?) out here.

Huey was also the first concert I ever attended circa 1986 (?) as a gawky, pimple faced 15 year old.* He was HUGE then. I bought a concert t-shirt that I wore periodically at first until it developed holes. By college, I wore that t-shirt almost every evening to bed, collapsing in a drunken heap of sweat, beer, and, occasionally, vomit. Mrs. Nitmos was there. She endlessly mocked my Huey t-shirt and its permanent yellow crusted armpits and ever increasing gaping hole across the abdomen. It was washed about three times in four years of college. I believe I “let it ride” my junior year. I still have it, in fact. It’s locked away in a trunk with my college paraphernalia. Who gets rid of a t-shirt once your (future) wife has spent so much time hating on it? Not me. You should know that about me by now.

I had an epiphany of sorts while standing at the port-a-potty line waiting for Huey to take the stage. Kenny Wayne Shepherd was finishing his opening act (doesn’t he realize that the only people who go by three names are serial killers and assassins?) and 32 ounces of overpriced keg beer needed to make its way out. The last several times I’ve waited in line at a porta-a-potty I was surrounded by physically fit marathoners talking about PR’s and training regimens. Here, I was boxed in by frayed jean shorts, bulging skirts, fish net stockings – all strained to their limits - and all varieties of smoke. And fat always finds a way out. Mullets? Check. Inappropriate t-shirt slogans? Check.** The strong, overpowering smell of b.o. and fried dough? Check. Safe to say this was not the same type of crowd milling about the Boston Marathon rent-a-johns.

Huey and the News have been touring for thirty years. Their glory years have come and gone. Are they getting any better as a band? Probably not. Are there more hits to come? Most likely not. So why are they still out here playing to increasingly smaller audiences? Certainly, part of the motivation is financial. But there has to be a love of the music - of performing before an audience- to energize a nearly 60 year old man to continue his favored activity after the hits and crowds have stopped coming.

And this is where the epiphany comes in through the acrid deep fried Twinkie stand odor, the gray haired 250 lb hippie with size medium t-shirt from 1992 dancing back and forth in front of me, and the slow, step by step waltz to the front of the urinal line: Will I still have the love to run - just for the fun of it - when my PR days are behind me? When I’m 50, 60, heck, 70 years old?

Though I feel like I have plenty of PR’s in my future, the fact is that I’m nearing the age where there is a certain diminishing returns to my training. The amount of effort it’ll take to continue to set a PR at a given distance needs to be balanced against longer recovery times, less flexible limbs, increased aches and pains, and, ultimately, a body that might not be able to crank out the “hits” anymore. And I’m a competitive, numbers oriented person. Others derive their fun simply by running. I’ve always derived my fun by running against my past self. The thrill of the PR chase. This isn’t a woe is me tale; I’ve got plenty of hits to come. But it is a reality in all of our futures. At some point, I’ll need to put on the moisture wicking apparel, body glide my tingly spots (trim my ear hair), lace up the shoes, and run purely for the enjoyment of the activity. The younger, hipper, squarer runners will pass me by. My Garmin 12005 will no longer report PR’s.

Huey played a pretty good concert. His voice sounded clear and strong. Guess what? The “Heart of Rock n Roll” on this night was in…Lansing, Michigan. Go figure.*** He played all of his old PR’s hits. Though he had less energy than I remembered - a byproduct of 30 years of touring and sold out arena versus local festival dynamics I’m guessing – there was clearly a relaxed joy emanating through the speakers and moving about the stage. He was doing what he loved.

When my PR days are gone, I hope I can find a way to continue to run with the same Heart and Soul.

Happy trails.

* I was primarily a forehead zitter which is ironic because this was the FORE! Tour.
** My favorite being the stick figure with a little tiny head over the caption “A little head never hurt anyone.”
*** In the song, the heart of rock is in Cleveland. Cleveland?! Ever hear of Motown? I’m guessing Motown has produced more hits and artists than Cleveland. Quick, name one recording artist from Cleveland.