If John was still alive ....

It's Christmas day and I've been 81 for 22 days.

I'm still in shock by it.

I never saw myself as being old.

Being old is against my religion.

It was Bob Shane's religion too.

Bob said he was never going to die ...

And, he said ... "So far so good!"

I'm saying it too.

Below is a link to an article that's in today's New York Times ...where Martin Scorsese tells about meeting Rob Reiner and their friendship.

It reminded me of my friend, Tom McGoodwin ... telling about the first time he met John Stewart.

Tom had just turned 16 and he drove the family car from Lexington, Ky, where we grew up ... to Louisville to see a show that featured John's folk group The Cumberland Three. After the show, Tom and John talked.

Tom was a banjo player...but he also had a subscription to TIME magazine and every week, he read it from cover to cover. Tom could tell you everything that was in every issue. He was always up on current events.

Tom told me what he and John talked about ... it was something political... I can't remember what it was.

Tom died about 5 years ago. As have all of my friends from my childhood and teenage years.

Life is not a lot of fun without them.

Because ... each time one of them died ... they took a part of me with them.

Some of my best parts... maybe THE best parts.

When Tom first heard that John would be taking Dave's place he told me not to worry.

I didn't.

But, it was very sad ... because Dave brought the magic to the Trio that John couldn't replace.

What John brought was certainly needed.

But, the Trio was never the same without Dave.


Tom and I met Dave at a show in Washington D.C. in about 1986. Dave played Tom's banjo and I have a photo of it.

He was playing that great banjo run from Coast of California.

I can hear it now.

Here's the article ...

Oh ... Merry Christmas....



https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/opinion/culture/martin-scorsese-rob-reiner.html?unlocked_article_code=1._U8.XOth.8eoOf0VBw8HN&smid=url-share