Bo Knows... What's BeyondBo Knows... What's Beyond
A long time ago, I stayed three hours past quitting time so I could interview Bo Diddley for the newspaper where I worked. I was kind of irritated, since the chat got postponed a couple of times during the evening. But what happened next was hilarious:
"You know what's wrong with the world? The hippies!" Mr. Diddley told me, with very little provocation on my part. It was one of those interviews in which the interviewer need not speak. The guitar legend, who must've had some kind of run-in with unwashed Birkenstock-wearers just prior to the call, let loose with his theory that lack of discipline--enacted by hippies and passsed on to their children--was destroying the world.
I kind of got it, though. After all, the party lifestyle that most people assume goes with being in rock-n-roll is more style than substance. Sure, you can live irresponsibly--but such musicians usually end up dead in a gutter before their time. No, most musicians--whether they admit to it or not--have to work like dogs to get their shot, again and again and again. I've no doubt the blues rocker had his share of hard times, which would have made free-wheeling folks most annoying to him.
Now, wherever he goes, Bo can play strictly for the enjoyement of it. RIP.
