BY JULIE SEYLER
No matter how I slice it, dice it, or splice it, I have never cottoned to rock ‘n roll music. I have tried on many occasions, because I think I am missing something important. So of course, Wednesday night’s 12-12-12 concert in Madison Square Garden to aid the victims of Hurricane Sandy, which brought together a lot of the superstars of rock ‘n roll, was a perfect opportunity to again revisit the music. I would donate, watch and listen.
I know it seems like heresy to not love rock ‘n roll, especially since I grew up in the ’70s – the heyday of Pink Floyd, The Who, Emerson Lake & Palmer, The Rolling Stones, and The Beatles. Bruce Springsteen was just coming on the scene at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, and while I lived in the next town over, I never made it there to see him. I assume that every one of my high school classmates can recount endless nights spent at the Pony. Hey guys – chime in here with the stories, because when the reminiscing begins, I must remain silent. Rather than rocking out to Cream and Led Zeppelin, I was busy immersing myself in Billie Holiday, which later developed into a tunnel devotion for all things jazz from Charlie Parker to Dinah Washington to Sarah Vaughan, etc. etc. etc.
