Survivors Mebbe Close Enuf, by the Skynyrd Their Teeth

“Now thar’s somethin’ ya don’t see ever’ day, Luther.”

“What’s that, Edgar?”

“That Lynyrd Skynyrd band. You know, Luther, that buncha good ol’ Southern boys, remember? I see in the paper they’re gonna play over Costa Mesa way at that Pacific Amphitheatre come Tuesday.”

“Gee, Edgar, I must be thankin’ a somebody else. I thought some a those Lynyrd Skynyrd folks got killed in a plane crash a couple years back.”

“Yeah, that’s right, Luther. Them’s the ones. Seems the boys what didn’t get killed got back together last year and started doin’ some concerts and makin’ records again. I seem to recall they played at that other big place in Irvine Meadows last summer. ‘Ceptin’ they had some other fellers fillin’ in for their friends that died.

“The guy what used to do most a the singin’--you know, Ronnie Van Zant?--well, his brother, Johnny, sung instead. And blame if he didn’t sound a whole lot like Ronnie on all those ol’ Skynyrd band songs they used to play on the radio.”

“I still don’t get it, Edgar. Whu’d they wanna go an’ get back together fer if some a the guys that used to play with ‘em is daid? “

“Well, Luther, I’m right sure it warn’t for the money, though I hear they’ll get a powerful lot more than they’d been makin’ by their selves lately. I read that when it came 10 years after that plane crash, they jus’ wanted to pay tribute to their ol’ friends, and to all those fans who still want to hear them tunes like ‘Free Bird’ and ‘You Got That Right.’ ”

“Heck, Edgar, what they been up to all this time anyway?”

“By and by, most of the boys what survived joined up with some other rock ‘n’ roll bands, though I can’t really recollect the names of most of ‘em. One of the git-tar players--name a Gary Rossington--is even bringin’ his own band along to get the whole show goin’--though they were along last time at Irvine Meadows, and all their songs sounded kindly alike.

“ ‘Sides, Luther, I think these folks mostly jes’ like to do some reminisceratin’. I mean, if they jes’ liked the ol’ songs so much, they could set home and put the records on the hi-fi, ya know?

“You got that right.”

“But this-a-way, they git to see some a the same band players--plus they git to watch some sorta home movies on this really big ol’ movie screen showin’ some a the guys before they passed on.

“Jes’ thinkin’ ‘bout it, I get kindly choked up. I think some of th’ other folks who saw ‘em last year did too, and passed straight out. Musta been from all the emotion.”

“I guess that’s fittin’ then. But what kinda folk would fix to go see a musical band that’s only sorta like it used to be, Edgar?”

“I’ll tell ya, if it’s anything like that bunch that I saw last time at Irvine Meadows, I’d say thirsty folk, mostly. Musta been 10,000 of ‘em. Why, they was lined up buyin’ big ol’ cups a brew all night long. And darn if they didn’t have the longest lines I ever I ever did see at the outhouses--even for the fellers.

“I remember they all acted right agreeable, though--ever’ time that Skynyrd band would play a song, they’d all shout ‘Yeah!’ as loud as a farmer callin’ in hogs. And I ‘spect they was all musicians too: Mostly the fellers, but a few a the gals too was makin’ like they was playin’ git-tars and singin’ out loud most a the time.”

“That don’t make much sense to me, Edgar. How’d those Skynyrd folks take to it?”

“They was right pleased. Helpful too. Why that Van Zant feller likes to make a point in perty near ever’ song to remind the folks that they is in California. Most of them musicians coulda standed a good haircut and a shave, Luther, but you could tell they was a good bunch, the way they was singin’ about their sweet home in Alabama an’ all.”

“I dunno, Edgar. The whole bid’ness still sounds kinda spooky to me. Kinda like seein’ ghosts.”

“Well, I s’pose you might look at it that-a-way. But don’t fergit, these was famous ghosts. They was celebrities, jes’ like Elvis and Buddy Holly, rest their souls. You listen to the music on the radio these days, and you don’t hear nuthin’ like what them Skynyrd boys used to do. Just a bunch a sissy guys from England who all sound down in the dumps, or all those squeaky girls with names like Madonna and Tiffany who sing like little kids.

“So mebbe this new Skynyrd band ain’t exactly the same as it used to be, but I guess it’s close enough for a lot a folks.”

“You know somethin’, Edgar?”

“What’s that, Luther?”

“I still don’t get it.”