Michael Been

In 1983 I heard the song The Walls Came Down by The Call and thought it was absolutely perfect. Granted, my idea of absolutely perfect, such as Gary Beacom skating to Leonard Cohen's I'm your Man (Youtube it), can be a bit quirky. But I'm sure I'm not the only one who bought a cassette tape of Modern Romans within hours of first hearing The Call.

I saw The Call somewhere around '97. After the show, I confided to my guy friend that I had a huge crush on Michael Been. How could I not? He was so very talented and passionate. It's the latter that gets me every time. Technical proficiency is a means to a end. Passion is a life force. The Walls Came Down in concert was elemental, like the roar of the ocean or a bonfire.

At the end of one song Been mused "I'll be doing this until I die." I doubt that was some Wayne Newton-esque thing he said at every show. More likely he was caught up in his passion (there's that word again) for his life's work.

Let the Day Begin is the other Call song that got radio play. If that's all you know of The Call, please check out this site http://the-call-band.com/home/home.html.

As you may have guessed, this post is a tribute. I found out today that Michael Been died of a heart attack in August at the age of 60. Sad, yes, but the man got his work here on earth completed, and what wonderful work it was.

Thank you Michael Been and The Call for music that's been spiritually important to me since the days of cassette tapes.