Counting Crows -> Jeremy Turner

Last Thursday night, I met Sean and some friends out at PK's for pizza.  As we ate, I heard Counting Crow's "Mr. Jones" come on the jukebox behind the sounds of chatty crowds and the clank of billiard balls.  I focused on the music, the other distractions fading away, and as I always do when I encounter Counting Crows, I thought about Jeremy Turner.

• HFSTival 
  I remembered HFStival 1994 when Jeremy and I were watching the band perform.  The crowd was very enthusiatic and swaying back and forth to the songs."Wait a second," I said, "My feet aren't touching the ground!"

  "Mine either!" Jeremy laughed.

  It was a disconcerting feeling for me– to be moving about with no control.  "I don't like this," I said, "Let's get out of here."

  "Okay!" Jeremy said.

  A few minutes passed and we were still in the same predictament.  It turns out it is quite difficult to leave when you're feet aren't touching the ground!  🙂

• A cappella Round Here
  But mostly, I thought of the times were Jeremy would sing just for the sake of singing.  One evening in particular, I remember a group of us walking down a road in the late, late evening.  Out of nowhere, Jeremy sung Round Here from start to finish, accompanied only by the sounds of summer insects and the darkness of the night.  It is that rendition that remains my favorite (even over the original) and that rendition I will always recall.

Back at PKs, someone started to talk to me and my attention returned to the present.

"You're thinking of Jeremy," Sean said, matter of factly. 

I had to smile.  Sean has never met Jeremy Turner and in fact, I haven't seen or heard from Jeremy in nearly a decade.  But Sean knew.  From all my stories, my own oral traditions, Sean knew exactly what I was thinking.