I didn't catch the news earlier this week about Dan Fogelberg's passing. Then again, I don't listen to KOIT, so it's understandable that it flew beneath my radar. But when I stumbled across this "Remembering Dan Fogelberg" badge on the iTunes Store, I was struck with several thoughts and recollections.
The first thought, cynically enough, was that if this was some drugged up junkie rocker or hip-hop gangsta, there'd have likely been far more visibility. But no, no controversy here, just prostate cancer, and who's gonna wanna read about that? Right? Sad.
My second thought was a recollection of days gone by, late high school years, and being introduced to his music by my girlfriend. Making the leap, at the time, from Foreigner and Foghat to Fogelberg was no easy transition, but Fleetwood Mac was nearby to ease the way. And I ended up being a big enough fan to have purchased several albums as well as attend a concert. I did and still, consider "The Innocent Age" to be a great release and collection of songs, and after my father's passing, "Leader of the Band" was as difficult to hear as was "The Living Years" by Mike and the Mechanics. "Old Lang Syne" was a song that seemed destined to predict a future encounter with my girlfriend at the time, one that's not yet taken place and probably never will.
Sure, about the time his song "Longer" was overplayed enough to make listening to Air Supply seem like head-banging, I'd begun to lose interest in the music. I'd see his name appear on lists of upcoming shows at nearby Villa Montalvo or the Mountain Winery. While I never desired to attend a show, it would often send me back to my CD collection to dust off the earlier releases and reminisce a bit. As I'm doing now, while "Intimidation" plays from his collaboration with Tim Weisberg.
Oddly, for somebody who's music has not been something I've followed for 20 years, it still means a good deal to me, and accents many of the moments of my youth. What a legacy to leave for so many. Even though one's time in the limelight may wane, it can cast shadows that last for decades if not a lifetime.
The final thought was one of dread over walking further down a path that will certainly lead to more and more familiar names and faces reaching the end of their own lives, and reminding me of my own mortality. And of course, how I act on that thought, which makes all the difference in the time that lies ahead.
