Here is the most heartwarming hope-and-love-saturated video I have ever seen from the annals of mental illness. Ray Weaver is an American singer-songwriter living in Denmark. His gifted daughter Savannah Esperson Weaver, living in America, has for years struggled with afflictions variously diagnosed as bipolar disorder; borderline personality disorder; and, ultimately, schizophrenia. Ray made many trips from Europe to America to visit and support his valiant daughter. Just a few weeks ago, consummating months of treatment and medications, Savannah’s doctors approved her request to be with her beloved father. Here they are, reunited in song: the Townes Van Zandt ballad, “If I Needed You, Would You Come to Me?”
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KEVIN PERFORMANCE VIDEO
Here is Kevin in an ensemble performance of “A Day in the Life of a Fool,” a part of a spring concert by Interlochen string musicians under the direction of John Wunsch. Kevin will take his chair immediately to the right of Mr. Wunsch, amidst a semicircle of some of the most talented guitarists and harpists in the country. He performs at least two guitar solos in this number (my recollection is hazy; another guitarist may have one solo, but Kevin’s unique buttery sound is ingrained in my memory). The last one shows him at full throttle!
This piece is beautifully arranged, probably by Mr. Wunsch. It begins sedately, but builds in complexity and intensity, and Kevin’s solos showcase his incredible finger speed. At the end, as the musicians stand to take their bows, Kev flashes his trademark lopsided grin, which I write about in NO ONE CARES ABOUT CRAZY PEOPLE.
So: please turn off all cell phones. No flash photography. Enjoy!
