A few months ago, Larry McMurtry passed away. From HORSEMEN PASS BY to THE LAST PICTURE SHOW to LONESOME DOVE, Larry McMurtry influenced me to write. To me, LONESOME DOVE is The Great American Novel. Gus, Woodrow, and Lorena are among my closest friends.
Three days ago, we lost someone else. Not a writer of novels, but a singer and songwriter. I will miss Nanci Griffith’s music. She wrote music that was literary. She wrote and sang of small towns and big cities. Sad and happy at the same time, her words and music made life slow down. Her songs made me smile, sometimes a little melancholy, and sometimes she made me laugh. Especially when she told me how all Woolworth Stores smelled the same – like popcorn and chewing gum rolled around on the bottom of a leather-soled shoe, or when she admitted that New York City brought out the stupids in her. We’d all have been fortunate if we could have had Mary Margaret as our best friend. The next time you want to feel warm inside, find a quiet place where you can connect to the internet. RIP Nanci
