October 25, 2013

There’s no way to explain the feelings of Robin Gibb fans. The word “devotion” doesn’t begin to describe them. This story started with a little girl’s “musical ear” tuning in to Robin, and the rest is history.

Laurie

Connecticut

Robin Gibb has been a part of my life since I was a little girl. I heard him singing when I was walking with my Mom past a record store when we were visiting my aunt in New York City. It was in 1975. I was 8. I remember hearing this strange voice and much later it was funny to think back on it because the big songs from the album (Main Course), like “Nights on Broadway” and “Jive Talkin'” weren’t being played at that moment. It was Robin singing “Come On Over”. My Mom always joked that I dragged her into the store and begged her to buy me the record. She did. It was the start of my fascination with Robin that has continued throughout my life. I played that song over and over again, and then I dreamed about it! I’d wake up with the lyrics running through my head. Something about Robin’s sound made me happy, and that was the beginning of my relationship with him. My devotion continued and never wavered; and for my 13th birthday, my parents took me to the Spirits Having Flown concert. Anyone who has seen a Bee Gee concert knows what the feeling is like, but this was beyond spectacular because our seats were dead center in the 28th row. I was right in front of Robin, with his flowing hair and tight white pants and that beautiful voice–it was teenage lust and admiration and my emotions were all over the place. I didn’t know whether I should cry or scream or laugh. I was in shock, and I’ll never forget it. He was my only boyfriend for years afterward, and I still can feel those crazy feelings I had and hear him singing. I always bought every album and listened to Robin’s songs first, all through high school and college. When I graduated from college and moved to a small town away from my family, I was alone with a child. Things had not worked out with my daughter’s father, and I accepted a job working for a country inn. Through the bad times of this relationship Robin was there to sing to me and help me through it all. I got through it all and had to move on, literally. I drove the 4-hour trip in my pick-up truck to find an apartment, and I walked into a small pub asking for directions. I was singing to myself, and the song was “I Started a Joke”. The guy behind the bar was very cute but clueless. He laughed at me and said the Bee Gees were “old news” and Robin Gibb sounded like “a duck”. I could tell he was just teasing me, but I was so defensive about Robin that I gave him an earful, and it was not a pretty conversation. I ranted about what a great songwriter Robin was and all his amazing music. Well, we eventually turned out to be friends, and it’s good to have friends in a small town when you’re a stranger. When the “One” album was released, I gave it to him as a Christmas gift. Not surprisingly, Daniel (his name) came around and listened to the old albums with me when he’d stop by to visit. I gave him a dose of Robin Gibb he would never forget, and then when all the new songs, like “For Whom the Bell Tolls” (brilliant) and “Kiss of Life” ( a favorite of mine) were released, let’s just say that he was won over…big time. He was dumbstruck by my collection, which goes back to Robin’s Reign and after being friends for several years, Daniel asked me out on a real date. (My dates had been few and far between because of my heavy work schedule and trying to raise my daughter). Daniel came by to pick me up and had a package in his hands, which was the new “Still Waters” CD. Long story short, he’d had a “thing” for me for a long time but said he couldn’t compete with Robin Gibb (joke). He just never had the nerve to take the next step. He’s my husband now, and he sings all of Robin’s music with me, which makes me extremely happy. I don’t even remember a time that Robin wasn’t important to me, and Daniel is OK with that because Robin is the best musician who ever sang a song. There will never be anyone who can touch his talent.