May 31, 2016

As May ends and we honor Robin, here is a much older but thoughtful contribution that is really beautiful in its simplicity.

Kristin

Albany, 2002

I have been a fan of Robin Gibb’s since the first time I heard him speak on a television interview. I don’t remember the interview, but he was very up front and sincere and incredibly real. He hadn’t even sung a song, and I adored him. Maybe it was Phil Donahue or Geraldo Rivera, one of those shows. He had no qualms about answering questions with the true feelings he had….no baloney or silliness.

I was young and feeling just as he had felt. I had gotten married when I was 18, and I had children very young and wasn’t ready to be a mom. I had no idea what I was doing, and I was so set on my career (I wanted to be a lawyer) that I stayed in school and wasn’t a very good parent. My marriage ended, and I don’t know how many years it took for me to grow up and become a mature adult. I think I’m finally getting there, just like Robin did with RJ.

Robin had lived a life similar to mine, having children at a young age and not being there for them because he was a musician trying to be a success. He’s been honest about that time in his life, and I like his honesty.

I also like that he’s just like me with his sarcastic wit. My friends always tell me I’m a “funny cynic”, and I guess I am. I have always appreciated Robin Gibb’s crazy sense of humor and his fun attitude about everything. He’s serious about what counts and funny about all the rest of life. He doesn’t let anyone deter him from his goals, and he makes his family come first no matter what. He is also generous and a philanthropist, which has always given me incentive to volunteer and teach my children about giving  back to others who need help.

It’s wonderful to be a Bee Gee fan, but I’m more of a fan of the person that Robin is. I’m not saying I don’t care for Barry or Maurice. I do. It’s just that Robin has a way about him that mirrors my life and the way that I feel.

Then I get to hear him sing, and it makes me love him even more. My favorite songs are ‘And the Sun Will Shine” and “Run to Me”.and believe it or not, “Kiss of Life” where he rocks out and is funny on the video. I close my eyes and listen to that voice on the sad songs and want to cry because those songs are so lovely. Then a song like “Kiss of Life” makes me dance around the house!

He is truly a brilliant artist, and we are so lucky to have had him around for so many years. There is no one like him. I love his music, and even more important, he is my guidepost for the way I am living my life now.