One of my nicest stories……

April 12, 2013

LOVE FOR MO

Janet

NYC

I have been a Bee Gee fan since I have a memory of them, probably when I was 3 or 4, and I’m almost 40 now. As a child, I was very shy and stuttered, but I could sing with no problem. My parents split when I was a tiny baby, so it was just my Mom and me, and she was 19 when she had me. She had all their records, and I remember how I would stare at the album covers and always focus on Maurice. Mom thought that was odd because he didn’t usually get much attention. Barry seemed bigger than real life, and Robin sang so emotionally with that incredible voice. Mom told me I’d pick out Maurice’s pictures from her huge collection of photos, magazines and posters. She grew up with them in the 60’s and 70’s and had gone to their concerts way back in the early 70’s. When they were on television and did shows like Dick Cavett, I would be mesmerized by Maurice. Seeing him play the piano made me want to learn how to play. I begged my Mom for a piano, and she saved for a long time to buy a small spinet. I’ll never forget the day the piano got delivered and going to my first lesson and how excited I was. When I started to practice, I would put Maurice’s picture on the piano and pretend I was playing with him. I used to sing Bee Gee songs and learned to play their most famous ones. Mom told me years later that she would sneak around the corner from the kitchen with her camera ready and try to get pictures of me. I was probably 8 or 9 and would practice for hours and sing to Maurice’s picture because he was always smiling at me. As I got older, I was getting therapy for my stutter, and my confidence grew because I loved to play the piano and sing. When I was 18, I saw my first Bee Gee concert and was in love. Watching Maurice play the keyboards was a dream and seeing how much fun he was having made me love him more. He kept waving to the fans and laughing in between songs. I loved seeing him balance his brothers because they did almost all of the lead vocals, but he was directing the band. When he’d switch instruments, I could see how talented he was, and watching a live concert was a rush. I knew of his personal battles and was inspired just looking at him. In the 90’s when he had come so far fighting his problems, I knew he was trying to be a better man, just as I was still fighting my problem. A stutter is a challenge just like an addiction. To this day, I have to stop and think carefully and try to stay calm when I face a speaking situation. It’s not easy. I was lucky enough to see Maurice perform again in 1998, and he was perfect. As far as I was concerned, he could do no wrong up on that big stage. Whenever I’m discouraged or am having a tough day, I like to believe that he is guiding all of us who have challenges in our lives. He’ll always be my inspiration.