One of the prevaricating tightropes I’ve had to maneuver in my life is the problem of exactly how much/what kind of advice to take in a variety of situations.

I say this because advice in the infancy phase of one’s learning is usually free of guile; anyone inclined to be threatened by the ascendancy of another usually do not possess this quality when the neophyte starts asking questions.

But then you have the aspect of apparent and burgeoning talent. What was once the roadside bystander in our competitive Super Mario game is now the odious, tailgating Luigi to our malevolent Bowser: bananas out of the side car. And fast.

I’ve always wondered whether Neil Schon was in line to audition for Journey when the guy in front of him was flailing away at million-mile-an-hour pentatonic licks. Neil turns to the guy and says,

“Word has it they’ve found their guy…