Somehow I have passed on my liking of the song 'Puff the Magic Dragon' to my children. We got the new illustrated children's book recently and have learned all the lyrics by heart. So when we found out that the author of the song, Peter Yarrow, as in Peter Paul and Mary, was coming to town, we jumped at the chance.
Having grown up in Thailand, and being not the most musical of people, Peter Yarrow is somewhat a mystery to me. But when a older man walked out of a limousine-like vehicle in front of Brattle St Theatre today, I knew who he was. He walked straight to us, saying how glad he was to see us. You must be Peter, I said. Yes, he said, as he bent down to kiss Momo, Claire and gave me a hug. I wish I could say that he only did that to us, but indeed, he continued down the queue greeting others in the same manner before disappearing backstage.
We waited a while longer before being let inside. The room became very animated once Peter came out to sing. He sang a few other songs before getting to Puff. Why was Puff sad at the end, he asked the audience. And who answered in the loudest and cutest voice? My daughter! Puff was sad because the boy didn't come to play with him anymore!!! Who said that, Peter asked into the audience. I lifted Claire up to show him who it was. Will you come on the stage please, because I have something to show you! Claire reluctantly agreed. But of course she couldn't go alone, and of course, neither she or her brother would walk up there alone. So this was what happened: I carried them, one in each arm, onto the stage. Remember: we are talking about Brattle St. Theatre, let alone Peter Yarrow on the stage with us. So we got there, my arms were about to fall off, and Peter put the microphone near Claire and asked her to answer the same question again. Did she talk? Nope. Did Momo? Nope. We courteously left after a few more tries. Welcome to the world of three-year olds, and our 2 minutes of fame.
The kids do not realize the significance of what happened during those moments, but I will be sure to remind them of it when they are older. But one thing is for sure, Puff the Magic Dragon will remain one of their favorite childhood songs, perhaps forever. And we have Peter Yarrow to thank.
Try here to search and listen to Puff by Peter Yarrow.
2 comments:
Hello Khun Kit,
Thirteen years ago, Peter, Paul and Mary went to Bowling Green, Ohio. As a newbie from Thailand, I thought, you know, who would go to see Peter, Paul and Mary and waited until very late just to find out that the ticket was sold out long before.
I got to see their concert on TV, and was very moved by how they could stay in people's mind generation after generation. When I saw children at Momo and Claire's age sang along with moms and dads, it was so cool.
Apart from Puff, "Right Field" has been one of my favorite songs. It reminded me of the days when I was young, things were just like that :)
PJ
Hi PJ,
Meeting an artist like Peter Yarrow makes you realize that it is the talent and charisma of the person that can make a permanent effect on someone. The kids won't remember meeting him, but the story will! -Kit
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