Hello, Old Friend

A few weeks back when I started thinking about the books for Top 5 Tuesday – Top 5 books about music (My Fiction List), I remembered a book that I read in elementary school (and probably after) called The Buffalo Nickel Blues Band by Judie Angell. I couldn’t tell you how long it had been since I’d thought of it—possibly not since I made a reference to it in 2013. But it got under my skin. As I was bucks up and the moment, I indulged the impulse and bought a cheap used copy online.

So, yeah—this is the original cover, not the paperback version that I can still remember in pretty good detail (couldn’t find that one anywhere). It’s got that old library plastic wrap on it, the sticker on the side reading “J Ang” to identify it as belonging in the Juvenile section of the library (some of you will have to ask your parents about the Dark Ages before YA/MG and so on), marker ink blocking out the name of whatever Library used to own it (and the pocket where the checkout card would go on the inside, which was neat to see), the remnants of some sticker in the upper corner that is likely to outlast Western Civilization no matter what I do. So it’s not the prettiest thing ever. It’s not my The Buffalo Nickel Blues Band, but it’s a The Buffalo Nickel Blues Band, and that’ll have to do.

Now, I am almost certain that I will not read this book again—in much the same way I won’t watch The Greatest American Hero or Condorman now, or like I shouldn’t have watched any of The A-Team or Night Rider in adulthood. My memories are too good to expose them to the unforgiving light of reality, and I don’t want to spend time asking myself, “What was I thinking?”

Nevertheless, I feel better knowing that my ol’ pal is in my house and that the possibility of renewing our friendship is at arm’s reach. This may not make sense to most of you, but a few of you are really going to get this. It’s not going to look great on my shelves, but I think the collection is improved.