tall paul:

i am chaz cook and i have lived in the rocky mountains for the past five years though i hail from crossville, TN. from 1990-1992 i lived in toddington heights in murfreesboro while faking my way through college. i made good friends and often relive those good times at MTSU. davis & patrick, two compadres at the time insisted i join them at mainstreet one wednesday night to hear this "big boy" play guitar. i was an amateur musician and songwriter at the time and they thought i'd really enjoy this guy's performance. (i am no longer able to play guitar due to a boating accident several years ago, but i still get away by penning all the lyrics that float through my head.) yes, it was you. i'm not a barfly in the least; never have been, never will be. however i was always up for a few hours of tall paul on hump night to give a nice break in the week.

i also remember my roommate, jeff, worked on the campus' access tv show and he once invited you to perform. he was a bit skittish asking you, but you jumped at the chance to help out this poor college boy. you even played "margaritaville" for him on the show, just because that's what he asked. you didn't care what you played, you were just happy to play. then i moved to texas and almost forgot all about the wednesday nights. you see, before leaving tennessee, david (who was a HUGE fan) gave me a bootleg tape of "live at the library" to take with me. in those lonely nights in the wilds of east texas, i would call out the good memories and often plug in "library." after spending time in south carolina, washington, DC, and more in tennessee and texas, and now colorado, i have yet to lose that famed tape. however, it was a stint in cookeville, TN, working at the campus bookstore that those good time came calling again. a co-worker at the time, spencer brown, and i became good friends having smoke and song in common, shared lyrics and favorite songs. after several months of this banter he leant me "can't find my way" signed by the artist himself. he was amazed that i already knew every word and line to "morning song," "circles," and "shannon, i'm sorry." mainstreet wednesdays came flooding back once more. shortly after that i left tennessee, this time for good, and ended up in the beautiful rocky mountains. i love tennessee and return once a year for family and friends, because like mellencamp wrote, "they're the best things i know."

i write to thank you after almost a decade of the last time i saw you play. i guess i also need to start paying you for your good work. i would appreciate a cd copy of "can't find my way." i will be sure to request more.

later,
chaz