[niffer]

It seems to me that Dave, the author, finds himself in a peculiar and painful sort of prison. He felt rejected by his musical hero, and in his anger, lashed out at him, something it sounds like he now, with more maturity and perspective, regrets having done. The problem is, he didn't simply say that he didn't like a particular song. He accused Gord of plagiarism, which, as a writer, is the worst thing that can be said of you. And then he didn't take advantage of the opportunities he had to recant his statement. So I can understand why Gordon would be disinclined to speak with him now, although forgiveness is always a good thing, and it would be wonderful for everyone involved if that could somehow occur.

When I wrote my first column about Gordon, I actually worried about what would happen if he read it and was somehow offended by something I had written, even though it was very complimentary in tone. I imagined how I would feel if I had to go through life knowing I had upset a person I greatly admired, because that seemed like a terrible burden to bear. When it turned out that he had in fact enjoyed and appreciated the article, I almost felt more relieved than happy. (Almost.)

Dave seems like a talented writer, and the subject matter is, of course, fascinating. His approach is very creative. But I have the feeling that this is not going to be an easy read, that there could be painful parts for everyone. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.