My instrument and me

Iron and Wine were performing on Austin City Limits. A large ensemble of musicians, and there in the back, a man and a clarinet.  He starts a solo, the camera focuses on him, he is being featured. I too played the clarinet, but there was never once a moment where I felt proud doing it. From elementary school all the way to the high school marching band, never did I think my instrument was cool. Eventually I quit and moved on to the much cooler golf team.  My quitting was for the best for all parties involved, I couldn’t march and play at the same time.  I never actually played a note during a performance, just held my instrument and focused on marching; my mom would be saddened to know that I was faking it the whole time.  As he killed his solo I began to watch closely, examining his performance, and there it was, I saw it, it still wasn’t cool.  He was in a suit, rather than a marching band uniform, he was playing in a cool band, not playing Louie Louie, and yet…still not cool.  For a moment he gave me hope, but alas I still wish I had played trumpet.