Lake Dalhousie Estates Home Owner's Association Welcomes You

Dr. Clifford Shooker has joined us today for a little virtual cake and coffee. Hey Doc, thanks for stopping by. I hear you are quite busy in your second career as a musician. Would you mind telling the Lake Dalhousie Estates audience a little bit about it and your experience in Lake Dalhousie Estates?

Love to...

What made you want to become a musician?

I don’t believe that I ever wanted to become a musician. I was given opportunity by the public school system. There were things that I enjoyed, and things that I didn’t. I chose to do the things that I enjoyed and one of those was playing music. Ultimately, I'm just a guy who plays with toys.

Which instruments did you play in high school?

I started on the cello, but in the 9th grade we were doing a jazzy version of Scarborough Fair. The cello part was painfully simple, but the bass part swung. So, I asked my friend George Gee (today an accomplished bandleader) to teach me the part. I played it on the upright bass. That’s when I started having passion for playing. I played both instruments in the school concert and that started a trend where I play multiple instruments in shows.

What accomplishments do you see yourself achieving in the next five to 10 years?

I don’t think that way; I don't plan for my future. It makes me a bit problematic for Amway marketers (chuckle), I see my job as staying open for opportunity and taking advantage of it when it comes. Opportunity knocking is how I started teaching and doing medico-legal work in my prior life. So far, I’ve been lucky with great opportunity. In music you take the good with the bad sometimes (oh do I have stories). The pandemic made some opportunity evaporate, but I suspect that we’ll adapt and move forward. Certainly, I plan to.

Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of music?

Reading, sports (playing, not so much watching), movies, working out, when I feel like it. Mechanical work on cars, motorcycle, etc. And for the last year, (sigh), pulling vines out of the ground (ha,). I'll add debate, although only with some people, not all. Ha, ha.

What strengths do you have that you believe make you a great musician?

I don’t see myself as a great musician nor do I strive for greatness. What I bring to the table is unbridled fun. I’m happy playing music that I like. I move with the music, body English with the instruments and going out on the dance floor with people. Those are excellent qualities for a performer, not necessarily a musician. However, some great musicians appreciate those abilities and I get to work with some! Don't get me wrong, I've got chops...but great? No.

Do you have any weaknesses that you're actively working to improve on?

As far as music, playing by ear as opposed to reading, and singing. I’ve vowed to sing a couple of songs live, and once started build on those skills. Relative to interpersonal communication I strive for a balance. My educational background is in science. Communication was open and based on observable facts, measures, reproducible experiments and logic. In some situations that is problematic. I’ve learned other approaches, and have more to learn. Hence why although I enjoy debate, I am cautious about whom I'll engage with.

Which instrument is your favorite to play and why?

I love both the bass guitar and saxophone, probably tenor sax mainly. I can't say that either is my favorite. More to point is the piece that I’m playing and on which instrument the part moves me. For Pick Up the Pieces I’ll take either part.

What is it about music that makes you feel passionate?

I just did my Valentine’s Day show and interjected some discussion between songs. Not surprisingly the show is made up of love songs; they are different without the lyrics. As an instrumentalist I try to play with feeling, emote through musical expression and playing in a way that conveys the feeling behind the lyrics. A line from a song that I wrote is “let the music decide what I feel.” That means feeling what is expressed by the music. Some say that it is emotion that differentiates art from craft, perhaps the greatness lies in the composers whose composition evokes the emotion. Hitting a blues note in Let’s Get It On, it’s difficult not to feel, well, what do you feel?

Describe your favorite and least favorite part about being a musician.

I don’t know if it’s a true interpretation, but the Indian (Hindu?) word Namaste was defined to me as "celebrating that place within you that when you are in that place within you, and I’m in that place within me, we’re in the same place." There are times when you lock in with another musician where you don’t think about what you're doing, you just play, and you’re locked in together. Often you look at each other and laugh because you both know it. That's my favorite part.

Least favorite? Carrying gear in and out, setting it up and taking it down. That's work.

When did you move into the neighborhood?

A couple of months after purchasing my home in January of 2015. Whenever the work was done enough to be reasonably livable as the rest was completed.

How was it different than it is today?

There are a few more homes, and a more vibrant HOA. New people are in the neighborhood, and now between my working in the yard, seeing the walkers, and the community parties that you’ve hosted, I both know and am known a bit more. I appreciate that. Ironically in spite of being a showman I am not very socially outgoing, so those efforts benefited me.

Where else have you lived?

Mount Dora and Eustis, Fort Lauderdale, both Portland and Bend, Oregon, Ithaca, New York, and New York City.

What sounds do you hear from your house on a daily basis?

Birds calling, bouncing squirrels (ha,).

What do you like to look at out of your window?

The trees and sky over the pond. I'll cheat on this one and add that our night sky is wonderful! I walk out of the garage to look when I come home late.

What is your favorite neighborhood walk?

I’m not really a walker, so I guess it’s just around my lake property and getting to see the neighborhood walkers. It’s a joy seeing happy friendly people and I’m lucky enough to have many around me. That makes me think that perhaps I should walk more…

Nah.

Too funny, Dr. Cliff. Thank you for sharing. See you around the neighborhood.

To hear Dr. Cliff's music at no cost: 

https://open.spotify.com/artist/716NZNFUsUMSMJaR6FK6zs

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