Page 27 - Jerry Hollard: Fathers and Son

ISSUE : Issue 48

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1988/6/1

that would just chill you to the bone with laughter. That type of wit always struck home with me. My dad was witty in his own way, as well as friends. And I grew up with this extreme love for the wit that these characters were able to portray, and lived. Winston, I think, had to be one of the fin? er storytellers, as a for instance, and im? pressionists, that you'd ever--oh, it was just incredible what that man could do. I think he could talk, or even make himself look like the character that he was por? traying. And even if you didn't know him, you felt you knew the character that he was telling about, by the way that he would po? sition himself or change his face or ex? plain what this character would look like. I hung on every word, as a child would, waiting for a quarter--when a quarter was worth something. I just loved to be around him and to hear and understand what it was like for him growing up and the experiences that he had, and the dif? ferent fun times and hard times and so on. Like, in some ways, because of the age that my dad was when I was born--he was 51 when I was born--you could relate a lot--in what stories my dad told, as well--to the stories that Winston told. You could tell by his manoeuvres as far as his facial expressions or things that he would say, that in telling somebody that was unknowing of the exaggerations in some cases--as far as wit went--when there was a big line of bull that he was gonna try to get this person to believe. You could see it coming, and once the story was told and there was a question in this person's mind whether it was true or not, (Winston) would grab the lapel of his coat, kind of give it a little tug, and with, the serious, serious look he would say, '"Pon my soul to God!" That's when you knew it was a dandy! That would be one thing. And in him say? ing that, would usually be the convincing point of this person believing this out? rageous lie. Which just made his day, which really just totally wrecked me altogether! As far as his music, as I said original? ly, he was always my hero. He was my idol. I figured that his way of playing the instrument was what it was supposed to sound like, and with no contradictions. (Did you do specific learning with Wins? ton?) Not really. No, I guess would be the answer. I did learn one thing from things that he did say, versus teaching in gener? al . And maybe it was to be taught to me verbally. And that is, especially with the groupings of tunes that are played in fi? nales such as you'd hear at Glendale and so on--he was very much against that. For the amount of tunes that were played. Because he felt it took so much away from earlier tunes that would be played in the same group. (Finales of several tunes, rather than the usual medley of 2 or 3.) Exactly. ATLANTIC FISHERIES A PROMISING FUTURE Scientific Excellence Resource Protection & Conservation Benefits for Canadians iti r Canad'a Dundee Resort Executive Chalets Golf Course Lounge Swimming Pool 'For more information, write or phone A DUNDEE RESORT, R. R. 2, West Bay, Richmond County, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia BOE 3K0 (902)345-2649 ' Cottages Tennis Courts Marina Dining Room on Cape Breton's Bras d'Or Lakes

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