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One of my favorite parts of this entire trip has been interacting with the crew. In particular, I’ve loved getting to know Patrick, the A.B. that I interviewed. Interviewing him over breakfast was the first time I’d really sat down and talked to him, and he met me again later that day on the deck to answer some more questions while he smoked. He seemed to appreciate that I chose him because during dinner that day, he brought me a tiny monkey’s fist knot. He told me it was something to remember them by and that he would use larger versions of it when he worked as a line handler. I’ve kept in on my person since and will continue to for a long time, I think! The next morning, I gave him a watercolor painting of Bob Dylan that I stayed up late the night before painting. That afternoon, I was playing guitar in the movie room when he came in to do the same. He picked up the other guitar and started playing his own original songs, which were very good! He’s strongly inspired by Bob Dylan and hasn’t learned to play anyone else’s songs; he just plays whatever he thinks of! I told him that I struggle to come up with original songs, and he told me that it’s easy to make a song because it’s just like writing a poem that you put music to. He is looking into getting some of his work published somehow, but not for him to play! He’d want someone else to perform his songs because he apparently has terrible stage fright! He told me about the one time he went to play in front of a crowd and how he just completely froze. Seemed like an awful memory for him. Though, he did an amazing performance to the audience of just me! I’m grateful to have witnessed it. It was actually inspiring. I’ve been sitting with him during meals to talk more, and I think I’m really going to miss that!
-Savannah Evans
