Classical Blues

It's 1986: Imagine you are a talented young classical guitarist who has gotten a chance to be in a master class with the living legend, Segovia Himself. You get to sit in front of the Maestro and play a piece. (In front of a couple hundred other crack classical guitarists watching.)

But the Maestro is having a bad day, he's cranky, and he interrupts you constantly and eventually, he ... orders you off the stage.

For more than twenty years, the story goes around about how some hotshot punk got up in front of Segovia, gave him attitude and lip, and got booted for his surly and snide remarks.

But: somebody taped it, and lo, after all these years, the tape shows up on YouTube, and hey, the young guy -- who isn't you, but in point of fact, is Michael Chapdelaine, now a master guitarist in his own right -- is shown to be not the least bit disrespectful, and in fact, the epitome of grace under pressure.

Here is the link. After the lesson, Chapdelaine could not have been any more gracious, and was a damn sight more than I'd have been in his shoes.

Check it out: