In August, I was at Chapin’s Restaurant in Columbus Ohio to perform one of the benefit concerts I do in tribute to Harry. My friend John Horanic was there with me and I asked him to tape the show on a 8mm camcorder on a tripod set up at the back of the room.
When the show was over, John said the camera had cut out at one point, he didn’t know what happened. When I viewed the tape the next week, I was watching the intro to the song “Changes” where I was explaining that there is a verse of the song whose lyrics appear on the album sleeve but which was cut. I explained that I had just discovered this omission via the Harry Chapin Fan message board and that I would sing the missing verse.
When I got to that point of the song I said, “OK, here’s the missing verse.”, and at that moment, the video camera shut off. John noticed the red light had gone off and started the camera again, but not until after the verse was over.
I couldn’t help but think that Harry, being a film editor before his recording career, had a hand in editing the tape. And as I told the crowd in New Jersey two weeks later, whatever the explanation, I shall never sing that verse again…….John.
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