Hi Murray,

I noticed a couple of "murrmac" posts that DID remain posted as comments, and was pretty sure that was you.

One comment that someone made about one of the FK clips gave me pause: the person observed that "the background looks like a rehab clinic." Now, the "background" to the typical FK video is as blank as blank can be, which would be consistent with an institutional setting, but of course could really be anywhere. After all, you only see about two square feet of wall space.

But the idea that FK could be a recovering addict or some kind of mental patient is one of many plausible explanations for the phenomenon that he is. A person could be pathologically shy, after all, and his condition would in no way impair his ability to learn an instrument or to sing ~ only to do so in front of other people. That could explain why he doesn't show his face, and also why he might make the decision to delete a given comment for reasons no one else would ever understand.

Another theory: he could be perfectly sane but disfigured in some way that makes him reluctant to show his face.

Being a recluse, for any reason, would definitely allow a musically-inclined individual to practive long hours, hone his craft, and pour his soul quite completely into his playing and singing.

He is giving us some wonderful performances, but I don't see him as an impossibly dexterous, lightning-fast virutoso. He's a highly skilled player with a nice voice who puts across very solidly constructed and deeply felt renditions of well-chosen songs.

From my own experience, I'm quite sure that I could be heard to my very best advantage recorded close-up, alone, in a totally quiet setting. Playing in a louder and more unpredicable environment sometimes brings out a little extra "magic," but is just as likely, if not moreso, to induce nervousness to the point of stiffened fingers, choked-up vocals, etc. I've experienced both sides of that coin, and I've also know some quite excelent players who've never been able to show even a glimpse of their considerable strengths when put in front of a (live) audience.

Some people are motivated to learn and play music primarily as a way to present themselves to others, e.g., to meet girls. But others get into it simply to express themselves, to get out feelings they can't deal with otherwise, to feel the satisfaction of creating something, but have no interest at all in "performing."

I am still very willing to believe that Fretkillr belongs to that latter group. His choice of repertoire definitely puts him into the AARP/BabyBoom age group, and assuming that he learned most of those songs when they were current, he's been playing 35-40 years. If he is indeed a stay-at-home "closet" player, never inclined to take to a stage, this newfangled opportunity offered by the Internet, to reveal his music without revelaing much of himself, would be too tempting to pass up.