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First published January 28, 2019, on The Northern Dispatch website, by the author.
Think positive. Think positive. That can be a tough chore if one digests news these days, but there are humans who walk the earth that manage to do more of that positive thinking than its opposite.
I stumbled across one of those people on a May [2018] afternoon (remember Spring?). Well, not “stumble.” He attracted some attention to himself at the southeast corner of Grand Avenue and Victoria Street by playing a trumpet and wearing dapper duds.
Following orders from home I purchased treats for the family at Café Latté, then grabbed my camera from the car and wandered back to talk to the young man. Conversation revealed experience and humble wisdom that no modern young man possesses, however. No, that knowledge is earned tapping on the door of middle age. Lance Brunious in May 2018 was 40 years old.
Which isn’t fair. I looked 40 at 35.
Brunious has packed a lot in those years. Some might know him as the rapper I.L.I.C.I.T. (that rang a bell from back in my music-review days); he’s traveled the lower 48 and Canada in that role and as a backup vocalist. The inspiration for him pick up the brass he played in high school is his father, Wendell Brunious, who is a member of the legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band from New Orleans. (Read more about that in Ruben Rosario’s story in the Pioneer Press.)
Lance is not taking any favors from the old man, however. He’s earning his place as his skills improve. “I was asked to lead a band, but I am building this myself,” he said when we spoke in May. “I just made it to 3,000 hours with this,” he added, holding up the instrument. “It’s coming easier now.”
Logging hours with the instrument and making people feel good and smile is what Lance was focused on last Spring. “I’ve been reading Elkhart Tolle, and it’s helping me step outside myself.”
Transcending oneself doesn’t mean one shouldn’t look in a mirror and dress well, however. Taking time to address the outward does impact how one feels inward, Brunious learned. “My dad said, ‘If you feel like a bum, dress like one.’”
In other words, look sharp. You’ll feel better.
Those are words that don’t need to be superficial. When I’m feeling in a rut with the latest malodorous geyser of, let’s just call it “White House leadership,” I look in the mirror, take out the shaving cream and razor and clean up. Then pull on a decent shirt, some good shoes, and make a point of being a reasonable person as I go through the day. And I do feel better.
Thanks, Lance, for that reminder.
When the warm weather rolls around, maybe you’ll find him practicing on Grand and Victoria. Find him now at Happy Lance Brunious.
Photos taken with a Rolleiflex 3.5F circa 1960.
All material ©️ Mike Mitchelson
