ONLY WHEN HIS EYES ARE SHADED

Was there ever a pop singer with anymore range than Roy Orbison? From bass to falsetto, he could hit all the notes perfectly.

Pictured here sans sunglasses, Roy made an appearance in a 1967 movie, The Fastest Guitar in the West. Actually, he may have starred in the flick; I don't know. But I have a theory.

Roy could only sing well when his eyes were hidden. Am I serious? No. And I apologize if he had a serious eye problem. Our sight is a precious gift and I wouldn't make fun of anyone with a medical problem.

But I've often wondered about people who sing with their eyes closed. Why do they do that? Is it to shut out the rest of the world? Is it to help them concentrate? Once in a college algebra class I had a teacher who was paranoid about cheaters. He stood and stared down the students during a test. I wasn't about to look at someone else's paper, so I'd look at the ceiling to try to formulate my thoughts. I'm not sure it helped, but it saved me from getting a zero on the test.

I sing in church with the other worshippers, I sing to myself, I sing out loud in the car when I'm alone, and even sing silly around the house around others. But I've never closed my eyes for any lengthy period of time.

Maybe I should. I could become the next Roy. Probably, more like the next Trigger.