On the ride home after the Bill Callahan show in LA this summer, I kept telling my cousin Rachel, “I HOPE A PRINCE SONG PLAYS ON THE RADIO I CAN FEEL IT I KNOW THEY WILL PLAY ONE.” I can’t remember what the station was called, but it played an eclectic mix of current and old hits. I remember singing along to Cyndi Lauper.
It was late. And, being the terrible car companion that I am, I ended up falling asleep, leaving my cousin to fend for herself, all alone with her bleeding heels on the near-empty 101 with nothing but lights on the highway, radio hits, and my deadweight to keep her company.
When I woke up, Rachel turned to me and told me, “Hey…I didn’t have the heart to wake you up. You looked pretty deep in sleep, but…” and she didn’t even have to finish her sentence. I knew what she was going to say next, “They played Prince.”
This is a metaphor for missed opportunities. I lived it through sleeping through it. Whatever you do in this life: don’t sleep your way through it, you’ll miss your metaphorical Prince.
