Famous Boyfriend #2--the Spinto

Wes was a sweet fellow.--Just say the line with me: "Wes was a sweet fellow."--You see he could sustain a word just long enough, "sweet", to create a sense of continuity. Anything of the such was all an illusion, really, but he had his Yankee-poodle audiences fooled for nearly decade.

Truly, imagine one of those piercing uppity poodles at your doorstep, annoying the living hell out of you with its relentless screeching, while its owner is enthralled with the clear, continuous ring of its adoring and adorable pet.--That was the experience of hearing Wes. Pure displeasure, for those of us with taste. --The Yankees may have loved him. No true Southerner would thrown roses on the stage.

Don't get me wrong. He was a raging success. Singing for the New York City Opera for nearly a decade, before winning the Cargnegie competition in the mid-1990's. With such a long stint at the Opera, and a successful win with good ol' Dale, he made his way to judge panels with the Met in D.C.--No wonder we have some of these barkers parading across stage as singers at the Met. Oh, well. To each his own.

By the time I met Wes, he was tired of it all really. --A Spinto C would, of course, grow impatient no matter the circumstance of his success. So he retired early, really, at age 39 to become a Baptist minister.

I liked him well, enough, really. And his voice was quite remarkable.--But I suppose even we Southern lyric tenors, yes we too, have a flare for the dramatic. So I left the duet of our romance in the middle of the third stanza, without even the courtesy of a harmonic departure. A permanent rest in the music, without the slightest sign of approaching absence.

Well, I've mellowed out since then. It only makes sense for a queen's lifestyle and presence to be properly aligned with his voice-type.--No?