I figured out long ago what works for me as a musician. My playing is what I'd describe as adequate. There are 10,000 guitar players out there trying to make a living at it (and very few of them doing well) all of whom are better than I am. My singing - well, I'll never be the greatest singer in the world, either. Far from. I have a few vocal tricks, but . . . hmmm . . . I wish I could sing like someone who could, like . . . sing. What I am is an entertainer. And a parody writer. Somehow, when I put the package all together, the people who like it seem to like it.

Louis Armstrong, in his early career, was considered to be one of the great innovators on his instrument. According to what I remember from school, that all ended around 1929 or so, which is when he became more of an entertainer than a serious instrumentalist. Pretty decent career he had, though, as an entertainer.

A local group, a trio that's been singing together since the 70s - and does a sold-out show in a 300 seat hall once a year - titled one of their CDs: "It's What You Do With What You Got."

I think that pretty much describes what I do.