I think it shows class. Well done.

This was my second favorite part of that encounter; another deep lesson and another reason the man should have more statues and busts made of him. As I entered his crib with his assistant and began to survey the landscape of Lionel, I immediately noticed the classic cascading halls of platinum plaques that any song man of his nature would be sure to accumulate.

A beautiful grand piano graced the foyer and a plethora of rare African art covered his walls. As I closed the door behind me something totally unique caught my eye… In the most prime of locations next to the entrance was what appeared to be a shiny framed painting with a very small image in the middle. The painting was something like three feet by three feet and totally blank except for a small object in the middle surrounded by an ocean of white negative space. Stepping closer, there was a very stylized hanging "Return to Oz" magnifying glass hanging by chain from the edge of this centerpiece. Gripping the handle, I moved the ocular piece towards the middle with great anticipation… sitting alone on the canvas was a single grain of rice with the word "Lionel" written on it. Dope.

Here, not among the man’s possessions but standing before the man’s illustrious awards collection was an object on display that would cost around 10 pesos to have made on any Mexican spring break destination from Mazatlan to Puerto Vallarta and anywhere serving liquor to minors in between. The philosophical implications of the human as a grain of rice are incredibly clear, but I felt it extra genius to manifest the metaphor in the doorway of ones home.

So my friend, if the day ever comes to cut that funk album, you have my number and you know how I feel.

"Hello Lionel… is it me you looking for?" – Aja West