Steve Channels Bob Dylan

Unbeknownst to me, but Steve had a new girlfriend on the east coast. She might have been a student at Brown University that he met while giving a presentation. I learned about this in the most unusual way.

Early one morning he bolted into my office and insisted that I immediately follow him out to his car. He was very agitated. He told me not to ask any questions. I assumed I must have done something terribly wrong and that I would hear all about once we got in his car. Steve drove a nice Mercedes and always parked it in one of the reserved handicap parking spaces next to the front door. His rationale was that never in Apple history had all 6 handicap parking spots been filled at one time. 

He got into the driver's seat and I was in the passenger's seat. It was obvious we were not going for a ride. He then said very sternly, "Just listen. Don't talk. Don't say anything."

He then took a cassette tape out of his pocket and placed it in the car's cassette player. Once again he warned me, "Don't say anything." And he pressed the play button. The car had an excellent speakers. 

I love music and suddenly I was hearing a very nice, but unfamiliar love ballad. It was quite simple -- piano keyboard, harmonica and vocals. It reminded me of Neil Young or perhaps Bob Dylan. And then it dawned on me -- this is Steve!!

I was charmed by the song - it was very tender, intimate and personal. And I immediately learned several things: Steve can compose, Steve can play the piano, Steve can sing, Steve can play the harmonica and he can do all three at the same time. And he might be in love.

But he had been so stern and serious that I just sat there with a muted face. When the song was finished he more or less demanded, "Well, what do you think?" I told him I genuinely thought it was great - because it was. But he was self-conscious, embarrassed and everything else that goes into writing an original love song for your girlfriend and then sharing it with a friend in order to get an opinion. "No really, what do you think?" And I repeated what I had first said. 

He then told me about his girlfriend and that he had written this for her the night before, and how he built a wrap-around coat hanger harmonica holder like Bob Dylan uses. But now he was nervous about sending it to her. I strongly encouraged him to send it. I told him that she would love it. I never learned if he sent it or not.