Rock Dreams

Roy Orbison (Pop)
Track: In Dreams (1963)

I often dream about famous musicians - hardly surprising considering the huge influence they’ve had on my life. During my dreams I'm friends with my idols but remain in awe of them. When I awake I'm disappointed that my imaginings were only fantasies. As Roy Orbison sang, "It's too bad that all these things/Can only happen in my dreams."

John
The Beatles, my favorite group, have figured most often in my dream life. In my most memorable fantasy encounter I took a dream car journey around New York City with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. They were both charming companions. Yoko drove while John sat in the passenger’s seat, laughing and joking, pointing out tourist attractions along the way. Meanwhile I relaxed in the back of the car, hardly able to believe what was happening. Of course it wasn't happening - DOH! - it was only a dream.

Paul
I recently dreamed about Paul McCartney, and I can confirm he’s a really nice chap. By that I mean his famously perky public image has planted itself firmly in my subconscious. In my dream we shared a few pints at a country pub near his house, and from my experience our Paul can certainly put them away. Funnily enough, I insisted on paying for every round of drinks, but I couldn’t help thinking – even in the middle of my reverie – “Why am I forking out for all these beers? I mean, he could afford to buy the bloody pub, couldn’t he?”

Pleasantly sloshed, we headed back to Paul's country kitchen for a cup of tea. I’m pretty sure this part of the dream derived from an encounter I had years ago with a woman who knew the McCartney family well. It's funny it took me so long to dream about Paul. Perhaps it's because - even though I'm a fan - he hasn't had a particularly deep psychological impact on me.

George

I’ve had several dreams about the late George Harrison. Usually we are hanging out together at his famous house, and there I am thinking to myself, "Jeez, here I am with Hari Georgeson - Cool!" One time I had the great honor of jamming with George in his recording studio. On another occasion we left his house only to end up walking across the Golden Gate Bridge - in dream terms not so surprising since I once lived in San Francisco. I think the reason I’ve dreamed about George the most is that he always seemed the nicest Beatle.

Ringo
I’ve never dreamed about Ringo Starr, a reflection of his status in my subconscious Beatle pecking order. Though I admire Ringo greatly as a musician, I’ve no overwhelming desire to meet him, even in the Land of Nod.

Bowie

Another trippy encounter occurred in a dream I had about David Bowie. It had a rather bizarre ending. Bowie and I were being driven around rural China in a limousine. I think this dream came about because at that time my close friend was from Hong Kong.

The strange conclusion to the dream came when Bowie asked the driver to stop, handed me a brush and ordered me to start sweeping the road! Naturally I complied - who was I to contradict the Thin White Duke? I was struck by the banality of this denouement, but I later spent a summer working as a street cleaner in London, so perhaps it proves that rock stars are higher beings with the power of prophesy!

Dreams Come True
As a musician in the mid-nineties I had a recurring dream about performing before thousands of fans in a huge outdoor arena. This contrasted sharply with reality - at that time my band was playing to small crowds on the San Francisco club scene. But in 1997 we won a Tower Records song contest and suddenly found ourselves entertaining 5,000 people in Golden Gate Park. Dreams do, sometimes, come true!

Wish-fulfilment
Although there isn't always a hidden meaning to our dreams, I feel in broad terms they represent an interaction between the unconscious and the conscious. Dreams are projections of parts of ourselves. They teach that it's important to be aware of our feelings and how they connect us to our environment. It's clear to me that most of my night-time superstar encounters have been wish-fulfilment fantasies, a reflection not only of my admiration for my idols, but also an expression of my own feelings as a frustrated musician.

Video: "In Dreams"