On the surface, there is nothing special about my mic. It’s just your typical dented up SM58, and industry standard vocal mic, loved by many, loathed by some. In fact, now that I’m thinking about it, there is nothing to distinguish my mic from any other of the gazzillions of them out there that look exactly the same.
So, what’s so darn special about mine? Like anything that is special, there’s a story behind it.
This particular microphone was found in a garden. Grandma had left it there. She was using it as a decoration, and had plans to paint it. Why on earth did Grandma have a microphone, and even more so – what in the world inspired her to put in her garden?! She doesn’t sing (other than occasional family gatherings or as a member of the congregation at her church). She definitely doesn’t run sound, and has no idea whether or not it’s a good microphone.
It turns out that Grandma found it in the trash at a priest’s home that she cleans to make money. It had a severed cable attached to it. Being the creative woman that she is, she though it would be interesting to mix in to her garden, along with all of the beautiful colored glass bottles and other found objects that she has displayed throughout her garden.
My wife discovered it one day while visiting, and few weeks after it had been carefully placed on display among the tiger-lilies and blue and green bottles. My wife, fearing some horrible mistake had been made, grabbed it and took it to her Grandmother. “Grandma, do you know what this is?” Grandma explained how she had come to posses this little artifact, and then generously offered to let us have it, as long as it worked. If it didn’t, she though the design was really cool, and would like it back.
My wife brought it back from Iowa, told me the story, and asked if it would be useful. Indeed, it would be! I quickly plugged it in to a mixing console, and miraculously, it worked flawlessly. I have used it in almost every concert I have performed at since then. Now, to go mark it somehow, so that I never lose it…