My love of the music of Ennio Morricone led me to only one choice after his recent passing, an Italian Roadster. It had to, first of all, be Italian, this was not an easy obstacle to overcome. The options were quite narrow and being well over six feet tall was also a hurdle that needed to be taken into consideration as well. My choice was the beautiful 21st century ~124 Fiat Spider~. The car fit all my needs in a uniquely Italian way, beautiful, with two seats, a cloth top, rear-wheel drive, and of course a manual transmission. The car is designed to mold to your body in a nostalgic way, not for the car buyer who wants luxury and convenience, but for the driver that wants quickness and agility and "a tip of the hat" to the past of the tradition of the true traditional roadster.
As a composer, I need room to breathe after hours of secluded writing. This car fulfills this requirement in all respects. It is a work of art that reflects the culture of the past. The Italian heritage of "wind in your hair" driving and the history of Italian passion in all they do. As a child, I still remember my Father's stories of his time serving in the United States Army Air Forces while stationed in Italy during WWII. The now faded pictures of his time in Rome during the war had been a point of curiosity for many years, my answer was finally answered during a research trip to Rome in 2001 when I showed a local policeman the picture of my father sitting on a majestic lion. (pictured below) He sent me on a memorable trip to the "Grand Hotel" where I finally found my answer. That moment would never have happened without my love for the music of Ennio Morricone and my father's service in Italy during the war, the "beautiful" music of Ennio Morricone flowed through my thoughts at that moment, and especially his masterpiece of the 20th century, the film score to the Cinema Paradiso.
Only in Italy could these priceless moments be encapsulated in the culture, the history, and the magical touch of so many handcrafted works of art. My time in my roadster now allows for weekends to be a time of remembering the past in a tangible way. An automobile that catches so many people's eyes as it glides through the now predictable daily traffic, as a required necessity in so many of our lives today, and yet speaks to everyone in a very timeless and nostalgic way. A glimpse of a time from the past that still sturs passion in the heart of the driver, and in my case, the heart of a composer as well.
My Father, Robert L. Brown in 1943 pictured in front of the Grand
Hotel in Rome, Italy.
His son, Timothy Brown, pictured on the same statue while on a
music research trip to the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, in Rome.
timothybrownmusic.com