Life is like a chicken, it’s all in how you cook it. These are the words and philosophy of a man by the name of Gil Veda. They are the kind of words that bring a sly smile to the lips and maybe even bear repeating. But for Gil, this is fact, and words to live by.
I first met Gil late one night, or more accurately, early one morning, at a Waffle House in Nashville. The girlfriend and I were there for breakfast after a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. When we first sat down, we didn’t much notice the quiet gentleman sitting at the table behind us. We had just gotten our coffee as he was finishing his meal. He stood up, check in hand, turned and noticed us. With the aura of a true gentleman, he smiled and remarked at how well we were dressed. It was striking because there was a genteel worldliness and friendly nature about him, that made you like him instantly. I repaid the compliment, as he was also dressed very sharply. I’m not exactly sure why, other than the fact I was immediately impressed by the man, but I asked him to join us for a cup of coffee, which he readily did.
He sat down, introductions were made, and then with a boundless energy of man a third his age, he dominated the conversation with this wonderful accent that I can only describe as somewhere between European Hispanic and Caribbean island charm. As it turned out, Shannon and I were in the presence of a very accomplished and world-renowned painter, singer, songwriter and composer. Like I said, when you meet Gil, it’s hard not to immediately like him and it doesn’t hurt that he can carry on a conversation with the best of them. When you do speak with him, you can get a first-person historical perspective of many of the iconic places and events that comprise the country music, political and historical makeup of this area.
Gil with Shannon at Waffle House
Over the course of the next hour, Gil shared with us hundreds of pictures of paintings that he kept on his phone, and told us stories of his amazing life. He had pictures of himself with famous artists, politicians and other many people of note. Some he had painted portraits of or made paintings for. Many others had purchased his artwork for their collections. Gil has even painted portraits of four United States presidents while they were in office. Now, what he showed us was impressive enough, but as I was to learn, he was far more than just a painter; he was a master of many arts.
Since that night, I’ve met with Gil on several occasions. Every time I meet with him I learn more about the amazing life he’s led. One of the biggest milestones of Gil’s life: he was the first Hispanic performer ever on the Grand Ole Opry. He performed there in 1962. He has also written many published songs and transposed music from Spanish and Italian to English and vice versa. He recorded “O Sole Mio” with the Jordanaires, before Elvis Presley recorded it. As you may know, “O Sole Mio” is the Italian song translated into one of Elvis’s biggest hits, “It’s Now or Never.”
Suffice it to say, Gil has led an amazing life. He’s in his early ’80s now and shows no signs of letting up. He’s a self-proclaimed night owl who paints in the wee hours of the morning, sleeps late, enjoys dining out with friends and is an avid movie buff. After the day has faded away and he is in his late-night world, he returns to his paintings. By his own admission, he paints almost every night and has warehoused thousands of paintings.
Another fascinating aspect of the man is that he carries mango seeds in his pocket, but not your typical mango seeds. You see, Gil creates art on these seeds. As part of a healthy diet, Gil has fruit at every meal, with mangos being one of his favorites. After eating the mango, he keeps a seed, cleans it and lets it dry out. Then in his leisure time he creates original designs on these mango seeds. This may sound odd, but the mango seed perfectly fits his style. One of Gil’s favorite things to paint are his version of fish and seascapes. The mango seeds, as it turns out, are perfect for this because they already sort of have the fish shape. And if he meets you and likes you, he may give you one of these seeds already decorated, signed and dated by him. Gil has had his work in art galleries around the world and his paintings have sold for many thousands of dollars. Many people of wealth and renown seek out his artwork, so his mango seeds are valuable original pieces of artwork. But mostly, they’re a way to show you he likes you and enjoyed meeting you.
The last time I sat down and chatted with Gil, it was filmed for a documentary and Gil did painting demonstrations for us on camera. He pulled a mango seed out of his pocket and drew pictures on both sides of the seed. Then he took out a blank canvas and showed us the beginning process on how he paints. The process he uses is interesting to watch because you can tell from the second he starts that his style depends heavily upon inspiration as he goes. It is my opinion that this kind of ingenuity is a mark of genius. To be honest, I noticed, and he even remarked, that the beginning process didn’t go as well as he had hoped. But then with that wonderful accent he said, “That’s okay, I set it aside, let it dry and when I’m ready, go back to it. It will tell me what it wants to be.”
This demonstration was at a Nashville art store called Jerry’s Artarama; when I first got there Gil was busy engaging almost every patron who walked into the store, shaking their hand and saying hello and, of course, handing out a few mango seeds.
Gil Veda with Tony Lehew
I asked Gil to describe his philosophy of life. In addition to his insight into how life is like a chicken, he advised, “Don’t copy other people. Learn what they did, their styles, their techniques, and then do it your way. Don’t copy others; it’s already been done, do it your own way,” he said.
An unfinished work by Gil Veda in the collection of Middle Tennessee resident Michael Poe
I asked him how he obtained such talent and he simply stated, “I just do it.” He made it clear that he was not classically trained in any of the arts that he had mastered, but all the things he had done, from singing opera, country music and painting to just living, all the things he has mastered, he did just by doing it until he got it right. Maybe that’s a good piece of advice for all of us—life is your chicken, how do you want to cook it?
