i was in another lesson and i was once again singing (not teacher-ordained, still attention seeking). this time i was singing "may the long time sunshine form you, all love surround you and the pure light within you guide your way on" when the teacher (who looked like a silver haired lord kitchener) yelled from across the classroom "the incredible string band!". he had a real sparkle in his eyes. i'd tapped into something he probably hadn't even thought about in 40 years. reminded him of an old version of himself he'd long since discarded. a free young hippy, not an authoritarian science teacher jaded by decades of seeing bermondsey kids throw their lives away.
it turned out that he was at a friend of a friend's house party back in the 60's and suddenly saw that the girl whose house it was had an incredible string band album. that's how he broke the ice with her and she eventually became his wife (still married when he was teaching me in 2010 or whatever).