I had been performing at antinuke events for years, but after TMI the rallies that had been drawing a couple of hundred people began to draw thousands and even hundreds of thousands. Although rally planners now could count on perfomrers like Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt, they didn't forget me. Thousands of people who had never heard of me would be on their feet, singing, clapping, dancing. I would leave the stage feeling exhilarated, overwhemed, privileged to have ignited that incredible human energy. Law began to seem a little tame.
Nobody applauds at oral argument.
Lawyers talk mostly to other lawyers. Music was putting me in touch with all kinds of people, united in their idealism and generosity. I grew frustrated confining my music to my spare time. I decided that I could be a middle-aged lawyer any time, but if I wanted to be a musician I had better get started while I still had the enthusiasm, resilience, and minimal financial obligations. Fifteen months after starting the perfect job in environmental law, I quit.