And my dad wanted me to play the trumpet because that’s what he liked. His idol was Louis Armstrong. My dad thought my teeth came together in a way that was perfect for playing the trumpet.

Browne recalls a small, intimate example of parental influence shaping a child’s early sense of identity and possibility. His father’s admiration for Louis Armstrong becomes a proxy for the father’s own aspirations and tastes, projected onto his son through the suggestion to play trumpet. The detail about Browne’s teeth “coming together” underscores how families often read destiny into physical traits, turning anatomy into a rationale for a life path. The quote also hints at the contingency of artistic development: a major singer-songwriter’s trajectory might have begun with a different instrument, guided by a parent’s musical heroes and practical beliefs about aptitude.