Be Yourself and Don't Apologize

There's something to say about those who are brave to be themselves and to follow their convictions and passions in spite of what others may think of them.  There's also something to be said about those who know their place and/or don't stop being themselves regardless of venue.

How sad would it be if someone stopped singing because people thought they couldn't sing?  How unfortunate would it be if someone quit dancing because they were laughed at?  How tragic would it be if someone gave up on expressing themselves and pursuing their passions based upon what other people said about them or did to them?

There's definitely a time and a place for someone to explore these intricacies of intentions and inspirations and maybe this could be in the privacy of their own home for now.  I just hope that we all can shine when it's time to and that fear won't be the reason why we hide our light.

Here is one of my favorite examples of someone who is courageous enough to be himself, to be laughed at, and to keep going.  I am always moved when I see people like this who can be so carefree and bold at being themselves unapologetically.

Performed Records Vs. Produced Records

I recently read an interview with Rodney Crowell in M Music & Musicians and got inspired by how he articulated ideas of songwriting and recording.  Here are some excerpts in the following:

"My mantra for songwriting is, 'Be still, be quiet, be patient - and the song will tell you what it wants to be.' " 

"About five years ago, I outgrew productions forever.  All the music that I love, that stands the test of time - Taj Mahal's 'Statesboro Blues' or Howlin' Wolf's 'How Many More Years' or Ray Charles' 'Hit the Road, Jack' - they're all performance.  These are not produced records, those are performed records."

It made me start thinking about how I share the same sentiment in regards to album recordings that I prefer and that have withstood the test of time.  For me this hasn't been the records I grew up with but more like the records my parents grew up with.  What I do have though are YouTube videos and other videos of live performances by artists that have moved me many times more than their produced album recordings.  

Here are a few in the following:

The Quest To Be A Great Live Performing Artist

I've had a desire since I don't know when to be great, absolutely great, at playing my music live.  Actually, playing anyone's music for that matter.  I just want to be convincing, believable, and impactful.  Of course all these things I can't control and if I try to focus on "being or not being something" I'll end up losing the whole mystery factor of how people become the people that get inspired by and admire today.

This might make no sense to anyone else but me.

Here are some of my favorite performances.  Only a few.  There are a TON of course.  NPR Tiny Desk Concert is one of my favorite places to hear an artist.  There's nothing to hide behind it seems.  Same with KEXP radio (Seattle).  Here are the videos:

A Love Story Observed, Imagined, Pondered...

I saw two people picking up trash outside today and I imagined a love story.  They were most likely assigned to the task at random and judging by their florescent vests and their stick contraptions they were probably there for community service, volunteer work, parole service, or something like that.

I imagined them meeting each other and it being love at first sight.  The girl with her hair blowing in the wind and the boy with his wit and humor making her laugh during the otherwise mundane routine.  I could see them staring at the silver lining around the clouds and expressing, "Wow, what a beautiful day.  Isn't this like the perfect day to be doing this?  I mean, it's the best day to be doing something like this."  It's a sunny 78 degrees outside with a nice breeze to keep the climate from being too warm.

I began to think about how this is what love does.  Love changes our perspective.  It's kind of like in that movie, You've Got Mail (my wife's favorite movie) where Meg Ryan's character begins to swoon over all the mundane details of her day being remarkable which perks the curiosity of her co-workers.  She's in love and doesn't even know it yet.  She's optimistic and doesn't realize it.  She's seeing the silver lining but doesn't see it as that - it's just what she sees.

I think love is more powerful than optimism.  Optimism to me is an idea of choosing to see the positive rather than the negative (the glass half-full vs. the glass half-empty).  Love sees through the trash and celebrates the gold!  Love is not even concerned about trying to see the positive; positive is all love sees.  Is love blind?

People and songs have said that "love is blindness."  There are those that call it maddening, reckless, dangerous, or powerful.  It's not that it denies the facts or rejects reality.  It just supersedes it somehow as if nothing else matters besides those it has bound together.  It can't be quantified, articulated, or explained enough.  Love is a wonder.  It's most likely why and how we have so many songs, poems, and literature about it.

Going back to the sight on the highway it reminded me of my wife and I.  We figuratively and literally have been in those moments of picking up trash and have experienced the reality of us being together superseding the mundane and also the vulgar making this life the better and the more enjoyable.  The love we share doesn't deny the good and the bad things that have happened in our lives it just helps us hold those realities together when they happen.  Love isn't madness then nor is it blind.  Love just conquers all.

Radiohead... Have to Mention At Least Something About These Guys...

I've been so inspired by these guys.  Kid A was the first album that won me over.  After that it was just going through their other recordings and enjoying tracks here and there.  Out of nowhere came In Rainbows and then it felt like I became a fan all over again.

I'm not sure what to say to people when they ask me about what I like about Radiohead.  I think they (Radiohead) represent permission, freedom, and creative possibility to me personally.

Thom can sing sounds that communicate words while shaking and emulating reverb, Jonny can kick his guitar across the stage causing rhythmic feedback that makes right sense, Colin can lay down the perfect bass foundation by simply playing the same note complexly with the right feel, Ed can create landscapes of sound that you never knew could come out of a guitar, and Phil can hold everything together like a silent perfect human metronome in a raw and organic way walking the careful edge of not becoming rigid and plastic.  Everything that these musicians do is unconventional and appropriately so.  

It makes me dream about the freedom I can walk in myself - maybe about the person in me that I haven't discovered yet or have seen come out.  It makes me think about song structure, chord family arrangements, and time signatures.  It makes me think about sonic textures and painting with sound.  All in all, my experience with Radiohead makes me think beyond whatever I've settled for as an artist.  It pushes me, amazes me, and inspires me.