For my daughters

"Soul Suckers"
by Amos Lee

Did you believe it,
when they told you they discovered you?
And that everything is free,
as long as you do what they tell you to.
You think it's true?

But nothing could be farther from the truth,
my love.

Did you even listen,
When they told you to change your name?
And that nobody wants honesty when looking at a perfect frame
play the game.

Nothing could be further from the truth,
my love..
And nothing is more powerful that beauty in a wicked world.
Play it girl,
play it girl,
play it girl.

Does it make you feel good,
when they tell you what you want to hear?
And after they suck all your soul,
well that's when they'll disappear.
Disappear.
They disappear forever..

Like a prince in your little fairy tale.
And you will find,
one day you put you soul on sale..

Nothing could be further from the truth,
my love..
And nothing is more powerful than beauty in a wicked world.

For more on . . .

Raising Girls : Brave, Courageous, Adventurous : Only the Wild Ones," by Dispatch : Unchained Melody : Elvis' Last Great Moment

Kendrick Lamar wins the Pulitzer. And traditional America isn't happy.

Kendrick Lamar can now add Politzer Prize winner to his growing laundry list of awards. 

Shocked? If so, you're not alone. I was too. Because, I always thought that the Pulitzer Prize was set aside for great writers and poets and journalists? That it was for classical musicians, not rappers.

So I did some looking around and found Eatock Daily, a composer based out of Toronto who shared my thoughts and assumptions. But then, I read these words, 

I’ve noticed that some classical types have been careful to sound respectful and inclusive when discussing this issue. Perhaps fearful of being labelled “elitist,” or hoping that just a little bit of hip-hop’s coolness might rub off on them, they praise Damn for its musical craft, sophistication and cultural authenticity, and say supportive things about Lamar’s prize-win (via).

And my "this is bullshit" radar sounded.

Then, when he quoted Norman Lebrecht, who called the decision, “an almighty kick in the teeth of contemporary composition" and added the he, "a classical {himself}" was "alarmed" by this decision because, "Even though the prize has almost always been awarded to a classical composer (with the exception of a few jazz artists) there has never been an official statement of this policy – it was an unwritten tradition", I pushed the panic button, holy shit!

Daily goes on to say that Lamar winning this award is "cultural erosion" and that "only time will tell if Lamar’s prize is a gesture of tokenism, or if the Pulitzers will largely embrace popular musics, and America’s classical composers will find themselves shut out of a prestigious award that used to “belong” to classical music." Damn. 

But also, why? Why does the Pulitzer have to belong to classical music? Because of tradition?

What tradition? 

Because from what I read, the Pulitzer music prize is awarded “for distinguished musical composition by an American", not tradition. 

So why the animosity or frustration?

Probably because Mr. Lamar doesn't fit easily into the image of what many traditional American's consider art, and not only because of how he looks, but because he uses gritty language and raps about a lifestyle and reality many Americans would rather turn away from and ignore.

But if that's the case, why did the staff of Reuters win the Pulitzer for Feature photography? Because their images of "the world to the violence Rohingya refugees faced in fleeing Myanmar" (via) are pretty gritty too.

Rohingya siblings fleeing violence hold one another as they cross the Naf River along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Palong Khali, near Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, November 1, 2017. (photo from Pulitzer.org)

Hamida, a Rohingya refugee woman, weeps as she holds her 40-day-old son after he died as their boat capsized before arriving on shore in Shah Porir Dwip, Teknaf, Bangladesh, September 14, 2017. (photo from Pulitzer.org)

Mohammed Shoaib, 7, who was shot in his chest before crossing the border from Myanmar in August, is held by his father outside a medical centre near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, November 5, 2017. (photo from Pulitzer.org)

Why are these stories more valid than Lamar's? Why are these atrocities seen as "shocking" and move our hearts while Lamar's offend?

Why are photographers praised for their voice and style and Lamar criticized and considered a tainting of tradition?

Because he curses? What?

Mr. Daily actually beat me to these questions when he wrote, "It was only a matter of time before someone rhetorically asked,  “Hey, wait a minute, if the Pulitzer is for ‘distinguished musical composition by an American,’ why shouldn’t hip-hop be considered?” And it is his answer that I find most troubling. He writes, "the Pulitzer Prize for Music must now be shared among (presumably) all genres of American-made music. And the small and marginalized contemporary classical music world just got a little smaller and more marginal."

Damn. Presumably? Marginalized?

Really?

Kendrick Lamar is unfit for this award because allowing more non-traditional music into the discussion will leave classical musicians feeling marginalized? What about musicians of the past hundred years who were never recognized because they didn't follow "tradition"? Where is their contribution to music and society and mankind's story?

Marginalized?

Because right now, as Mr. Lamar is being celebrated as the first rapper to win the Pulitzer, CEO Kevin Johnson's is trying to salvage the Starbucks image by closing 8,000 stores in May for "racial-bias education day" after two black men were arrested for not buying anything.

Do you know how many times I have sat in Starbucks and not bought a damn thing but just sat and read or wrote or waited for a friend? Not only that, do you know how many of those times I've asked for a free glass of ice water AND used the bathroom? Countless. And never was I questioned, denied, or even remotely suspected of anything other than sitting and doing nothing. 

Marginalized? Really?!

This is exactly why it is so important that Mr. Kenrick Lamar won the Pulitzer Price for music, because now traditional America has to take him and rap and all those stories of how the other half live seriously. Because now traditional America can no longer use the argument, "That ain't music" or categorize it as, "black people music" and turn the station and their attention to something more agreeable to their ears. Because now (as it already has been for many years) it is truly part of America's music and a crucial component to America's story.

Damn. by Kendrick Lamar isn't a gesture of tokenism or a kick in the teeth to tradition and for sure it isn't a cultural erosion. It's progression in American storytelling, in American poetry, and in American voice. It's a piece of distinguished musical composition written by an American and recognized as "a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life" (via). And Kendrick Lamar deserves an applause, not a patronizing pat on the back.

"Pulitzer was the most skillful of newspaper publishers, a passionate crusader against dishonest government, a fierce, hawk-like competitor who did not shrink from sensationalism in circulation struggles, and a visionary who richly endowed his profession." And whether Mr. Daily or traditional America likes it or not, so is Kendrick Lamar. 

Hot Damn.

You can listen to the full album on Spotify. 

For more on . . .

-N- Stuff  :  Art  :  Music

The Function of Music

The Function of Music with Jad Abumrad from mac premo on Vimeo.

Music. It makes us who we are.

For more on . . .

-N- Stuff  :  Creativity  :  Inspiring Art  :  Music

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Cymatics: Science vs Music

now this is pretty cool.

"Everything owns its existence solely and completely to sound."  

Love that. And somewhat believe it.  

 For more on . . .

-N- Stuff :  Movies Without Soundtracks  :  Music

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Drummers who steal the show

Most bands and musical artists are known for their singing or guitar playing, not their drumming because drummers aren't often the spotlight of any band, even though drummers tend to be more intelligent. Instead, they tend to take a back seat to everyone else, tucked behind a sea of drums and cymbals and sound. 

These guys - and a gorilla - are an exception (in spotlight, not intelligence).

Steve Moore (The Mad Drummer) Check out his website at: http://www.themaddrummer.com

Kwon Soon Keun - just wait till the 1:17 minute mark.

Cadbury's Gorilla

For more on . . .

-N- Stuff  :  Music  :  The Story Behind Soundtracks

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Music : Illusion and Mastery

I wasn't going to watch this one even though it kept popping up on various websites and even though I love soundtracks. I don't know why, I just didn't want to watch it.

Then, it popped up again. So I watched it.

I'm glad I did. I think you will be too.

Afterward, I was lead to this one of John Bonham, the drummer for Led Zeppelin. 

 For almost 20 years now, I've maintained a steady level of less-than-mediocre drumming skills - which is pretty impressive, if I do say so myself - so have always been drawn to really, really good drummers.

Even though I can't read music, the pictures really helped and I can now say with confidence, this guy is brilliant. 

For more on . . .

-N- Stuff  :  Movies Without Soundtracks  :  The Story Behind Soundtracks

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Ben Folds : Because 10 minutes isn't enough

This is pretty damn cool, and fully impressive. 

I've never been a huge fan of Ben Folds lyrically, but musically, he has always dazzled and entertained. Always, my favorite song of his has been Luckiest.

Fortunately, the lyrics are also pretty friggen great:

I don't get many things right the first time,
In fact, I am told that a lot
Now I know all the wrong turns the stumbles,
And falls brought me here
And where was I before the day
That I first saw your lovely face,
Now I see it every day
And I know

That I am, I am, I am, the luckiest

What if I had been born fifty years before you
In a house on the street
Where you lived
Maybe I'd be outside as you passed on your bike. Would I know?
And in a wide sea of eyes
I see one pair that I recognize

And I know

That I am, I am, I am, the luckiest

I love you more then have
Ever found the way to say
To you

Next door there's an old man who lived to his nineties and one day
Passed away in his sleep,
And his wife, she stayed for a couple of days, and passed away

I'm sorry I know that's a strange way to tell you that I know we belong,

That I know

That I am, I am, I am, the luckiest

Simple. Beautiful. I can almost see him sitting on his porch, pondering, "What if?" Then, a little girl pedals by, and as he watches her zig-zag up the street, his eyes fall on the neighbors house, his pen quickly getting to work. Because she isn't home then, but she will be soon. And when she arrives, Ben is sitting at the piano, his fingers dancing over the keys and his mind floating. When he hears her, he looks up, his hands suspended above the keys, and he looks, in awesome wonder.

In that moment, as we have all found ourselves from time to time, he understands that he is fully and truly fortunate. That he is the luckiest. 

May we all be so fortunate, so aware, and so willing to take the time to write it down.

For more on . . .

-N- Stuff  :  Music  :  Another great composer  :  Farmhouse, from a note

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Music in Objects

Anytime someone can find the ordinary and make it extraordinary, I'm all in. The vast skills and abilities it takes to create these songs is astounding. But there's also a healthy dosage of patience, persistence, and . . . what's another "p" word . . . let's go with personal confidence involve here too, which creates a few minutes of pure entertainment.

You can learn more about Music in Objects, click here.

For more on . . .

-N- Stuff  :  Art from War Weapons  :  Escobar's Son Building Peace

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The origin of Phish's Farmhouse . . . a note.

I've loved this song for many years, and I've often sat down to try and annotate it's meaning . . . to no avail. Because it just doesn't make much sense.

Until recently. 

According to Trey, “Farmhouse was written and recorded in the first five minutes of one of those trips.” He had just picked Tom up from the airport and, after pulling over to jump around in a nearby field, they “looked up at the sky, it was exploding with these deep greenish colors that {they} soon realized were the northern lights. {They} stood there and just stared in awe.”

Inspiring the words:

“I never ever saw the northern lights. (This is our farmhouse)
I never really heard of cluster flies. (Cluster flies alas)
Never ever saw the stars so bright. (This is our farmhouse)
In the farmhouse things will be alright. (Cluster flies alas)”

Before the farmhouse, none of them had ever seen the northern lights before, and they were in awe.

Then, “We continued on, and found our house down a long secluded dirt road. We walked in and I ran over to the gear and picked up a guitar while Tom plugged in a Mic. there were some sliding glass doors that we opened, and though it wasn't as intense as it had been when we pulled over, we could still see traces of the northern lights thru the door. Mostly, we were both buzzing from that magical feeling of being completely alone, and knowing that we didn't have to talk to or see a single soul for three whole days and nights, which to both of us was heaven.

I started strumming and Tom started singing, and since he didn't have any lyrics, he reached over and grabbed the note that the owner of the house had left for us and began reading it, verbatim.”

The note read:

“Welcome this is our farmhouse.
We have cluster flies alas,
And this time of year is bad.

We are so very sorry,
There is little we can do, but swat them.”

I have struggled for years over what these lyrics meant, and I am not the least bit disappointed at their origin. 

But I am still more than a little confused with the verse:

She didn't beg-
Oh not enough.
She didn't stay
When things got tough.
I told a lie
And she got mad
She wasn't there
When things got bad.

These lyrics may or may not be part of the note. I don’t really see how it can, unless the farmhouse owner is sharing some intimate detail about why the farmhouse is vacant.

As for the last verse:

Woke this morning to the stinging lash
Every man rise from the ash
Each betrayal begins with trust
Every man returns to dust.

I have no idea. I’ll leave that to you, if you want it.

And that's okay.

The Evolution of Recorded Music

The Recording Academy has debuted "Evolution Of Recorded Music," a new three-part video series exploring generations of music formats. The virtual tour takes viewers on a guided journey of how the process of playing back recorded music has evolved, from Edison's phonograph, Berliner's gramophone and vinyl records to reel-to-reel tape, cassettes, the 8-track, compact discs, and MP3 files (via).

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Music  :  -N- Stuff  :  History

Books, Music, Movies : Best of the past 1000 years

Back in 2000, Amazon ran a poll asking their customers what they thought were the best books, music, and movies of the past 1000 years. The results were archived by the Internet Archive.

. . . The lists include works by Shakespeare, Stephen King, and Ayn Rand; music by the Beatles, Mozart, and Miles Davis; and films such as The Wizard of Oz, The Godfather, and Star Wars. (It bears noting that the Bible received the most votes among books, but we had to leave it off our list because it was not written within the past 1,000 years.) We've also compiled tallies for the top author, musical artist, and director, based on the total votes each received for their various works. Dig deep and enjoy!

The winners in each category (and links to their works) were:

Author of Millennium: J.R.R. Tolkien with runner up Ayn Rand

Artist of Millennium: the Beatles with runner up Pink Floyd

Director of the Millennium: Steven Spielberg with runner up George Lucas

 

Here are the full top 10 lists:

Books
1. The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
2. Gone With the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
3. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
4. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone - J.K. Rowling
6. The Stand - Stephen King
7. Ulysses - James Joyce
8. Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
9. The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
10. 1984 - George Orwell

See all 100 winners

 

Music albums
1. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles
2. The Beatles (The White Album) - The Beatles
3. Millennium - Backstreet Boys
4. Dark Side Of The Moon - Pink Floyd
5. Abbey Road - The Beatles
6. Thriller - Michael Jackson
7. The Joshua Tree - U2
8. The Wall - Pink Floyd
9. Kind Of Blue - Miles Davis
10. Nevermind - Nirvana

See all 100 winners

You can listen to the top ten albums here. 

 

Movies
1. Star Wars
2. Titanic
3. Citizen Kane
4. Gone With the Wind
5. The Godfather
6. Schindler’s List
7. The Matrix
8. Saving Private Ryan
9. Casablanca
10. Braveheart

See all 100 winners

For more on . . .

Books  :  Music  :  Movies

I Shall Be Released

A collection of some of the most influential musicians, artists, and minds of it's generation doing what they do best: inspiring the world, collaborating, and grasping the significance of a moment - as true artists should - for the purpose of capturing a voice, a moment, of mankind. Of something beyond themselves.

Beautiful. 

I Shall Be Released, Bob Dylan

They say ev’rything can be replaced

Yet ev’ry distance is not near

So I remember ev’ry face

Of ev’ry man who put me here

I see my light come shining

From the west unto the east

Any day now, any day now

I shall be released

They say ev’ry man needs protection

They say ev’ry man must fall

Yet I swear I see my reflection

Some place so high above this wall

I see my light come shining

From the west unto the east

Any day now, any day now

I shall be released

Standing next to me in this lonely crowd

Is a man who swears he’s not to blame

All day long I hear him shout so loud

Crying out that he was framed

I see my light come shining

From the west unto the east

Any day now, any day now

I shall be released

Songwriters: Bob Dylan