Music is Much More Than Voice

As I write, the harmonious “old timey” sound of Alison Krauss’ voice singing “Down to the River to Pray” washes over me. I thoroughly enjoy the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” as well as the soundtrack that I am currently listening to. I remember the first time I saw this movie. My brothers and I were invited over to my friend Andy’s house to watch, what he referred to as, a hilarious movie. I remember watching the movie and laughing; however, I remember also thinking of how profound a movie it was, and i could not get over how great the soundtrack was. Maybe that is not something that you think when watching movies but those thoughts often enter my mind. After the movie, my brothers and I left and went to Kmart and bought the soundtrack to the movie. I am not sure how many times I have listened to this soundtrack but it has been many. Songs like “Angel Band” or “Keep on the Sunny Side” can lighten any day, and “You Are My Sunshine” can cause me to slow down and listen again to the lyrics of a song I never, growing up, knew was so sad. 

I think people were surprised when they saw the the soundtrack sales. This was not the kind of music that most of America was listening to. But I think even more people were surprised when it won the “Album of the Year” Grammy in 2002. Other Grammy winners that included artist Alicia Keys. Not really from the same planet, are they? People had never heard this before, although this type of music had been around for decades. People liked it but i am not sure that they knew why. The songs on this soundtrack had something that most of the songs that they listened to did not have: depth, meaning, and soul. How is it that we ever got away from liking music that has those characteristics? Why do we allow the media and the music industry tell what we like?  

This is what I find happens to people. They become a teen and they decide that they are going to start listening to “Rock” or “Pop”; whatever, it really doesn’t matter. These young, unknowledgeable teens venture into the unknown world of music and get sucked into what the music industry wants them to listen to. Which, sadly, consists of “artist” like, in no particular order: The Black Eyed Peas, Toby Keith, Madonna, Clay Aiken, and a lot of other crap. The list could go on to included every “popular” artist out there. So these teens get stuck in the rut of thinking that the crap they are listening to is the best and the only music out there. the also get tricked in to believeing, thanks to shows like "American Idol", that only people with "good" voices are worth listening to; nothing could be further from the truth. I give you Bob Dylan. Enough said.

I understand this because I was somewhat there myself. I grew up in a family that did not allow anything but ‘Christian” music to be listened to. So when my brothers and I would sneak a listen to “non-Christian”, it didn’t matter what it was as long as it was on the radio and wasn’t “Christian”. (Note: there is nothing wrong with "Christian" music. just don't tie me down with it.) And so I got stuck. Luckily I had older brothers who knew some good artist but I still listened to a lot of crap. It wasn’t till I got to college that I really started to understand what I had been listening to for years. I owe must of my freedom from the trash I was enduring to Jared and Rob. They showed me a few artist and it was like coming up for air after participating in a breath holding contest, as a kid, under water. I have not gone back under since. it was like the scene from "The Matrix" where Neo is offered two choice, a red and a blue pill. One will allow him to experiance the real world, the other will a leave him in the lie that is being fed to his brain by the robots.

There is other music out there. If you find yourself hating the music you are listening but you can’t find anything else. Try these: Bright Eyes, The Mountain Goats, The White Buffalo, Sufjan Stevens, Iron & Wine, Gary Jules, Feist, and Brandi Carlile. Those are just a few that can help bring you up for air. Please give them a chance. Never turn something off cause you don’t like their voice. Whoever said voice was all there is to music.

Crohn's

when i was younger i use to think how cool it would be to have a disease. it is embarrassing to even say, but i use too also think that it would give me some kind of meaning. growing up in a big family, near the end of the line. makes one feel a little less than important. i use to have these daydreams about having something wrong with me. all the people in my church and all my friends would constantly be asking me how i was feeling and if i was ok. i guess all i really wanted was someone to notice me and give me some attention. here i am, many years later, and i have my wish. i have had it for about 10 years. funny how life throws you those little surprises.

i developed Crohn's disease at the age of 15. i remember the day the doctor called to confirm to us what he had already thought. i had Crohn's. i remember my mother crying. that was a weird day. i can't really remember what i thought. i do remember just standing there, staring at nothing. i wont say that hearing you have Crohn's and hearing you have cancer are the same, but they feel the same when you are on the receiving end. the thought "i am glad it isn't something worse never enters your mind. right you are the loneliest person alive. no one can know what you are thinking; no one feels the way you do, no one understands.

i guess if i had it to do over again i would wish i had a disease, but i did and i do. i suppose i can't say that wishing gave it to me, but maybe wish and then getting has taught me something. life is not unfair. unfair implies that we should be getting something else, instead of what we have received. why should i not have Crohn's? why should my mother not have had breast cancer? 

so does this post have a purpose, a reason? i don't really know.

Doug 

Pol-i-tics-me-off

i guess this might just be the last thing that anyone really wants to hear about right now. politics, just saying the word almost causes my gag reflex to go off. i suppose the real reason i dislike this whole bash-the-other-guy- (or girl) before- they-bash-you-and-if-they-bash-you-make-sure-you-bash-back-harder way of electing our countries' leaders is because, well, it sucks! i hate it. i am sure this goes back as far as when mankind started electing officials people to any kind of position. the thing i just don't get is why we think that it is the best way to show who is better. somehow, somewhere we got away (or maybe we were never there) from the idea that someone should tells us how qualified they are by telling us, not by telling us how unqualified the other person is. or by just generally trashing their character. 

i am really anger about this years presidential race. this is how you know it is america: all the best choices for president were pushed out of the limelight by... i am just going to say it. they were push out of the limelight by "typical black guy", "ugly and anger female", and "about-to-died-because-of-some-huge-cheek-problem old guy". in america, we don't want the best. we want the most controversial or the ones that sell the most newspapers or the bring the most hits on the web. 

i am really thinking of not voting this year. partly because i don't think either choose is a good, and partly because i enjoy the shock i get from people i know. i have heard every argument for why i should vote. there is the "you're a christian and you need to vote for the christian candidate". maybe mccain and palin are christians and maybe they got "A's" in high-school acting class. i just hate jumping on board the "christian" bandwagon. if i see one more of my friends on facebook add the "fan of palin" thing i am going to throw up! then, of course, there is the "people died so that you could vote" argument. yeah but didn't they die so that i had a choice.

so i am not sure what i am going to do. 

i have a dream (have i heard that somewhere before?) that one day america will look at the candidates, not for the color of their skin or their gender or their age, but for what the can actually do for america.

i did vote, just so you know

Doug