Music soothes the savage beast...

or not...


20/100

On this milestone of 20 days out of 100 I'm pretty happy with my progress. I've been moving down the scale and loving where I am in my life.

I have a friend who once told me he has no affinity for music. There is a small percentage of the population that doesn't like music and he could care less if he never listened to another piece of music again.

I was more than just shocked. I was deeply saddened. I could not imagine my life without music. Sitting here watching the rain and listening to Mumford and Son's song 'White Blank Page" absolutely expresses my own frustration so clearly I can't even hope to come half as close to giving those feelings life using words. I am going to their concert in a month and I eagerly await the experience. These men put their souls on the stage with each word, chord and are devoted to their muse. You can see it and hear it in every piece performed.

I think I have listened to this CD at least 15 times now. :). I love the whole CD and there is just something about their music that reaches in and grabs me and won't let go. I am so present in my body when I listen. I swim in the beauty of their music; their songs are an homage to hope, the deep pain of rage, the fear and temptation of love - all with raw integrity and beauty. As an artist of some sort myself, I am constantly amazed at the power of music. I try to paint with words as these men paint with music.

And even though I adore a well crafted piece of prose,  of all the mediums of expression I have ever encountered, none is as powerful to me as music. I think I get that from my father. I remember getting up every Sunday and him putting on our local PBS classical music station and spending his morning reading the paper and refusing to let us watch tv until after 12:00. I can especially remember him listening to boy sopranos. He was once a boy soprano and whenever he listens to them he gets misty eyed. He says their voices are the closest thing to heaven there is on earth. Listen to this boy in England singing Andrew Lloyd Webber's Pie Jesu, I beg you to differ...(The boy singing is Andrew Johnson sorry about the clip from the tv show, but it's so beautiful) The tragedy of every boy soprano is growing up, but for a while? magic.

Sometimes, when I can't reach a feeling I have walled off in my soul, I reach for music. I am not super selective, it can be Barry Manilow, it can be Cher, it can even be Bach or Bay City Rollers. But the music has to reach in and touch me in some way. When I don't like a group or a song, I'm totally okay if you do... but if I don't? I don't.  I get so frustrated when, much like religion, that just because something speaks to you, you insist it must speak to me in the same way. We are all amazingly diverse creatures. Don't try to force it on me and don't call me ignorant, condemned or a 'snob' because we disagree on what touches and speaks to our hearts. You may like the voice of a singer (say... Bob Dylan) I might not (and it just so happens I don't). Go to his concerts, support him, love him... but if I don't want to go with you, love me and let me be in that space - we'll get along so much better ;).

And now? I'm gonna step off my soapbox and turn my Mumford and Sons CD up really loud and finish cleaning. Check them out... if you like them AWESOME, let me know. If you don't?You can let me know that as well, just realize I will disagree with you but respect your space! And if you've no time to listen to what is currently taking my breath away, take a minute to enjoy some song that takes away yours! You can even share it with me if you like...

Peace,

MaryKate