a while back i wrote
'to a teenage boy - townsend was like shakespeare
i believe that more and more with each passing day
i'm in the midst of preparing my oldest son for high school
when i say prepare
my method is to stand back and let him decide things for himself
quiet guidance and a steady hand when merited
he's into social justice and art
but quick to point out that fine art bores him
i like that he's come to that decision
it bores me too
i know i'm supposed to like it
but it doesn't move me
or astound me
andy warhol?
he gets me going
shakespeare bores me too
i read it thoroughly in high school
i can quote lines
but i like it a page at a time
i randomly read a passage here and there
i get enough juice without having to peel the entire fruit
keats yeats frost
read a lot of them
retained very little
years ago i would bullshit that i knew more about them than i did
it was some sort of inferiority complex
as if admitting that they bored me was an admission of idiocy
i haven't done that in quite a while
i'm proud of having raised myself on rock 'n' roll
to a teenage boy - townsend was better than shakespeare
what is now classic rock
was originally an intensive study of art culture and oneself
dark side of the moon taught me more
than anything i learned in high school
or college
having a cassette of houses of the holy
was more defining than any study group
and won't get fooled again was a battle cry
'to be or not to be?'
i've read that passage thirty times
and still get nothing from it
'run rabbit run - dig that hole - forget the sun'
that one stuck
and i quote it all the time
especially when i'm in traffic
'the sunshine bores the daylights out of me'
wow
i lived that for twenty years
then i had kids
'when you got nothing - you got nothing to lose'
i've spent entire afternoons wondering what bob was up to when he wrote that
it was like a private exploration of a master
i feel curious when i listen to dylan
'i had a cup of tea and a butterpie'
this is a magic show
and kids love it
did mcCartney write a children's book?
his songs are the sound of school bells
'not a word i heard could i relate'
i say that one all the time
i mutter it to myself when discussing politics with people
who's dialogue becomes monologue
'history recalls how great the fall can be'
nothing on cbc or cnn comes close to this
it's perfect
'i'm getting older too'
that one makes me look up from the soundboard
sometimes i think mia is singing it just for me
and for a second i feel so deeply connected to her
and everyone in the theatre
and i want to send stevie nicks wilted roses
and this past weekend
we did let it be
and i heard a line i've heard a million times
but it found me and my knees got weak
'limitless undying love'
lennon
he means the most to me
people know me as a stones fanatic
and a dylan head
but john speaks to the secret heart soaring
and confirms that my decisions
be them right or wrong
are an essential part of the trip
rock is rock
and we carry it with us
through every doorway
across every field
we turn our children from pebbles to stone
we imagine with it
play within it
and we find our voice alongside it
we gather under it
and we remember through it
and when we need a change
when we need to accept some new turn of events
when we feel challenged to explain ourselves to un-understanding people
we roll
'rock is my life - and this is my song'
craig
november 14, 2011
nothing
When I first started attending Classic Albums Live concerts some years ago, it was a desire to hear some of the music I regarded as the best ever composed performed live. My first experience was Sgt. Peppers at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando, FL. Since then I have been to dozens of shows. I have yet to be disappointed. In many cases, the music that has been performed live that has never been performed live.
ReplyDeleteIt has become clear to me that this has become more than just mere entertainment - at least it is for me and I suspect for many others who frequent these performances.
Those of us who grew up with or even near to the period of time when this music was first performed understand that the music was just the catalyst to a whole set of emotions - both intentional and unintentional reactions to a composition that came from the heart and soul of the composer.
CAL lives and thrives because the music is timeless. The era it pays tribute to is uniquely memorable and for most of us who lived grew up during this era, those memories are fond ones.
Rock still lives and breathes in its many forms. Good music is still being created by a new group of talented artists, but I suspect that much of the music that is now considered classic rock - the Beatles, Pink Floyd, the Who and many others - will go down as a unique period in history, not just the history of music but history itself.
Do I over-exaggerate when I say that this period of time is defined by the music that was created in its midst? After reading your post, Craig, I think not.
i'll take care of the 'over-exaggeration'
ReplyDeletere-reading this blog
i realize
i go a little over the top from time to time