Memories of John Lennon

So I’m a flake and haven’t been writing like I was planning to, but I picked up a few books in the library yesterday. One is Memories of John Lennon, something Yoko Ono put together, with just little narratives, drawings, etc. by various people who consider their lives touched by John Lennon.

Anyway, I just came across one by Alicia Keys, and I’ve realized how easy it is to write someone off as not amazing, due to large commercial success in our day and age, when commercial success usually means shallow music. However, she wrote a poem and it really touches me and it makes me realize that I should give every note a real chance, to see if there’s something there. Sometimes I might be disappointed, but maybe once in a while, I’ll be surprised or inspired.

I’m going to copy the poem here for you:

I am a musician
I love music
It is my being
It is what defines me and it is ever changing as am I.
To me music is sacred,
Like a religion
I treat it with respect and integrity,
I learn from the musicians I love
The ones who care about what they play
what they say
How the song can touch your core and shake your being
How the lyrics can make you weep
How the words can change the world.
To me, that is John Lennon:
A musician who can touch the soul
One who cared about the world
A man who stood up!
A voice that simply sang to the part of us that needed to be spoken to
I  thank God for a spirit that lives on through song and memory.
In the days of a drought, inspiration is hard to find
But with a man so diverse and passionate as Lennon
We will never be without a verse,
a prose,
a word,
a melody,
a chord,
or a song of which to grow from
I love my religion!

Okay, so it isn’t exactly as awe-inspiring as, oh, I don’t know,  Boris Pasternak, but it’s still thoughtful and it still just amazes me that Lennon touched as many people as he did. It seems as though he’s touched everyone in a unique and personal way. I really recommend reading this book, it’s really made an impression upon me, so far.

Just a Quick Question

Is Desmond cheating on Molly?

I ask this for two reasons:

1) I want to see how many people get the reference.

2) I want to see if other people are interpreting the same way I am.

Last Class

So, I feel like tonight we witnessed full-scale how working as a team can  turn out for the best. Our sing-along, though a tad pitiful and basically carried by Gardner (You’ve graduated to Gardner now, Dr. Campbell.)  (I just got to the part where someone (I bet it’s Ringo) is playing a kazoo…haha…in the Christmas Records CD.)  Anyway, I just wanted to say that, through all the struggles and complaints and whining, this class really did impact me. I feel like I’m a lot more open-minded and curious as well as conscious not only when I’m listening to music, but just in general. I also know I’m going to be listening to a lot more Beach Boys, Robert Johnson, etc. And I fully plan on spending some of my reading time this summer reading about Andy  Warhol and his Factory as well as many of the other things we’ve read about in this class. I’m really sad to hear that Gardner won’t be returning next year. I was hoping to take a class with him, in fact, I was telling my mom a few weeks ago about how I really wanted to take more classes with Gardner. So I guess I won’t have that opportunity, but I’m really glad I had the chance and the pleasure to experience your teaching. I don’t know if it’s ever really mentioned, but there was definitely some sort of impact. Maybe I’ll be able to put my finger on it in the future, when I’m not as close to it.

Rapper’s Delight

So I’m editing songs right now…. Last night, I edited “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugar Hill Gang. I laughed….for the entire seven minutes. So I was pretty excited about the rest of them, and then I got to the Tupac song which was chosen by which was the most popular on iTunes…”How Do You Want It” I felt like I should’ve washed my ears out with soap after. Sometimes I feel like cussing is just completely unnecessary. When used appropriately, it can add extra meaning, but when used excessively it just makes me cringe. So I found the only thirty seconds of the song without cursing and used it.

Lauryn Hill’s song also kind of disappointed me. It wasn’t as soul-like as I’d like to have heard, I think her voice is better and a different song could’ve been chosen, however, I don’t know her repertoire very well, so I just left it.

Liverpool Lads Blow Audience Away

My “article” on The Beatles

As Observed by Staff Writer Danielle Rosenberg
November 16th, 1962 

Fresh from Hamburg Saturday night, The Miami Vice received a treat in the form of a quartet of Liverpudlians. The Beatles, a band moving up in the world, played our humble club, filling it to capacity with teeny boppers and grooving youngsters. The recently acquired drummer Ringo Starr added an extra flair to the band whose single “Love Me Do”/”P.S. I Love You” has created quite a stir in England and is currently seated at number seventeen on the charts. Now, you may be asking yourself, “Why would The Beatles come play The Miami Vice?” Well, we don’t rightly know, but when they showed up at the door and asked to play a gig while visiting family in Ireland we were happy to oblige their request. The young lads played a rather entertaining set, featuring songs like “My Bonnie” which reached number five in the German Hit Parade as The Beatles’ first single, as well as Buddy Holly covers like “Crying, Waiting, Hoping” and a Chuck Berry classic “Roll Over Beethoven.”  The band claims both of these artists as primary influences and even cites Buddy Holly’s band The Crickets as the inspiration for their name, formerly The Silver Beetles but changed to The Beatles, per band member John Lennon’s suggestion.

The up-and-coming band has certainly stolen Britain’s heart and now seems to be working on that of the rest of the world. I daresay the adults, who were few and far between, enjoyed themselves as thoroughly as did the teenagers. Though young, the four men all are rather bright and interview very well. The silly senses of humor which all four possess keep things rather interesting. The four members are John Lennon, who plays harmonica, rhythm guitar, and sings, Paul McCartney, who plays bass guitar and sings also, George Harrison, lead guitarist and singer, and Ringo Starr or Richard Starkey, the drummer. The chemistry amongst the four is spectacular and one is tempted to sit back and let them entertain with their chit chatter and variously dispersed giggles. The show itself was punctuated by witty comments and chuckles. The way they present themselves is very appealing to the audience. When asked about their stage show, they tell the story of how a German fellow used to tell them, “You’ve got to make a show for the people,” and would repeat, “Mach shau, Mach shau,” until they eventually learned to “dance like gorillas” and “knock [their] heads together.”  The suits are explained as a way to not “appear as a gang of idiots” by Paul who said they felt their previously leather attire-which happened accidentally-looked ridiculous to the folks back home in Liverpool. The Beatles have certainly won a place in my heart and I hope to hear more of them in the future; they seem to be going places with their charming personalities and simple, poppy songs, or at the very least seem to be going places bigger than The Miami Vice!

Associativity

Does anyone have any music they associate with any particular event or time of their life?

I’m listening to Bob Marley right now, and it makes me so happy and relaxes me so much because it reminds me of when I was little when my Dad and I used to make breakfast on weekend mornings. It makes me think of big, fluffy pancakes and how I always used to lift the pancake and dad would say, “It isn’t ready yet, be patient!” I still listen to Bob Marley when I’m in a bad mood, it helps a lot. So I have a very big appreciation for Bob Marley, but not for the same reason as most.

On A Diminishing Spirit

What was once one of my favorite classes has now become the class I dread the most. I found myself saying this morning, “I hate tuesdays and thursdays.” And I know it isn’t because of linear algebra, I still find myself grinning like a fool while in class and taking notes and participating, oddly, more than others in the class. It isn’t because the day is horribly long–my Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays last until four. It is because Rock/Soul/Progressive has somehow broken some sort of spirit inside of me. No offense, Dr. Campbell, but I feel as though everything I’ve done since birth has been wrong in your eyes. I realize this might seem as though I’m just complaining or making excuses, but, honestly, a compliment now and then wouldn’t cause any wounds to open. So the class which I was pretty excited about has somehow become exactly what it was never designed to be-the bane of my existence. I feel like something about the atmosphere of the class needs to be changed to remedy this and renew my spirit.

“Pieces of You”

Today I was in the mood for some Jewel, so I listened to her CD Pieces of You. She isn’t taken as seriously as she should be. Some of her songs are really beautifully composed and have really meaningful, personable lyrics. I tend to swoon over “Near You Always” and other songs of hopeless love like “You Were Meant for Me.” One song that sticks out to me as very different is “Painters” which tells the story of elderly lovers and of the death of one of them. It’s a sad song, but I like the way she uses her music to tell a narrative. “Morning Song” is a bouncier love song. But, by far, the most important song on the album is “Pieces of You”, it’s namesake. The lyrics hit you really hard, she uses really hard, crude words to deliberately shock and get attention from the listener. She begins with two verses which criticizes society’s emphasis upon appearance. It says:

She’s an ugly girl, does it make you want to kill her?
She’s an ugly girl, do you want to kick her in her face?
She’s an ugly girl, she doesn’t pose a threat.
She’s an ugly, does that make you feel safe?
Ugly girl, ugly girl, do you hate her?
‘Cause she’s pieces of you.
She’s a pretty girl, does she make you think nasty thoughts?
She’s a pretty girl, do you want to tie her down?
She’s a pretty girl, do you call her a bitch?
She’s a pretty girl, did she sleep with your whole town?
Pretty girl, pretty girl, do you hate her?
‘Cause she’s pieces of you.

The first verse focuses on society’s sometimes unintentional prejudice against people who aren’t as glamorous as the models who grace the pages of our glossy magazines and don’t fit the mold that society has impressed upon us. She digs deep into the things that everyone is ashamed to admit, like when people decide that they dislike someone because of their appearance. When she mentions that an ugly girl wouldn’t pose a threat, I think she is referring to the catty instinct of females to dislike those who may be prettier or more attractive than them. The verse about “pretty girls” is almost shameful to hear. In mentioning nasty thoughts and tying someone down, she hints at the pornography industry and its perverse products of entertainment which may or may not be harmful to our society. Also, she highlights how anyone who is attractive is automatically a “bitch” or a slut to those with jealous instincts. Highlighting that we all have a bit of ugliness and beauty inside of us brings the message home: regardless of how judgmental we’d like to be, we’re all only human and should treat each other as such.  Jewel goes on to highlight senseless homophobia and antisemitism, continuing to be very blunt in her word choices and treatment of the subjects. Overall, I think this song is very impactive, regardless of how obscure it is.

Django Reinhardt

So basically no one has ever heard of Django Reinhardt, which saddens me. He was a spectacular jazz guitarist who was pretty popular in the late 20’s until the 50’s when he died. The song “Jessica” by the Allman Brothers was inspired by him, so he isn’t without influence, which is why I can’t understand why he isn’t better-known. I find his story to be fascinating. When he was 18, he was in a house fire and his right leg was paralyzed and his pinky and ring fingers on his fretting hand were burned badly. Doctors were going to amputate but he refused to allow them and within a year was able to walk again with a cane. Django then retaught himself to play the guitar using only two fingers for solo work and sometimes using the other two for chords. When listening to the music he makes, it is mind-boggling to think that he’s using only two fingers on a lot of the guitar work. I realize a lot of people don’t generally listen to jazz, but his style is so smooth and calming that it is, to me, absolutely necessary to listen to his music at least once.

And I tried embedding a video, but it didn’t work, so just search for Django Reinhardt on youtube, there are some pretty good videos.

And The Fight Continues

“There is little hope for us until we become toughminded enough to break loose from the shackles of prejudice, half-truths, and downright ignorance.”

-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., from his book Strength to Love

The fight for equality between African-Americans and Caucasians has been written off by many as an issue of the past, but it continues to cause pain and resentment among Americans. Maya Angelou wrote a poem in 1978 titled “Still I Rise” which deals largely with overcoming the past and the insults which the black race has endured. Ben Harper has since reinterpreted this poem to form his song “I’ll Rise.” They are very similar, but I’ll let you compare them for yourself.

This is Maya Angelou’s Poem “Still I Rise:”

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

And this is Ben Harper’s song “I’ll Rise:”

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies.
You may trod me down in the very dirt
And still like the dust I’ll rise.
Does my happiness upset you?
Why are you best with gloom?
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got an oil well
Pumpin’ in my living room.

So you may shoot me with your words.
You may cut me with your eyes.
And I’ll rise,
I’ll rise,
I’ll rise.
Out of the shacks of history’s shame,
Up from a past rooted in pain
I’ll rise,
I’ll rise,
I’ll rise.

Now did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes
Shoulders fallen down like tear drops
Weakened by my soulful cries.
Does my confidence upset you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got a diamond mine
Breaking up in my front yard.

So you may shoot me with your words.
You may cut me with your eyes.
And I’ll rise.
I’ll rise.
I’ll rise.
Out of the shacks of history’s shame
Up from a past rooted in pain
I’ll rise.
I’ll rise.
I’ll rise.

So you may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies.
You may trod me down in the very dirt,
But still like the dust I’ll rise.
Does my happiness upset you?
Why are you best with gloom?
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got a goldmine
Diggin’ up in my living room.

So you may shoot me with your words.
You may cut me with your eyes.
And I’ll rise.
I’ll rise.
I’ll rise.
Out of the shacks of history’s shame,
Up from a past rooted in pain,
I’ll rise.
I’ll rise.
I’ll rise.

Ben Harper hasn’t changed the poem much, he has omitted a few stanzas and changed a few words, but I think he kept the main parts of the poem that applied to him. I’m kind of attached to the stanza of Maya Angelou’s poem which beings “Does my sexiness upset you?” but I suppose it would be a little awkward for a male to sing that particular verse. I do, however, love the way Ben Harper sings his interpretation of the poem. The sound of a church choir in the background really brings to mind the image of a black baptist church and adds power to the lyrics. The piano is simple enough to make the focus of the song the lyrics, while still creating the strong musical focus behind it. Overall, this song really is an amazing example of an effective way to portray a message.