I've been twiddling my thumbs with anxiety, chomping at the bit, and ignoring all the calls from friends because I don't want to spill the beans. There is so much news to report, but I just can't do it right now. There's that whole superstious side of me that that doesn't want to jinx it. Hopefully, i'll be able to say something soon. Very soon. Just not tonight.
I've been reading a book titled Love is a Mix Tape written by a contributing writer of Rolling Stone. I thought it would be a simple book about the 80's and 90's when everyone put there hearts out on the line with a cassette tape. From a time when we spent hours in front of the radio waiting for that one, perfect song that would somehow transform the mix tape from worldly to heavenly. The frosting on the cake. Unfortunately, the songs often were jaded by dejay-type introductions or the start of commercial break at the very end. Or worse yet, dedications to someone that wasn't the recipient of the said mix tape.
And the book is all of those things. It talks of a simpler time for a while; back yard barbecues, drinking beers on the curb in the company of friends, staying up all night listening to albums. But the book is also so much more than that (and what I didn't expect) which is his wife dying of an embolism in her late 20's. What kind of mix tape do you create after that? What music can soothe that kind of pain? Can music really bring us back from the brink? Is it really that powerful?
I'm not one to speculate that kind of heartbreak. Or pain. Ironically (since the book is actually about mix taples), the one thing this book has made me realize is that I am too quick to take advantage of my digital culture. I have come to believe that an album is a life story put forth by the artist. Written and arranged just so to convey their deepest thoughts, desires and message. In a show of disrespect, I am so quick to log on to itunes, grab the one song that appeals to me off an album, and disregard all the rest. But the pieces make the whole and I am missing so much more that could be there. I equate it to someone picking just a few stories out of my life biography. Those few stories don't make up the whole understanding of me. The same is true with an album. And the fact that I have done that makes me sad. In an inexplicable kind of way.
So i've turned the ipod off shuffle for a while, even pulled a few cd's out of retirment and just listened to the whole thing. One song after another. And I feel like maybe I finally understand.
2 comments:
Call me self-centered, but unless I'm reviewing a CD, I totally choose to listen only to the songs that speak to me. The artists create them for themselves--and I listen to what resonates with me for myself. Guilt free. The music I choose reflects on me, much like clothes, books, etc. Would you feel compelled to wear all the clothes by one designer (I know some people do)? Would you read all of the books by one author just because? Music is the same for me--and I'm picking the songs that relate to facets of my life, not the singers. Just my 2 cents. :)
Although I have to say I totally love the Timbaland album you got me--and songs that I didn't initially like are really growing on me--even becoming faves! Thanks!! :-)
Post a Comment