If you’re on Facebook or Twitter, you may have seen this insightful rant from Louis CK. (Skip to 2:45 or so for the really good stuff. But it might not be safe for the kiddos at the end.)
Louis makes a great point about what music can do. It can evoke sadness and joy, and too often we find ways to avoid emotions in general.
I have, according to iTunes, weeks of music to listen to. And I hardly ever listen to complete albums anymore. I have a backlog of podcasts, satellite radio, and playlists to ensure that I get a new sound every 3 minutes and 30 seconds.
I find I am missing the days when I had to tote around CDs in my car, and I knew the order of the songs on those CDs. I remember my first year of teaching, I discovered Diana Krall. I arrived at school at 6:30 every morning, and would pop “Love Scenes” in my CD player. I could see the Oquirrh Mountains from my window, and some mornings, I would just sit, listen, look at those mountains, and write.
To this day, when I hear one of the songs from “Love Scenes,” I’m back in my very first classroom looking at the Oquirrh Mountains.
I don’t have the same associations with any of my playlists.
So I’m going to reform my music listening for a while. Instead of playlists, I’m going to revisit whole albums and see if I can create some new memories with new music.
Love this. Music is so awesome. I will always remember driving River Road listening to Document by REM with you. Or blazing down I-15 to Substance by New Order.
Good times. Fun times.
Great post! I would shrivel and die without music. I do still buy complete albums from my favorite artists and I listen to them over and over again. Nothing inspires me or brings me comfort as instantly as music. My only regret is that I'm just a listener instead of a creator. š Maybe I'll get musical talents in my next life.