Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Life is Music


Music is rhythm, harmony, and melody.
Life is what is day to day, season to season, and life is an unfolding story.
Our day to day life is our rhythm.
Our season is our harmony.
Our melody is our story.


Friday, August 22, 2008

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Monday, August 11, 2008

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

The Good Life

At the end of Kanye's performance of "Good Life" he kept repeating the hook and chorus and having the audience sing it back. I'm talking about like 10 or more times. More times, than I think the audience even wanted. At first, it just seems like he's doing this for showmanship, and audience interaction, but I've been thinking about and I've realized that the reason why he had us repeat the words so many times is to really understand them. These are words that I've often sang along with the record but never really thought about them. After Kanye's performance, I appreciate them and understand much closer to what I think he intended them to mean.
It's not that there's a different interpretation that I have. The interpretation of what they mean has always been clear. But, I never felt the emotion in them like I do now.

"I, I go for mine, I've got to shine, now throw your hands up in the sky."
"Is the good life better than the life I lived when I thought I was gonna go crazy?
And now my grandmama ain't the only one calling me baby.
So, if you feeling me now put your hands up in the sky and say
Ooo, I'm good."
-Kanye West



This Man is an Inspiration


I've been a Kanye fan since 2003 when he dropped my favorite album of all time "The College Dropout." Tonight I saw him at what may be his finest artistic moment as he performed the second to last of his shows for the Glow in the Dark Tour. Kanye was always the underdog, and now he's the biggest star on the planet.
There's no need to describe his creativity or his music... it speaks for itself. After seeing him in this moment, I've realized what an accomplished individual he is. I am not talking about what he as accomplished, but how he as a person is accomplished.
When I listen to Kanye's music and when I hear him talk, there is always this vibe that connects with me. After tonight, I realized exactly what that is. Kanye is the embodiment of the individual overcoming the limits that others have set for you. Kanye was never suppose to be a superstar. Going back, he was never even suppose to be a rapper. He overcame that limit. He was never suppose to be wildly successful as an individual artist. He overcame that limit. Certainly, he was never suppose to be the biggest artist on the planet, and he is that now.
On a personal level, it's easy to be satisfied and complacent, and just as easy to become bored and frustrated. What is hard, is to become that which you are not suppose to be. These are limits that are set by ourselves, by others, and by the demographic driven advertising culture which we are constantly bombarded with.
The purpose of life is not to overcome these limits. Most people don't even know these limits exist. These limits exist in a million possible forms, and the people that are subjected to them aren't even aware that their potential and self image is being trapped in a suffocating coffin.

"The greatest crime a man can commit is to set his sights low... life is a journey not a destination." -Bruce Lee


P.S. I was going to get into some contraditory statements about how the concept identity plays in here, but it will have to be said another time.


Monday, August 4, 2008

The Curse of the Dark Night


So far,
Heath Ledger (The Joker) died of a drug overdose;
Christian Bale (Batman/Bruce Wayne) was arrested for assaulting his family;
and now Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox) was in a serious car accident.

Maggie Gyllenhaal and Aaron Eckhart, you guys be careful.