Things that make me go hmmm...

[shadowkat]

1. After reading x-college boyfriend's post regarding which bands he didn't see in concert (apparently he saw all of them), I realized something...every guy I've either dated or spent a lot of time hanging out with is an insane music nerd. (ie. like the guy in High Fidelty, yes, I've dated the guy from High Fidelty.)

What is up with that?

Because I'm really not. And I find it annoying.

I can't remember the names of songs or the people who play them. Nor do I care. If I like the song, cool.

Not a fan of live concerts, only enjoyed one that I've been to possibly two. And while I love music, prefer listening to it or watching it without the insane feedback, where the lyrics and sound is completely lost. Never quite understood why it matters if you see it live or not.

Maybe all guys are like this? No, my father doesn't appear to be nor is my brother. They like music, but they aren't music nerds.

Very odd. Apparently I attract music nerds. Which, again, odd. I'm nerdy about a lot of things, but not music.

2. This is...

Wow

It's a ted talk by Pope Francis, which blew me away.

The story of the Good Samaritan is the story of today’s humanity. People's paths are riddled with suffering, as everything is centered around money, and things, instead of people. And often there is this habit, by people who call themselves "respectable," of not taking care of the others, thus leaving behind thousands of human beings, or entire populations, on the side of the road. Fortunately, there are also those who are creating a new world by taking care of the other, even out of their own pockets. Mother Teresa actually said: "One cannot love, unless it is at their own expense."


[Today, Lando told me a story about a Chinese woman who died of a heart-attack on the plane he was on from Tokyo to Manila. Two EMT's were on the plane, but neither rose to help, out of fear, because the Good Samitarian Law is not in effect in that area of the world or does not apply. And they were afraid if anything went wrong...they'd pay for it.]

We have so much to do, and we must do it together. But how can we do that with all the evil we breathe every day? Thank God, no system can nullify our desire to open up to the good, to compassion and to our capacity to react against evil, all of which stem from deep within our hearts. Now you might tell me, "Sure, these are beautiful words, but I am not the Good Samaritan, nor Mother Teresa of Calcutta." On the contrary: we are precious, each and every one of us. Each and every one of us is irreplaceable in the eyes of God. Through the darkness of today's conflicts, each and every one of us can become a bright candle, a reminder that light will overcome darkness, and never the other way around.

[Lando who recently returned from the Phillipines told me how the police squads were shooting people they didn't like in the streets, under a new "drug law" edict, if any evidence of drug trafficking or use was found, they had the right to execute you on sight, without a trial. Evidence determined by the police. Lando said it was so bad that the UN International Human Rights Council was bringing the President of the Phillipines and his drug squad up on human rights violations and crimes.]

To Christians, the future does have a name, and its name is Hope. Feeling hopeful does not mean to be optimistically naïve and ignore the tragedy humanity is facing. Hope is the virtue of a heart that doesn't lock itself into darkness, that doesn't dwell on the past, does not simply get by in the present, but is able to see a tomorrow. Hope is the door that opens onto the future. Hope is a humble, hidden seed of life that, with time, will develop into a large tree. It is like some invisible yeast that allows the whole dough to grow, that brings flavor to all aspects of life. And it can do so much, because a tiny flicker of light that feeds on hope is enough to shatter the shield of darkness. A single individual is enough for hope to exist, and that individual can be you. And then there will be another "you," and another "you," and it turns into an "us." And so, does hope begin when we have an "us?" No. Hope began with one "you." When there is an "us," there begins a revolution.

The third message I would like to share today is, indeed, about revolution: the revolution of tenderness. And what is tenderness? It is the love that comes close and becomes real. It is a movement that starts from our heart and reaches the eyes, the ears and the hands. Tenderness means to use our eyes to see the other, our ears to hear the other, to listen to the children, the poor, those who are afraid of the future. To listen also to the silent cry of our common home, of our sick and polluted earth. Tenderness means to use our hands and our heart to comfort the other, to take care of those in need.

I haven't been feeling tender lately. Just angry. And tired. And spent. A snarky undercurrent ripples through me, as I look through the world with a rain soaked lense. To cheer myself up I enlarged a picture of a sunset on canvas...to try and see the sun breaking through the clouds within.

Yet I ache for tenderness. I wonder if others do too?

[Lando tells me that he was bumped from his plane on the long ride home. Got home today at 2AM, yet came to work anyhow. Put in a full day, stumbling about on his broken foot, encased in a boot. Delta he says with some charity...was off its game.]

Tenderness is the language of the young children, of those who need the other. A child’s love for mom and dad grows through their touch, their gaze, their voice, their tenderness. I like when I hear parents talk to their babies, adapting to the little child, sharing the same level of communication. This is tenderness: being on the same level as the other...........


Yes, tenderness is the path of choice for the strongest, most courageous men and women. Tenderness is not weakness; it is fortitude. It is the path of solidarity, the path of humility. Please, allow me to say it loud and clear: the more powerful you are, the more your actions will have an impact on people, the more responsible you are to act humbly. If you don’t, your power will ruin you, and you will ruin the other. There is a saying in Argentina: "Power is like drinking gin on an empty stomach." You feel dizzy, you get drunk, you lose your balance, and you will end up hurting yourself and those around you, if you don’t connect your power with humility and tenderness. Through humility and concrete love, on the other hand, power – the highest, the strongest one – becomes a service, a force for good.


The future of humankind isn't exclusively in the hands of politicians, of great leaders, of big companies. Yes, they do hold an enormous responsibility. But the future is, most of all, in the hands of those people who recognize the other as a "you" and themselves as part of an "us." We all need each other. And so, please, think of me as well with tenderness, so that I can fulfill the task I have been given for the good of the other, of each and every one, of all of you, of all of us. Thank you.

Comments

[yourlibrarian]

Interesting about the music. The only hypothesis I have is that as most people are fannish about something, a lot of men, especially those who aren't already sports fans, are likely to be music fans because it's long been seen as a more acceptable form of nerdishness.

I have enjoyed virtually every concert I've been to, but I haven't been to a large number. It's not something I like to do just for the sake of going out. So perhaps I've enjoyed it more because I've generally gone to see artists I particularly like. I think it's like going to the theater -- there's a different energy to it than seeing the same story on film, a certain immediacy. For example, I've seen my favorite play twice, both college productions, the first pretty good, the second only ok. There was also a movie made of "Noises Off" but despite having a great cast I found it disappointing. The timing needed to pull it off was simple done on film but just added to the sense of impending disaster when done in person.

I think there's a similar knife edge of possibility when one sees a musical act live. Things can go wrong, they can be interactive, there's the added energy of response from an engaged audience. Last year I discussed going to see the Star Trek concert and being much more engaged and moved than I expected given the expected familiarity. But things are just different live, even without the audience being a factor.

[shadowkat]

The only hypothesis I have is that as most people are fannish about something, a lot of men, especially those who aren't already sports fans, are likely to be music fans because it's long been seen as a more acceptable form of nerdishness.

Very true. My brother was a bit like that for a while, because while he was athletic, he wasn't really into sports.
And the guys I've known who were music nerds, weren't into sports that much either. They appear to get fannish about sports, music, superhero comics/movies, video games/gaming, or science fiction. I'm endeared by the comics/movies and sci-fi bunch, because they are a bit off the beaten track and less main stream. But very hard to find.

I have enjoyed virtually every concert I've been to, but I haven't been to a large number. It's not something I like to do just for the sake of going out. So perhaps I've enjoyed it more because I've generally gone to see artists I particularly like. I think it's like going to the theater -- there's a different energy to it than seeing the same story on film, a certain immediacy.

I get that...I do. But, for me it's a bit different. I think it has a lot to do with how I appear to process sound? Because most live concerts just sound like ambient noise. I remember being disappointed in Pink Floyd, which felt mostly like noise -- and I LOVED their music, had listened to every album they'd done, seen The Wall at least ten times. My favorite of theirs was Animals and Albatross...which we'd listened to wandering around England on a mixed tape. But their concert...ugh. Lots of noise. Couldn't see anything. And too many people. Saw it at Denver Stadium, 1988 with an ex-boyfriend (so that may or may not have had an effect). OTOH, the Peter Gabriele/Kate Bush concert that I saw in England the year before (1987), was amazing. I loved it. Most of it -- we had to sit, until the end. You could hear it, no feed-back, and Kate Bush came out at the very end as a surprise. Aimee Mann? Disappointing and I loved her music, but the venue was smoke-filled and crowded. I found it hard to hear her. But Janis Ian -- which was in a church, moved me to tears.

It probably depends on the venue, the performance, the equipment, and the company. Like any theaterical performance. I'm more willing to see a Broadway Musical by myself than a rock concert. Which is a big difference between the two.

There was also a movie made of "Noises Off" but despite having a great cast I found it disappointing. The timing needed to pull it off was simple done on film but just added to the sense of impending disaster when done in person.

Now I did love the movie version of Noises Off, but it came as a surprise. We had rented it. Watched it late one night, and it had us rolling on the floor with laughter. We knew nothing about it. Had never seen it before. I rented it again recently and didn't quite have the same reaction. So, I think, it has a lot to do with the surprise factor.

OTOH...I still loved it. Probably would love the theaterical performance, although never seen it. The set-up really hit a lot of my story kinks...the idea of putting on a play, and having everything just go wrong. Which is the magic of live theater --- you are to a degree operating without a safety net. Similar to a rock concert in that respect. And no two performances are the same.

I'm a musical/theater geek/junkie in part because of that. Hmmm, I need to get tickets to another Broadway show soon.
The problem is the one's I really want to see are sold out for about two years.

[yourlibrarian]

Yeah, Noises Off is a play that anyone could enjoy but I suspect is a particular favorite of anyone who's done any theater.

Oh how cool that you got to see Kate Bush appear with Peter Gabriel! It's not like she's done many public shows. I saw him twice, once as part of the Amnesty tour in, I think, 1987, and once in 1993 when he was doing his Shaking the Tree tour. I thought he was great and for the latter my seats had been taken over by cameras filming the show so I got moved next to the catwalk :)

It's funny, I have a friend who really likes musical theater but she can't get into music for its own sake. She just doesn't process it quite right. I couldn't figure out why she'd like musicals either but of course that tends to be quite different with storylines and a lot of visual distraction.

Regarding sound at concerts, yeah that can be a real issue. I remember the most amazing thing about the David Sylvian concert I saw in a, perhaps, 3-4,000 seat venue, was that it was so quiet there were a few songs where the sound of his voice was so resonant it was just stunning, like he was right at your ear. A rare feeling for sure.

[shadowkat]

Yep, that's probably why I loved Noises Off -- I'd done a lot of theater from elementary through college.

Oh how cool that you got to see Kate Bush appear with Peter Gabriel! It's not like she's done many public shows. I saw him twice, once as part of the Amnesty tour in, I think, 1987,

That was the tour I saw - and it was the summer of 1987 in London. Amazing show. Shaking the Tree tour must have been good too.

My brother got to see David Bowie...which I envy.

It's funny, I have a friend who really likes musical theater but she can't get into music for its own sake. She just doesn't process it quite right. I couldn't figure out why she'd like musicals either but of course that tends to be quite different with storylines and a lot of visual distraction.

That makes a lot of sense to me. Although obviously, I can get into it for its own sake. But it has a lot to do with whether you are visual or auditory in how you process and perceive information. I struggle with the auditory, my dyslexia is more auditory and numerical in nature -- "dyscalcia" I think is the term, although a weird combo of both. But I can appreciate and hear the tone of the music, I just can't reproduce it, and if there is any white noise -- such feedback, people chatting, loud screams from fans, interference -- I won't hear it at all. Have had similar issues with Opera, I don't tend to like it. But I've only seen Carmen, and poor productions of Carmen. Opera fanatics didn't like them.
And I don't think Opera is one of those things you can watch on TV and truly appreciate. Any more than I think many musicals can be appreciated on screen...there's something about a live stage presentation in regards to musicals that is magical.

Regarding sound at concerts, yeah that can be a real issue. I remember the most amazing thing about the David Sylvian concert I saw in a, perhaps, 3-4,000 seat venue, was that it was so quiet there were a few songs where the sound of his voice was so resonant it was just stunning, like he was right at your ear. A rare feeling for sure.

That was portions of the Gabriel concert. We were sitting through most of it. And it was quiet. Wasn't until Biko that people got up and sang. Also the Janis Ian concert in the church was like that.

One I wish I'd been able to see was Sting playing at St. John the Divine Church, but alas I didn't get tickets fast enough.

[yourlibrarian]

Certainly the opera experience is different on TV but I think you hit on the critical issue, which is the quality of the performance. I have gone to live productions and was generally bored. However there was a production of the Marriage of Figaro done on TV that I really enjoyed as well as one of Turandot. And while often bored at ballet performances, I also really enjoyed a performance of Sleeping Beauty by the ABT (live) and thought the all-male Swan Lake done in London (which I saw on TV) was amazing. So it's a hit and miss process which is not so great given the cost of tickets.

I agree with you about live musicals being particularly engaging. My family went to small city dinner theater performances when I was growing up so clearly not the highest quality productions. Yet I still enjoyed a number of them.

Yes, your mention of the Janis Ian show was what made me remember the Sylvian experience -- definitely very churchlike even if not in a church ;)

Sting was a bit hit and miss for me. I first saw him live at the same Amnesty tour and then also saw him in his second solo tour. It was an amazing performance, I was absolutely determined to see the next tour and even convinced my mom to come along because she generally liked his work (it was her first pop concert!) Sadly, I was not that impressed with that show and she said she kept thinking his voice was going to give out.

I was also really glad that I'd gone to at least one Bowie show when I heard of his death. It was his greatest hits tour. It was perfect for me because while I had a few albums mostly I just knew his hits, and he did not disappoint.

[shadowkat]

Certainly the opera experience is different on TV but I think you hit on the critical issue, which is the quality of the performance.

Agreed. I saw a high school production of Carmen, and a production at the Metropolitan Opera House in Convent Gardens, London -- and weirdly the high school production was better.

Ballet - same. I've been bored by ballets held at Lincoln Center, while I've been mesmerized by ballets on television and in film. The Black Swan on film was mesmerizing, while many ballets at the theater...have not been.

Musical theater can be similar as can rock performances. There's so many factors involved in a performance, my mood/state of mind at the time, who I'm with (I'm not positive but I'm guessing being with my ex just three months after we broke up probably hadn't helped at the Pink Floyd concert), the mood/etc of the performers, the equipment, the audience, etc...I know when I was performing the Vagina Monologues -- we did three performances, I think. And the best one was opening night -- where we had a school group from the Bronx. That had an energy that wasn't quite the same later. So much is about the energy in the room. On TV or film, energy isn't as big an issue.