Last weekend I went to go see my little brother's band playing. It was beautiful. I swear, 23 years and I'd never seen him like that. It was like when you've been carrying a goldfish around in a paper bag and then you suddenly let it back out into the ocean. The boy came alive. He was shaking his head all over and he was wearing those hideous-ish glasses he insists on wearing and it was like poetry (actually I think it was poetry :) Sorta made me see him in a different light, if only for one day. He's the idealistic kind, the kind who'll gladly play a concert for nothing just because they enjoy doing it, so I hope he never has to see the ugly side of the music world - he might not be able to deal. You know the way there's always one thing someone can do that they can do really well... like, better than anyone else? Well, for him that thing's music. He picks up a guitar and he starts playing and just goes with the flow and before you know it you're in sync. Then he puts it down and picks up that saxophone.
Makes me wonder, if it's possible for a person to be so brilliant at something that other people find as cryptic as Swedish, how doesn't this brilliance translate into every other aspect of their life, you know? Musicians are supposed to write from deep within, right? To transfer their personal experiences and those of people close to them to the rest of the world through their songs. They're supposed to be able to make you identify with them, feel as though you were right there with them, be them. Like the way in the 90's before Cosmo with all its psychobabble became such a big hit with the sisters all you had to do to get a girl was sing her line out of 98 Degrees, or the Backstreet Boys. Just with the stroke of a pen, never having met you, singers can make you get up in the morning, pick up a weapon and stand a post, or turn over and tell yourself just how cruel the world is and how it doesn't deserve someone as great as you and waste the rest of your day wallowing in self pity.
And this isn't just one of those 20-minute hypotheticals either. It's something I've felt even in my own life. The songs I listen to, when I think about it, are more often than not songs that speak to me. Songs that tell me something, or echo a feeling I have. [ok, sometimes it's just that it's Linkin Park or Coldplay and I'm only human so how can I not listen :)]. When I listen to Eminem's Sing for the Moment I hear someone who knows they can influence others through their music "...I guess words are a mother*****/they can be great/or they can teach hate...they say music can alter moods and talk to you...music is reflection of self...just let our spirits live on through our lyrics that you hear in our songs..."; or T.I.: "...Either die or go to jail/That's a hell of a decision/But I'm wrong and I know it/My excuse is unimportant/I'm just trynna let you know/That I aint think I had a choice...You waiting on me to die/You're gon' be waitin for a minute/Boy I'm ready for whatever/Somebody better tell 'em/I'll be here when the storm's clear/And everything's settled..." [Ready for Whatever] - here's a guy stepping up to the plate and taking responsibility for their actions when they screw up, but remain determined to make it; or Nada Surf: "To make a mountain of/Your life is just a choice...Always love/Hate will get you every time/Always love/Don't wait till the finish line..." [Always Love] - don't sweat the small stuff, don't let little issues ruin friendships, don't hold grudges; or Angels & Airwaves: "...We all make mistakes/Here's your lifeline..." [Lifeline] - second chances; or Avril Lavigne: "...Keep holding on (coz you know we'll make it through)/Just stay strong (coz you know I'm here for you..." [Keep Holding On] - persistence, never give up, you're not alone; and those are just the happy songs. I have a whole booklet for the sad ones. In fact I think I have something to say about every song I like. That is a. lot. of. songs.
Anyway, my brother and his band; I hope it all goes well for them. And I hope they use the power they have as musicians to effect positive change in those around them. Or even just in himself... And I hope he watches The Dark Knight one of these days, coz, among other things, the Joker said something very profound: "If you're really good at something, don't ever do it for free."
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