Wednesday, August 22, 2007

what IS music?

Me again. Get your shopping done, put your kids to bed, open a bottle of wine or a beer, ok? Then I'll begin...

As most of you know when I lived in Orlando, Infusion was my satellite office. I loved getting my tea, a bit of vegetarian cuisine and would sit with my laptop, a book or a journal. I have not found my place here yet…but I do take the time to get away and reflect. And I love sitting and chatting with people…

Anyhoo, about two weeks ago I got into a discussion with a few other music folk here and we asked the question 'what exactly IS music?'. It's a good one.... Music is very odd. It is colourless, odourless (apart from acid jazz which stinks of fish) invisible and only exists in the heads of people who listen to it. And people who write it. And it is tremendously powerful and important and universally valued (apart from switzerland where they prefer mime). But WHERE IS IT? IF I PUT IT IN A BAG, the bag REMAINS EMPTY.....

Nonetheless I am a Musician/Artist. I sometimes even get paid for doing it. (not really, that would be ridiculous...)

So i'm like a builder who makes walls out of nothing, that you can't put anything on, but that everyone agrees are there. Unless they don't want to .... listen to them. Analogy poorly thought out. Abort. (step away from the cabernet Colleen)

Music and art and new ideas and insight are all around us all the time like a celestial fart. Some people can't smell it. Artists and musicians and geniuses are just odd people who can smell it. Who love smelling it, who try and get him to do one under the covers and dive under, nostrils gaping. Because we live on it. And we can turn it into something that lots of people can smell, or read or hear. And that makes people happy. And that's why it's good being a musician.


If you listen to music. It will exist. And I like that.

1 comment:

Stuart said...

i was too sidetracked after your use of "anyhoo" a la ccf that i didn't read to find out what music really is.

i'm ashamed of you.