I was browsing the comments section of a review of the new album on a Dutch Music Website (it's over to the right, take a look) called Johnny's Garden.
Someone's commented that he's skeptical of my 'inspiration' by Lorca, et.al. If I'm reading Google Translate correctly, in order to be propertly inspired, the author of the comment seems to think I need to have studied the works of Lorca and, say, Dylan Thomas exhaustively... for years. Otherwise to present them as inspirations is pretentious.
Hm... I'm pretty steeped in both of their writings... who hasn't read Fern Hill? In addition, he also seems to take issue with my being inspired by what is a part of the highschool reading lexicon.
Hm... I could argue with him - but I won't, because he says he'll still listen with an open mind - despite the further pretention of the album cover (following a 'heavily-retouched' Cover Their Eyes)
Hm... food for thought. There's little re-touching on this one, though - because I lost some weight and had elaborate amounts of plastic surgery. I actually look exactly like Nicole Kidman in person now.
Heh. I'm kidding. I did lose weight, but no plastic surgery...
Still, How do you quantify or qualify inspiration?
As far as I'm concerned, if I read one sentence - only ONE - in my entire life, that kicked a song into existence, that's enough.
I'm not a literary scholar and don't pretend to be. Lorca is an influence on me. He just is. I can't pick up a piece of his writing and walk away without the imagery burned in. And to listen to the first Suite of the album and not hear that much is to not listen to the first Suite.
And, thing is, pretentious or not at first glance, if you know anything about me or what I do, you know that I lack the capacity to take much too terribly seriously on this big blue ball. How could I? I stood in the water holding an accordion with as much reverence as that 80s comic Judy Tenuta on the last album, for God's sake. Did I look like I was taking myself horribly seriously? If so... look again.
We're all struggling for air, we're all praying to say the right thing when the right thing needs saying, we're all singing like birds when we can, and painting pretty pictures when we can. We're all walking around banging our heads into trees, only slightly less hairy monkies than we once were... grabbing in the dark for the people we love to hold on to some anchor in a sea of uncertainty - sandwiched, for a short time, between 2 points of oblivion. Sometimes, I want to write the world the way I see it. It's all I can do.
For a brief whisp of a blink in a moment, I was inspired by Federico Garcia Lorca. However, to save my life I couldn't give you a scholarly literary analysis of his work, or much of his biography. Because, you see, it was the poem. The poem was the thing. The chocolate paper gown was the thing.
So I'm wearing the chocolate paper gown on the cover of the album. It's the top hat that's pretentious.
And inspiration can't be quantified.
Posts
I've noticed critics are seldom in demand and never go on tour. Odd isn't it? This one prompted your delightful comments and so in my mind served a purpose however unintentional it may have been.
ReplyDelete"...so take your art and stand your ground,
though at times it may be scary-
Unless you think God gave you life
To just be ordinary'...
Thinking back on the missive from MR. Syme this morning and smiling chesshire cat grin.
ReplyDeleteThey can't all be P.Waddy or the Kirbinator so you just take the can't do / must critiques of the industry and I'll put loan you a mental lock box to stash them until you feel like taking them out and well...feline alien predation comes to mind but maybe another time.
Duke Forest - Spring sprung overnight
"only slightly less hairy monkies than we once were..."
ReplyDeleteSo much less desire to see you undressed than I had mere minutes ago.
"Critics create nothing and therefore feel qualified to judge the work of others"- Heinlein
ReplyDeleteBut this one inspired you to write a lovely sort of defense and sort of explanation, while at the same time revealing even greater vulnerability that all artist share just by being artists. It takes a lot to put yourself on the line, to poke and prod your innards and put that which you feel reflects what you see of the world, to hold it out for praise and ridicule.
Jim was here and as we drove about here and there between Ashland and Talent, I got to hear the new album. I want one bad. Samar was moved to tears there in the backseat of Jim's rental.
Have a good tour, don't let the bastards sully your path, I think you're on to something and got them running scared in the face of honest expression.
Chessley
The guy hasn't even heard the(complete)cd and he contradicts himself as well. Please don't let it put you down.
ReplyDelete"in order to be properly inspired" Pah. The only pretentiousness I'm detecting is of the aforementioned "critic". Please define "properly". Inspiration, unlike, say, academic argument or scholarly presentation has no requirements whatsoever the last time I checked. I've been inspired by Dante (who I have researched thoroughly), Hemingway (who I have not) and Poe (still dead). I have also been inspired by three year olds, drunks, and Moose heads hanging on the wall. The role of a critic is to provide meaningful guidance and observation of the performer as an artist as well as part of the larger artistic realm. One expects a critic to have a wider appreciation for the Art and convey that information to inform the audience. His or her notions as to how the creative process works are rarely relevant unless one is conversant or actively working in that form of expression. A REAL critic knows this. Nyah. Kisses 'n' Hugs, K&D! PJ
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI could tell that you'd lost weight.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, after ending with Clock of the World a week or two ago, The Midnight Special started with it last night.