Reason versus Passion

I don't want to go into the "Reason vs Faith" argument because it takes too long and I don't have the motivation to type that much. I do, however, wish to share my thoughts on a different matter of balance.

I can't say that this discord between passion and reason is a perfect scale, nor that it applies to everyone. There are many who are passionate and reasonable and many more who are dispassionate and unreasonable. I have noticed, however, that there is a very vocal (if not large) group of people who seem to be lacking in reason and having an overabundance of passion. I'd rather not get into the politics or specifics in this setting.

On the opposite spectrum, I think that the more reasonable one can be, the easier it is to lose passion. With reasoning comes the realization that things are not black and white, and nothing can cut at people's motivation like gray areas.

I think that what makes true leaders and world-changers are those who manage to keep their passions without losing reason.

Music that lasts.

I saw most of the documentary Before the Music Dies, an interesting story about the music industry and the new avenues of getting quality music (i.e. the kids turning to the internet when radio, television, etc. dissappoint). If you don't feel up to watching the whole thing, then at least watch the first 5 minutes; the late, great Billy Preston opens up with a reminder that no matter how cool you are, you aren't as cool as he was. Seriously, it's worth a view.

One of the comments from an interviewee in the film was right in line with what I've been thinking lately and it was something like this: There is a good chance that a lot of truly good music will not sound good to the average listener at first. He went on to say that this is because much of the creative new stuff is just that; new and therefore probably a bit different than what we are listening to currently. He pointed out (and I wholeheartedly agree) that truly good music will sound better after a few listens.

There are a few examples I can think of personally that fit this description. A lot of music that I enjoy I never cared for when I was a kid/teen. For instance, Bob Dylan. I could say that the change their was just in my musical preferences. There are however, some bands that I changed my mind about quickly, after listening through their album once or twice.

The first band that really had this strange phenomenon for me was Bright Eyes. I think mostly because I started listening to them on Cassadaga, which starts off with a pretty strange interview with a psychic. But after putting it (figuratively because I listen to digital copies) aside for a month or so, I retried it and it. is. brilliant. Don't argue with me, just accept it.

Next was Neutral Milk Hotel. I had never heard anything like it. The constant fuzzed guitars were just weird. I mean, it wasn't my first experience with lo-fi (I've got Bee Thousand) but it was still just a little too much for me. However, I thought "I'll give another shot seeing as how it was voted the #1 album on eMusic." that second playthrough was enough for me to be in love.

Lastly and most recently was the band I am currently obsessed about: Vampire Weekend. I remember previewing their album back in late '07 maybe early '08 and just being kind of unimpressed. I have no idea how or why. I may be being fickle because they are THE thing I'm into right now but hell, how did I skim over this one?

I think all this goes to say that maybe now my "Don't bash it unless you've tried it" rule may turn into "Don't bash it unless you've tried it at least a few times" when it comes to music.

Currently listening to:

Haven't actually been listening to much music lately but when I do it is this:

I'm a little late to the bandwagon with Vampire Weekend but as they say, better late than never. They are a brilliant blend of Upper West Side Ivy League and African Soweto (their own self proclaimed genre).

With a completely different feel is this song by Badly Drawn Boy:

Amazingly calming introduction with the strings and brass. P.S. No idea what's up with the picture on that video - it was the first one that youtube would let me embed.

To the elves who are stealing my clothes:

I like your sense of style. The buffalo plaid flannel with a black vest, cotton trousers, my carhartt and the skinny scarf is a good look. Well done.

BMX!

I was looking through this flickr set which I highly recommend checking out. It's got some classic black and white photos of BMXing at its beginnings - the perfect blend of artistic and manly.

There are a lot of great photos in there, but this one stuck out to me the most as far as clothing.



I love the look of the classic striped sock. For those who don't understand what is so great about them, I recommend watching the movie Pineapple Express. For a good portion of the movie Seth Rogen is walking around without any pants and yet he still looks cool. How is this possible? Two words: Striped (wait for it...) Socks. There you have it, the proof that cool is all about what's on your feet.