I am going to say something unpopular (apologies up front to Claire). I believe that the primary purpose of music is to connect human hearts with the Divine (whatever you think or feel that is). Of course, I realize that this is akin, in this day and age, to saying the purpose of art is beauty or that the purpose of marriage is having children – all considered old fashioned. Nevertheless, I believe this about music. The Baha’i Writings say, “We have made music a ladder by which souls may ascend to the realm on high. Change it not into wings for self and passion.” I was just reflecting on this during my 11 hour drive from Atlanta, where I spent the weekend running sound and performing at a conference of about 4000 Baha’is. Saturday night was a ‘cultural program’ of about 16 different acts in diverse styles, from southern gospel choir to indie rock to folk music from the Andes.
Every time I do one of these conferences, I wonder to myself where that line is. In particular, when it is your job, essentially, to provide that ladder for 4,000 souls, how do you ensure you’re not messing it up with too much self and passion? And what is music without passion? Hasn’t there got to be some passion somewhere that others can connect to? Or is it something else? Creativity and power and something larger? I don’t know. This morning I sang a prayer that I’d written for the Tenori-on. I really wanted to share it and afterwards, as always happens, tons of people came up to me to tell me how moving it was…but part of me hates this part. I want to just know that it is moving people without them telling me because then I begin to want that kind of feedback and I worry that it starts feeding into “self and passion.” It’s really a tricky business to remain pure here.
And then there’s the flip side of the problem. What is to be done when a song falls somewhat flat? Can we be honest with each other and learn from it? Lots of Christian churches have got this part down, many even being defined by the genre of music they provide for inspiration. However in a Faith that is brand new and largely devoid (by design) of dogma and ritual, there is lots of room to explore what it means to connect human hearts to the Divine. And yet I see again and again how people resort to the formulas that they think will do the trick. For instance, the organizers of the conference requested, at two different times, something from the music team (for lack of a better word) that would get people on their feet and get them pumped up. The same song was chosen both times, and it wasn’t clear to me whether people were truly moved either time. It looked to me as though they WANTED to be inspired – they were on their feet clapping and moving and singing, but I have seen crowds that are really feeling it, and I’m not sure they got there, despite the heroic efforts of the musician who wrote the song and was leading the crowd with his electric guitar and backtrack. The thing that’s so awesome-slash-bewildering about music is that something that inspires one person (or ten or a hundred or a million people) is virtually guaranteed to repulse, irritate, bore, or frustrate others.
Overall, the conference had its musically inspiring moments, but they came at unexpected times and in mostly unscripted ways, as it probably needs to be. It’s heartening when it happens and you get a little glimpse of what it could be will be like when we start to figure this stuff out. The philosophy of removing “self,” or what I interpret to be ego from music is at odds with the prevailing models, which are all about identity, branding, celebrity, non-celebrity, and countless other flavors of the World of Names.
There’s more to go into with this, but this is probably not the right venue for it, but it’s what’s on my mind tonight. These aren’t really questions for you, they’re just questions in my mind. I’m sure we’ll work it out eventually.
The bigger question is: has anyone EVER seen a Waffle House sign with all 11 letters fully functioning? I passed a lot of Waffle Houses tonight, and I didn’t see any without at least one letter missing. Could this be some kind of secret code for travelers in the know, like the graffiti in train yards for the train hoppers? Travel a certain stretch of highway, decode a certain message as you make your way from one Waffle House to the next.
AFFLE
HOUS
WAFFLE
HOU E
WAFFL
HOUS
W FFLE
HOUSE
WAFFLE
HOU E
WAFFLE
USE
AFFLE
HOUSE
?
I firmly believe that art (and music by association) serves the purpose of beauty. Though of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so it’s not as simple as painting a pretty picture or writing a pretty song. By extension I equate the divine to beauty. So at least on two of your three “old fashioned” ideas, I’m with you.
As for writing music with the purpose of “providing a ladder”, that seems like a very difficult goal. I would say that the best chance at being able to do that is by being part of the congregation you are writing for and knowing the people in the congregation and having them be a part of process in some way.
We see a show? did you stop and play one of the WH songs on the jukebox and the waitresses started dancing like in some musical?
For the bigger question: while driving from Houston to New Orleans & back, a couple of friends of mine and I noticed, like you did, that every single Waffle House we passed was missing a letter. It was very odd, not to mention somewhat sinister.
The theory we came up with to explain it was that somebody was going around swiping a letter from each one so they could start their own rogue Waffle House somewhere else using the stolen letters.
Ah, long drives with nothing else to do…
a pretty picture is not the same in everybody’s eyes either.
reminds me about how people freaked out when they started doing paintings of ‘busts’ or shoulders and head only. I think it caused some kind of panic and outrage amongst the people and took awhile to gain hold as normal.
reminds me that what we think we know so well, we may not know at all and that always gets me in a grabby kind of way as well as when I inevitably fall into the trap of thinking I’ve got something down that I think is ‘so simple.’
the only ladder you could provide, I would think, is the ladder you use. And maybe others can use it too, but they may not. Roberto’s comment seems appropriate too.
i don’t like waffles.
I think of all musical gatherings as a form of church – sort of a celebration of unity. Fandom can be likened in many cases to secular worship. And I don’t think that is outright a bad thing.
Creating a song is not really an earthly process. It’s not just a form of expression. It’s creation – of something from virtually nothing; demonstrating (perhaps) free will and (hopefully) the power of imagination. What is that feeling you get when you hear a new song that just wows you? The universe getting smaller, or maybe larger – whichever but it’s pulled you in.
I don’t buy the concerns of “too much self” which is pretty much a universal topic of debate in religious music (be it Muslim, Christian, Baha’i…). I wouldn’t concern myself with that at all. Selfishness is not such a bad thing (like most things in moderation). In performance, the more self you bring into music the more likely others will respond to it. More important is whether or not the performance has any soul; and what one does with the “star” role. This may be just another way of wording what you’re expressing.
This topic isn’t as unpopular as you might think nor unfitting for this site. I liked this post. Of course any discussion of religion lends itself to debate so you have to be prepared for that.
Tricia and I used to road trip a lot and for a while we stopped at Waffle Houses. You get to see your food prepared if you sit at the counter which turns out to be a bad thing. After one too many disgusting behind the counter observations we stopped stopping at the aff e Ho s .
At least at the Waffle House, you can see what’s being done to your food. You think those people at the all organic co-op or the 5 star continental cousine places are above doing something gnarly to your food? think again
I love me some waffle house, and in a lot of them you can still smoke inside. Ah, the simple pleasures.
not to mention the unsanitary condition of my kitchen and the fact that I can’t wear a blindfold around open flames and knives.
yes, beauty is a fascinating thing. I guess I fall into the subset of people that find “pretty” music often irritating and boring, especially if it is sterilized so as to offend as few people as possible and to fit some person’s idea of “appropriate.” so the music I write and perform for the community is I guess sort of pretty but ends up being a bit less even in it’s effect… people are either way more moved than usual (they are inspired by things that are difficult or challenging) or they are put off (they can’t relate).
I love the idea of some crazy waffle house cult somewhere with a stockpile of letters in a barn and a militia to protect them.
I have told the following story a couple of times. I flew to Florida recently. I made my way to my seat, and found a man sitting in it. The man appeared to be eagerly awaiting my arrival as did the men he sat between. Before I could even finish “I think there is some confusion..”– he blurted out, “I am sitting here because I am a veteran and they tried to give me a seat in first class, which I declined to accept.” It took me a moment to process the situation because A) I needed a seat, which he took from me in his shame and B) He was busting with pride to let everyone know that he had denied accepting this first class seat. All I could think was, that’s great dude. Congratulations on failing a humility exam on a red eye in front of all of us.. so where do I sit?
Music is relevant everywhere and to everyone whether they enjoy it passively or not. I can’t imagine how much worse the planet would be if music wasn’t a part of many religious practices.
Its no secret to everyone that I abhor organized religions and all that he does to us.
Since you opened the door, I will also say that I am not impressed with the Baha’i faith- because to me, it has its foundation in the same place as all other religions- and appears to be just one more group of people saying, “This way is better for everyone. and if you disagree, then enjoy being shunned and exiled.” How many times have I seen the frosty-eyed believer smile and pat my hand because I am just a poor “unbeliever”? Too many times, because you are everywhere. And let’s be clear here. It isn’t unpopular to say you have a faith in this world, its unpopular to say that you don’t.
People in general are flawed when alone and when in congregation. I don’t claim to have anything special going on. I have participated in many religious experiences across different cultures and belief systems… I think that if anything can get us closer to the “Divine”, then it IS music… I just don’t expect to see a big wizard open a trap door when I get to the top and slap me on the back for getting there the “right way”.. especially as a woman. And I don’t think its particularly encouraging to see millions of painted red wagons- thundering loud like calliopes on a march to save the world- where recognition is more important than progress.
Thanks for giving me something to think about while I was at work today.
Has anyone seen my ten-foot pole?
Here comes god, rearing his ugly head.
I place art in cahoots with beauty, but I have no faith whatsoever in the divine, because there is no divinity to speak of.
The recent hurricane has left our little corner of redneck heaven with some real gems of sign outages. Unfortunately I am way too stupid to remember any of them at the moment.
Loved “Waffle Ho se” though.
I am relatively glad you are honest in your posts (at least up to the modesty bit). You shouldn’t apologize to anyone up front. Your beliefs (however bizarre I find them to be) are still yours. The Unspeakable will never tear down the throne of religion for you or anyone else. Too bad though… Love to be there to “witness” that.
I, for one, find music as one of THE things that connects me to the divine. I had a teacher once who made the rather bold claim that all music is sacred (Read: divine, if you like). That comment has always unsettled me, until I read your modifiers absent of “self and passion.” As a traditionalist I tend to think that anything that connects me to you or to god IS divine because we are by nature selfish. Music is a gift that encourages people to connect spiritually and though the notes last only for a beat or two and then are forever gone, the memory is often retained for decades. What a powerful effect, which is why I respect your desire to “Play responsibly.” I truly wish I could have been there, what a memory that would have been.
BTW I have a Waffle House frequent diner’s card, but don’t care to sit at the counter either, for reason already cited.