This Is Painful. And Clever.

It seems that a musician from Nova Scotia is getting back at United Airlines after his Taylor acoustic guitar was seriously damaged when he checked it in on a flight. His payback? A song detailing how United screwed up.

While I enjoyed the song and video, I think that if my guitar was damaged on a flight I’d cry for a week straight.

(Thanks, Chron.com)

The End Of The Stuff Of Legend

Will there ever be as huge a superstar as Michael Jackson?

I almost forgot MJ’s magnitude until I watched his memorial service yesterday. There are few left who haven’t been impacted by his music; fewer still those who know nothing at all about him.

The events following Michael’s death reminded me and the rest of the world that there was no one else like him. Who else could elicit this kind of fervor? I’ve been throwing this idea out there the past several days: a list of the biggest names in music today would surely include Bono and Chris Martin if for no other reason than massive international appeal. However, can there be any comparison to MJ, even now, even when his career was only in the preparation stages of a potential comeback?

During the memorial broadcast, Martin Bashir of ABC news commented something along the lines that he could imagine only three people in the world who could evoke such a response: The Queen, the Pope and Michael Jackson. Quite a collection, no?

As widely known as the Queen is around the world, her influence is less than noticeable in most of it. While there is a great deal of respect held for the papacy, Pope Benedict himself has a limited reach outside the Catholic Church.

Then there’s MJ. For decades, people around the world have been singing his songs. Folks who don’t know a lick of English have memorized and sang his hits. We’ve been mesmerized by his dancing, inspired by his singing, moved by his brand of entertainment. He reached around the world, often with just a single sequined glove.

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I feel his death raises a question: will there ever be anyone like him? Can anyone have as much lasting, worldwide appeal as Michael Jackson? I’ve been wondering and, while there are immensely talented artists out there, I don’t see anyone that can garner the attention like MJ.

With the passing of MJ, it’s more than just the death of a great artist. I believe it’s the end of the stuff of legend. Michael hasn’t released new chart-topping music in some time. But I think the fact that the potential for greatness was in him led us to hope. The announcement of the comeback shows and tour was the first taste of hope that maybe his genius would rise again and defiantly crown him the King of Pop once more, a title that hadn’t left but him but had collected a bit of dust over the years. With his death, that potential is gone. That hope is gone. His brilliance will live on through the music he had already created but there will be nothing new from him.

When John Lennon was killed, the dream of one day seeing The Beatles reunited making magic again began to fade. Maybe his son could fill in for John’s absence. It wouldn’t be the same but it’d be memorable, for sure. However, with George Harrison’s death, the hope for a reunion surely died with him.

The Beatles were huge. Legendary. They still are. But there’s no hope for new magic. Yes, of course, Sir Paul and Ringo are still alive but their solo work has always been overshadowed by their days of being Fab (and in my opinion, rightly so). It may be slightly unfair but I think anyone attending a Paul McCartney show wouldn’t mind one bit if he didn’t play a single song from the last 40 years and stuck with songs only from the Beatles catalog. Can you imagine the crowd if the show was the other way around?

The hope has died.

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Who’s leading the way today? Who is inspiring and innovating? Who’s reaching farther than anyone else?

Beyoncé is huge. She’s a superstar. She can sing, she can dance, she can act. Justin Timberlake also has a huge reach. He does it all, as well, and he does it so well. He has that great cross-genre appeal going for him, too. What about John Mayer? Rob Thomas? Those guys write songs that people can instantly connect with.

But I have a hard time imaging the songs from any of these artists or anyone topping the charts to have much staying power. As quickly as those songs appear they are forgotten.

Of course, this diagnosis is a little extreme but maybe it’s not entirely off. The Paul Simons, the Bob Dylans, the folks who have written soundtracks for decades are fading off. Maybe it’s the change in climate that won’t allow similar artists to rise. Maybe it’s just the culture shift of this generation that gives us the attention span of an eight-year-old boy.

Michael Jackson had such massive shoes and I don’t think they will ever be filled.

I think Berry Gordy said it best at MJ’s memorial that Michael was “simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived.”

RIP, MJ.

Happy 4th

“There Is Nothing Like A Dream To Create The Future. Utopia Today, Flesh And Blood Tomorrow.”

I jotted this down in a journal almost five years ago. Funny how so much has changed since then; yet, here I am challenging myself anew with it.

We Are The World

The bulk of my memories of Michael Jackson and his brilliant music come from his Dangerous era. I remember the video premieres for “Black And White” and “Remember The Time” clearly.

I think my earliest memory goes back to one day in elementary school, some time in the 80s, when all of the kids were piled into the cafeteria for some sort of assembly. I don’t recall much of what was said but I do remember a screen at the front where MJ’s “We Are The World” music video was played for us. I remembered that moment, I remembered the song, I remembered the melody. Not a lot of songs can hold up to that much time passing, but there this was – TV theme songs and MJ, cemented away in my head.

I don’t remember ever seeing the video again since that day, though I’ve heard the song in recent years. YouTube brought back some delightful memories tonight. I didn’t realize at the time how high-caliber the artists who sang along were. Killer lineup.

(I especially like that Bob Dylan has a nice part. He doesn’t fit at all [and sounds kinda terrible here] but I still love him.)

Thanks, MJ.

Rest In Peace.

Oh, I Hope That Washes Off

Dangit. I went to the dentist today and totally fell asleep in the chair. When I woke up I had this:

That’s gonna leave left a mark.

Psalm 130

Help, GOD—the bottom has fallen out of my life!
Master, hear my cry for help!
Listen hard! Open your ears!
Listen to my cries for mercy.
 

If you, GOD, kept records on wrongdoings,
who would stand a chance?
As it turns out, forgiveness is your habit,
and that’s why you’re worshiped.
 

I pray to GOD—my life a prayer—
and wait for what he’ll say and do.
My life’s on the line before God, my Lord,
waiting and watching till morning,
waiting and watching till morning.
 

O Israel, wait and watch for GOD—
with GOD’S arrival comes love,
with GOD’S arrival comes generous redemption.
No doubt about it—he’ll redeem Israel,
buy back Israel from captivity to sin.

Days Of My Youth

I’m stealing this post from my abandoned Myspace blog, written April 24, 2007, a much simpler time.

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Ok, TV played a semi-prominent role in my childhood as is true for many of my friends and, thus, there are a lot of emotions and pleasant memories tied to certain shows. Unfortunately, I believe that this is no longer true for many of today’s youth. Today’s children’s programming appears very shallow, teaches nothing, and seems poorly thought out. What happened?

Well, thanks to the ever-amazing YouTube, I’ve been able to locate some shows which I haven’t seen in 10-15+ years and take a wonderful trip back in time. Please – do join me.

What I find most fascinating is my attachment to the theme songs of these shows. I haven’t heard them in years but they’ve never quite left me. And the first few notes send me racing back to the days of my youth, lying on the carpet and glued to the TV. Here I offer a brief smattering of my youthful delight. Let me know if you were raised on these shows or do tell which ones won your attention.

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Today’s Special
I found this online a while back but when I did I wished again that I, too, had a magic hat.

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Adventures of the Little Koala
This first notes of this theme immediately take me back. Thanks, Nickelodeon.

and why not an actual episode of the Little Koala?

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David the Gnome
This show is beyond cool in my eyes. Full of adventure, the theme song is absolutely inspiring.

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Grimm’s Fairy Tales
Ok, I have always loved this show and I’ve secretly been in love with the theme song since I heard it. I have never admitted that because I thought the song was too girly to love with the children’s choir and all; but no longer – I will say I love the song and dream of adventure whenever I hear it.

Pts. 2, 3 (Can’t leave you hanging)

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Happy watching.

That’s The Money You Could Be Making By Hiring A New Marketing Team

Is anybody else out there not a fan of the Geico commercials with the pile of money with eyes? It took me a while to get what they were doing but after I did, I still didn’t like it.

Thanks For That, John

Hello/Goodbye

I can’t say that I’ve been a huge fan of Jay Leno and The Tonight Show over the years though I have caught quite a few episodes. Some were funny, yes, but I feel like many of the recent shows have been less than creative and a little far from humorous. That’s just me, though.

However, Jay’s farewell show tonight was something to see. It was a very classy send-off. He had his successor, Conan, on for an interview, a nostalgic performance from James Taylor, and then thank-yous to those who’d been there in his life and career.

He ended the night talking about the legacy he’d leave with The Tonight Show and what that meant to him. He introduced to us 68 kids who were born to couples who met or were working during Jay’s tenure as host. Jay looked past his career, past his fame, and recognized the lives around him that were responsible for helping make him who he was.

Jay Leno, you’re a class act. Bravo.

And I really am excited to see Conan O’Brien take over The Tonight Show. This should be fun.

Truth For Today. And Tomorrow And…

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.

He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.

In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.

Eph. 1:3-14

“No, Mr. President.”

Wow.

From: Abraham Piper

I’m A Megan

Loving Jesus Above All Else

Blessed is he who understands what it is to love Jesus and to despise himself for Jesus’ sake. Jesus wants to be your only love and to be loved above all else; therefore, you must abandon all other beloveds for your one Beloved. The love of a creature is fickle and deceitful, while the love of Jesus is faithful and enduring. He who clings to a creature will fall when that creature fades away, but he who embraces Jesus shall stand firm forever.

Love Jesus and keep Him as your friend. When all others forsake you He will not leave you nor will He allow you to perish on the last day. Whether you like it or not the day will come when you will find yourself separated from everyone and from everything.

2. Hold fast to Jesus both in life and in death and commit yourself to His steadfast love, for He alone can help you when all others fail. Your Beloved is such that He admits no rival; He wants your heart all to Himself and desires to reign there as a king on his own throne.

If you could free yourself from all creatures Jesus would gladly dwell within you. If you have placed your trust in men rather than in Jesus you will find that it was almost all wasted. Do not trust nor lean on a reed that is shaken in the wind. All flesh is grass, and all its glory shall fade like the flower in the field.

3. If you only look upon men’s outward appearance you will soon be deceived, and if you seek consolation and profit from them most often you will end up being the loser. If you seek Jesus in everything you will certainly find Him, and if you seek yourself you will surely find yourself, but to your own disaster. You do yourself greater harm by not seeking Jesus than if the whole world and all your enemies were against you.

-Thomas a Kempis
The Imitation of Christ

Happy Mothers’ Day

Happy Mothers’ Day to all the mothers out there and especially to my mother who has been beyond wonderful to me and the rest of the family. The selflessness, graciousness and love displayed by my mom are beyond the reach of words.

So, the next best thing is to revive a time-honored tradition of making fun of your mom. All in love, of course.

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Yo mama’s so fat her picture takes two frames.

Yo mama’s so fat that when she crosses the street cars look out for her.

Yo mama’s so stupid that when you stand beside her you can actually hear the ocean.

Yo mama’s so fat I swerved to avoid her and ran out of gas.

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Ooo, what you got?

Words I’m Beginning To Hate

1. chillax

2. literally (i actually hate its constantly improper usage but the word is naturally tied to my hate)

3. epic

4. anointing (this has actually been on the list for a while)

5. tweeps

Egg-ceptional Deep Down (Oh, Shut Up)

I think I’m doing okay, you know?

I’ve achieved some stuff in my life so far.

I’ve accomplished some goals.

I’ve discovered some talents and tried to put them to use.

I’m trying to do some good, looking to make a difference around me.

I think, for the most part, I’m progressing nicely as a human being, contributing my small but worthwhile portion to humanity.

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Despite all those things, though, I continually remind myself that I am a failure at cleanly and effectively peeling a hard-boiled egg.

What’s wrong with me??

That’s Kinda Cool

I was thinking last night that it would be cool to share some music with someone else, not illegally giving them the files (ahem) but streaming my music so someone else could listen and enjoy some tunes they themselves don’t have. I thought that was only possible if both parties were on the same network.

However, it turns out my thoughts were wrong. I found SimplifyMedia, a free download that allows you to share your music with anyone else on just about any platform. This is also handy if you want to have your music on your home computer available to you when you’re away from home. That only works if your computer is left on, but the option is still nice.

No files are uploaded or transferred; your library is viewable/listenable by whomever you grant permission. Pretty cool idea. And I especially love that it’s free.

After giving it a test run yesterday on iTunes I can say that it does just what it says. Pretty fun. And apparently it’s not just for iTunes – it can also be used with Winamp, Front Row, Window Media Player and you can connect with your computer or iPhone or iPod Touch.

Go, technology, go.

Nothin’ But Net

Yeah, I’m a little jealous… Even though I know the President could wipe the court with me.

The War Of Art

Are you a born writer? Were you put on earth to be a painter, a scientist, an apostle of peace? In the end the question can only be answered by action.

Do it or don’t do it.

It may help to think of it this way. If you were meant to cure cancer or write a symphony or crack cold fusion and you don’t do it, you not only hurt yourself, even destroy yourself. You hurt your children. You hurt me. You hurt the planet.

You shame the angels who watch over you and you spite the Almighty, who created you and only you with your unique gifts, for the sole purpose of nudging the human race one millimeter farther along its path back to God.

Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It’s a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve got.

This is the closing thought to Steven Pressfield’s book The War of Art. This work is a quick read meant to kick you square in the butt, to wake you up and drive you to stare down whatever it is that stops you from creating, stops you from being who you were meant to be.

I can make all the excuses in the world for not dreaming, for not creating, composing, imagining. But they’d still be excuses and I’ll still have done nothing.

Put aside fear and dream.

Sounds For My Soul (Present Favorites), Pt. VI

I love Patty Griffin. She is easily one of my favorite artists of all time and is definitely in my top three now and has been for quite a while. She brings a winning brand of folk/country/rock and does so with an incredible voice and excellent songwriting. With a combination like that, is it any wonder why I dig her so much?

I recently learned that she was playing a couple of shows here in Texas this week. Unfortunately, they’re a few hours away and while I strongly considered making the trip for both shows I’ve decided it’s probably best for me to hold off for now for sake of funds and driving safety. A bit disappointing, yes.

So, in honor of Patty being in town I dedicate today’s “Sounds For My Soul” to her. This first song is called “Long Ride Home,” a pure Patty classic from the great album 1,000 Kisses.

And because Patty Griffin is so great, let’s share another song, eh? This one is called “Rain” also from the 1,000 Kisses album. The recording below is her performing the song live, taken from her A Kiss In Time record. If I had to pick my all-time favorite song from any artist right now, today, I think “Rain” would top the list.

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Previous entries of SFMS:

Pt. I
Pt. II
Pt. III
Pt. IV
Pt. V

There’s Always Enough

With every passing day I grow more and more convinced that life can never relied on to be “normal,” that when we reach some level of stability it’s not necessarily the way it’s supposed to be, it’s just one experience before the next one.

I don’t say this pessimistically, I say it to reflect on how to deal with life. My goal can’t be about achieving normalcy, whatever that is, but about finding my footing in the ever-changing scenery of highs and lows that is life.

Things will always happen. Amazing things are in store during the journey. Unbelievable pain may await us as well. Disappointment is sure to visit us along with joy unspeakable. That is life. I can’t find my stability in only the positive, comfortable places; I have to master standing upright from the quiet through the chaos.

The pain may melt away. Disappointment can be reversed. But where do I find my footing while I’m there? I can’t dwell on my lack of career/house/wealth/stuff/prestige/authority because I’ll be depressed until it all changes. I need to embrace the good that is definitely around me, that is always around me. The good of my family, the good of my prosperity that more than half the world will never taste, the good of a forgiving, loving God.

There’s always enough good. I have to purposefully find it. I have to cling on to it with everything I have lest I be swept away by the noise of the negative which is constantly clamoring for attention.

There’s always enough.

This Is Just Sad

A sign of the times? I can hear Martin Bashir now…