The Beat Poet

During my semester abroad, I had the pleasure of attending a few poetry slams. Spoken word poetry is one of the most powerful mediums I have experienced, and listening to one talented poet after another was truly an honor and a privilege. The thing about spoken word poetry, like that written and performed by Saul Williams and others, is that it often is meant to stand up to establishment or challenge injustice, speaking truth into the darkness. In short, spoken word poetry is supposed to change the world. At least, that is the intent. But for all the poems and songs and performances that are given by so many talented artists, the world is still broken and we still aren't doing our part to fix it.

With that in mind I wrote this. I call it The Beat Poet.

Art and Artists: Lyricists

There are few things better in life than combining one thing I enjoy with another. For example: root beer and vanilla ice cream, lunar eclipses and Pink Floyd, football and Saturdays. One accentuates the other to the extent that both are enjoyed on a larger scale, often so much so as to illustrate the idea that the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. Pretty cool.

One of my favorite combinations is of music and profound poetic genius...and while profound might be a bit of a stretch, a song with powerful or beautiful or poignant lyrics will always catch my ear more than one that could be written by a middle schooler. Perhaps this explains my affinity for folk and indie music while maintaining a general dislike of rap and hip hop (yes, I know there are some rappers who are masters of word choice...there are exceptions to every rule).

So, About Tucker

Lest anyone think I was too hard on poor Mr. Carlson (or not hard enough) in my last submission, I want to follow up with a bit of clarification and expansion of what I previously wrote. Don't worry, I'm not going back on anything I said before. Rather, I want to make sure it is clear where I am coming from.

Recently I have been rereading one of my favorite books, Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. Seemingly every day that I read it, something jumps out at me worth writing about and commenting on in this space. But that would be annoying and you know it, so I refrain. You can thank me later.

TTS: Tucker Carlson

Before I get much further, I want to point out something: I don't hate Tucker Carlson. Far from it. The man is probably quite personable, someone I might enjoy getting a beer with. Or not. Regardless, Tucker Carlson - the news commentator, the pundit - sucks. He just sucks. The way I look at if I want to remain friends with someone is very simple: do they bring something to the table - as in energy or conversation or positivity or something - or do they take something away, by being negative or classless or what have you. Tucker Carlson, while not a friend (by any means), brings nothing to the table. Instead, he takes a whole bunch off the table. A whole bunch. In short, Tucker Carlson sucks.

Should I provide examples? Yeah, I guess so...due diligence and all. Without further ado, I present:

Things Tucker Carlson Is

Slide

Sometimes I think I should start a blog concerned with nothing beyond the movie Fight Club and the philosophies and thoughts contained within it. I would never argue that it is the best movie ever made, but I have learned more from it than from any other film. If you have not yet noticed, many of the posts in this blog reference or explicitly quote the film in one way or another. This post is no different. Bear with me.

One of my favorite scenes from the film is known as Human Sacrifice. Before we go any further, please click the link and watch the scene. Thanks. Now we can continue. While Tyler Durden's thought process is questionable and his results are debatable, perhaps the most important part of this scene is a voiceover the Narrator (Edward Norton) gives in passing as the two men leave the convenience store: "No fear, no distractions. The ability to let that which does not matter truly slide."

I cited that statement over social media earlier this year and was quickly presented with this (likely rhetorical) question: "How do you do that?" Simple question, but certainly relevant. I do think there is something to find, otherwise I wouldn't look. That said, here we go.

A Quiet Desperation

Sometimes it is necessary to be honest with oneself. If I am going to take "γνῶθι σεαυτόν" seriously then I have to be willing to look myself in the eye and say what needs to be said, to explore things that it would be convenient to ignore. I like to think that I am a fairly self-aware individual, a person who doesn't shy away from reality for the sake of convenience.

Deep down, beneath all my pretentions and hangups, I really just want to be wanted.

It isn't a matter of loneliness or community. I have friends, family, brothers and people to talk to and lean on. Sometimes those categories blur, sometimes they do not. I can walk into a room and see individuals both glad and annoyed that I am there. This is natural, I think, part of most people's life experience. I wouldn't trade the reality of who I am and the existence I lead for anything.

Art and Artists: Freelance Whales

In keeping with my belief that anything I have to say has already been said better than I could ever say it, I will let the Freelance Whales introduce themselves to you.

"To call them multi-instrumentalists might be a little overdone. The kids in Freelance Whales are really just collectors, at heart. They don’t really fancy buffalo nickels or Victorian furniture, but over the past two years, they’ve been collecting instruments, ghost stories, and dream-logs. Somehow, from this strange compost heap of little sounds and quiet thoughts, songs started to rise up like steam from the ground."