Lessons from the Boss

I am enamored by Bruce Springsteen... and I've put a lot of time into figuring out why. Few other artists have made me cry so many times, laugh so many times, and inspired me as much as he has. I think part of the key to this ability is that for Bruce, its not a one-trick game. Its not just the songwriting, not just the showmanship, not just the craft, not just the sound. Music is a confluence of all of the emotions, talents, and abilities of his mind, body, and soul as well as those of the musicians he plays with. And it appears as though he approaches his music the same way he approaches his life-- there isn't an "on" switch he flicks when he goes on stage or into the studio. He's just Bruce Springsteen, all the time, which lends his craft authenticity.

But tactics aside, it is the result of this process that is what has captured me and countless others: When the man goes on stage, he exudes energy, appearing to be bursting out of his own skin ignited by the Holy Spirit of all things musical, emotional, powerful; and everyone around him-- the musicians and audience alike-- can't help but get caught up in that same spirit. For those moments of ecstasy I experience listening to the Boss, I am at once free of the things that bring me down, and intimately in touch with the things that I love.

The feeling I come away with, after the ecstasy, on the drive home from the concert or at the end of the album, is one of admiration, especially as a guitarist, songwriter, and performer; and a nagging question of "how can I become more like this man that I admire me so?" But lets look at the facts: what I like so much about Bruce is the way he approaches what he does with every ounce of his body and soul. Throw your heart and soul into it. This is something I can do. Now, there tends to be a notion of intangibility when you look at celebrities and admire them. But its important to remember that celebrities are just samplings of people, and that there are people who aren't celebrities that have these same qualities. There is nothing about being a "celebrity" that implies that their qualities are intangible.

I think when we allow ourselves to become so absorbed by a celebrity, we have the tendency to let ourselves down. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with celebrities, or admiring them, but its important to keep our heads in reality, looking out for those qualities we admire in the stars, in real people that we see on the streets, at school, or in our groups of friends. Its people that we admire, celebrities and those around us alike, that inspire us and allow us to grow.

This video clip is from his second appearance on Spectacle: Elvis Costello with... and is a great example of how his energy fuels the band and audience alike. As much as I love the E Street Band, I like how this isn't the E Street Band-- it's Elvis's band-- because it shows how Bruce can fuel any band to play with that kind of energy. Enjoy!

Piano in Washington Square

Has anyone ever noticed the acoustics in Washington Square Park?

The other night, my brother and his girlfriend came up for a visit. We walked around the city all day, taking advantage of the recent change in weather. By evening, we found ourselves strolling into Washington Square, where we decided to just sit and listen for a little while. Some young musician had rolled his upright piano out into the middle of the park, and, for whatever change was dropped in the bucket, provided the most incredible atmosphere for a beautiful night.

He was playing Debussy's "Suite Bergamasque." Its a beautiful piece, that always captures me when I hear it, yet there was something more to it that night. Somehow the acoustics of Washington Square added a bit of magic to the mix. I think the way that the circular piazza is situated-- just far enough from any real traffic, and large enough for it never to seem crowded-- mixes the transient noise of young families, couples old and young, and college students into an intimate atmosphere that puts the musician and passersby in conversation. The acoustics of the circle morph the outdoor park into a grand space defined by music-- music of the streets, music of people, and music of a piano.

But very simply, it represented to me what life in the city can be at its best. People coming together in a public space, enjoying and appreciating those around us. It was a peaceful as a night under the stars... which will likely be the topic of my next post.

Three fifty degree days in a row after a long cold winter... Its no wonder George Harrison ever wrote Here Comes the Sun.

Architecture+Lifestyle

Here's a great article from the NYTimes from 2008. I read it a while ago, and recently rediscovered it. Its about a beautiful piece of architecture that I think is at once vernacular and contemporary. One of the most interesting ideas is that it was almost entirely designed around the idea of making every window a picture window. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/07/garden/07clingstone.html

The next idea I love about this is the way in which, after decades of neglect, it was revitalized and how it is still kept up. The owners hold work weekends, where they brings friends and workers (who become friends) who are willing to give a little hard labor in return for rest and relaxation. No cash transaction involved. Its friends helping out friends, in return for friendship.

Now isn't that what being human is all about?

Music on my Mind

I've known this song for a while, but it came on my iPod the other day and it was as if it were the first time I'd heard it. A beautiful song, well worth a few listens. I'll let the music do the talking:

Stories from the Pine Ridge- The Bloody Waters will Run Clear Again

Hopefully this post will be the first of a series. I cannot go on blogging much longer without bringing up my experiences this past summer on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. I traveled there with a wonderful group of close friends and two teachers a few weeks after graduating high school-- a trip we had been preparing for for about a year. We went with plans to to run a Bible camp for some of the children out there, and with the intent of keeping open hearts and minds to the beautiful Lakota culture.

While there, we had the tremendous privilege of meeting with and listening to some of the kindest, wisest, and most spiritually powerful people I have ever met. We would sit down with them (always sitting, as Arlo's Uncle Jim explained, because you never really listen unless your seated eye to eye) and listen for hours and hours to their stories of their culture, and accounts of the woes of the reservation today. I would love to bring you all of these stories, however I could never do them any justice relaying to you. But there are a few that cannot go untold, and this is the first of several:

Leonard Littlefinger, a highly respected and intently busy man of about 70, with a remarkable memory and, its worth mentioning, one of the most intelligent and worldly people I've come across, spoke with us a few different times during our stay in the Pine Ridge. This man has lived quite a full life-- he has traveled and worked around the world, fought tirelessly for his people's rights, devoted a great deal of his life to preserving Lakota culture (he speaks English, of course, as well as Lakota, and I'm pretty certain he knows a few other languages), and for a brief time, as he puts it, (i.e. about a decade) he taught in the public school system on the reservation so that he could truly understand the sorry shape of his people's schools. And now, at over 70 years old, he is preparing to open a school that he has formed and built through his global efforts, that will educated Lakota children in their own culture, language, and traditions, as opposed to the imposed education system that is truly detrimental to the continuity of their culture. When asked if he thinks he'll ever slow down or retire, he just chuckles a little to himself. This is a man deeply invested in the well being of all those around him. Being in his presence, you can sense the burden he gracefully carries and have nothing but respect for him.

Amidst his busy schedule, he took a good chunk of time out of his day to spend an afternoon with us to tell us about his family's history. We turned off of the main road, down a dirt driveway to the middle of an open field where a modest and traditional shade structure. We met Littlefinger there, and all sat down amongst the various benches and former car seats scattered under the shade. It was a hot day, but in the shade, by the water, with a constant slow breeze, it was cool and peaceful. Leonard began by making sure we all knew about the Massacre of Wounded Knee, which happened about 20 miles from where we were.

The Massacre of Wounded Knee, recognized by the US Gov't as the "Battle" of Wounded Knee until the 1980's, occurred on December 29, 1890. A group of 250 Sioux women and children, plus about 100 warriors, had finally turned themselves into the U.S. Calvary and were being transported onto their new land, after the government took away more of their reservation land. That night, (now, there is some speculation on what actually happened, so I will be telling from what I heard on the reservation, as it is the best anyone can figure) as they were setting up camp, the Sioux were in the valley, and the Calvary was keeping watch from an encampment atop the hill-- where they had four Hotchkiss guns aimed at the camp below. All of the weapons were collected and heaped in a stock pile. As a few soldiers were doing a final round of checks, one weapon fell from the pile and discharged on its own. At that, the soldiers opened fire from the hill on the innocent women and children below and unarmed men.

Leonard Littlefinger's grandfather and great great grandfather-- Chief Big Foot, leader of the Lakota-- were there. Chief Big Foot was killed in the massacre, and his grandfather, at about 12 years old, survived. In fact, most of the survivors were young boys. In the negative temperatures, they were the only ones that stood any chance of escape. Their mothers told them to run, keep running, through the night, as far as they possibly could. His grandfather had been shot in the leg and ankle, and yet he ran through the frigid night and hid, by himself, for the next year and a half in a valley twenty miles away, constantly moving to avoid the U.S. troops who were looking for survivors.

His grandfather eventually settled on the land we were sitting on, listening to Leonard tell us this. He raised his family there, and its where Leonard was raised. It is still his land. The story of Wounded Knee likely makes you mad, it should infuriate you, ignite a righteous passion for justice. And yet the real power of this story is one of healing. Leonard and his family have grown up with the understanding that the country they live in tried to kill them-- this country of freedom and democracy. Leonard remembers fishing with his grandfather, and looking at the scars on his leg from Wounded Knee. And yet, he strongly believes in a statement his grandfather said to him, which he shared with us:

The bloody waters will always run crystal clear again.

This statement from a man who still feels in his family and his community the pain and loss of the Massacre. From a man who lives on a reservation with 85% alcoholism, and 85% unemployment. A community stricken with gang violence. A people with a life expectancy about 20 years less than the national average, and an infant mortality rate twice the national average. 69% of children that do survive live below the poverty line. (Statistics from Red Cloud Indian School)

If this man has no time for cynicism, then nobody does.

So in closing, I invite you to do what Leonard Littlefinger told us to do: Take what's beautiful of cultures you experience and incorporate them into your own life. And trust that the bloody waters will always run crystal clear again.

Mitakuye Oyasin

AS a SIDE NOTE: Leonard Littlefinger also played an NPR show for us that day which he had recorded a few years ago about the repatriation of a lock of his great great grandfather's, Chief Big Foot, hair which was taken after he was killed at Wounded Knee. Please take some time to the listen to the story, it can much more eloquently portray the events than I, and gives a wonderful insight into Lakota culture. Find the story at this link:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1081864

Love these two men...

Photo Credits: Pete Souza

A great shot of two of my favorite men-- Bob Dylan and President Obama-- shaking hands at the White House celebration of Music of Civil Rights Movement.

I've had the great privilege of seeing both of them, and its remarkable to have them in the same place. Its also nice to find Dylan doing something other than his never-ending tour. Both of these men have had a significant impact on my life, and this photo really struck me.