This blog will not be about books, but about my other great love. Music.I sometimes have to wonder which is greater, my love of books and reading, or of music. And listening.
The great regret of my life is the fact that I, at one point, [I know it is insane]…. gave up on my career as a musician because of my love for God. I am a drummer.
Always have been… I was born with that gift of a knowledge of rhythm -- used to beat up all my mom's kitchen chairs… and she would have to re-upholster them until they looked like some sort of…. pregnant mushroom thing. In grade 3, my dad finally understood that we could no longer sustain the loss of furniture, I needed a set of drums, and he bought me one. Then I commenced with the shaking of all the kitchen plates from their shelves, upstairs.
I played in many bands, the great joy of my life.
But then I converted to Christianity at the age of 21, and felt that all music was "of the Devil."
Sold my custom-made Milestone© drum kit to Jesus [in the guise of some other unconverted guy] and sort of…. abandoned my desires. In the negative corollary of Joe Campbell's famous dictum, I UNFULFILLED my bliss.
It is without a doubt the great regret [and horrid mistake] of my life.
But -- here is the strange thing. As I have progressed through life, spending a tumultuous decade in the The Faith and then abandoning that nonsense, my love for music has not waned, but in fact, has intensified.
And here is the remarkable thing:
In the music I now love, it is not so much the drums that I most miss….. it is the idea of accompanying the guitar sounds! That was always what it was that gave me the initial impetus to drum. I find that of all musical instruments, I love [in an innate way] the guitar, best.
The music that most speaks to me nowadays, [David Gilmour, Joe Bonamassa, Collective Soul, 3 Doors Down, Joe Satriani, AC/DC, Eric Clapton, John Mayer] it is really all about the guitar.
The GUITAR.
Those interpretive moments between and within the beat of a song, that is where the [in my opinion] most remarkable talent lies.
For an example of what I am saying [listen to the silent moments where nothing is being played]…. click on the above image of Joe Bonamassa, playing my favorite of all of his songs, Sloe Gin.
A devotion to Jesus can give you a lot of great things, yes, but it can also take away too much.
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We seem to have a lot in common. Those are my two great loves, also. I love to surround myself with books and good music. As for music, I prefer authenticity...absolutely hate the way that Pro-Tools and other computer programs are used today to make mediocre singers sound as if they can sing. Pitch adjustment is an obscenity. I love the real thing: roots blues, mountain music, bluegrass, real country music, old school R&B, early rock, etc. Way too many people getting by today with no talent because they have tight asses and big boobs...
ReplyDeleteYou can still start a career in music. Looking at who is touring these days, you are still a youngster! ;-)
ReplyDeleteYou can join my band if you want; I do actually need a drummer.
ReplyDeletehttp://radio3.cbc.ca/#/bands/The-Pretty-Little-Violets
click on the little green arrow thing on the right to hear a song.
As long as you aren't dead, it is never too late to follow your dream. You can still play drums, so get thee to a band! also, it sounds like you would enjoy learning to play the guitar. Why not?
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