Tuesday, April 19, 2011

The Birth Of The Cool



While writing this morning, I played Miles Davis' "Summertime" on Youtube. The next recommendation was the New Kids on the Block version of "Summertime" which gave me considerable pause and must have sent Miles spinning in his grave. I skipped the new kiddies and went to John Coltrane's "So What" which always makes me think of Joy Behar saying, "So what? Who cares?" and I realize that unlike the United Negro College Fund slogan about the mind being a terrible thing to waste, I realize my mind is just a terrible thing. Which makes me think of Dan Quayle's bungling of this line years ago. And so it goes.

Some things are unobtainable when you want them too fiercely -- being cool, being happy, finding someone to love. Some things don't work when the effort is seen -- a sacrifice ceases to be one when you are acting like it is a chore, writing that appears labored doesn't work (the irony being that only when you labor over writing intensely does it appear effortless, a gift handed down from an angel, the only secret being that you had to wrestle with that angel like Jacob did and the writing is the scar you receive for your battle). It's all so simple and yet so complicated. As Easter approaches, I think of this season of lent, of renewal and sacrifice and hope. The dark closes in and then there is light. Never one without the other. Such is the nature of joy. We must acknowledge the reality of the tomb before we can rise.

Michelle's Spell of the Day
"Everything in the universe is within you. Ask all from yourself." Rumi

Cocktail Hour
Movie suggestion: Win Win

Benedictions and Maledictions
Happy Tuesday! Welcome back Heff and a special hello to the lovely Lana! And no, the Louds do not have big butts. Only I do. Ha!

8 comments:

Mark Roy Long said...

And then you've got Ministry's "So What" as well . . . vintage industrial death speed metal that's good to grade papers by. You know, when you're in that "Flunk 'em all, let God sort 'em out" mode.

Charles Gramlich said...

I always wanted to be cool. It was beyond my grasp. I put up my review of your novella over on my blog today.

Anonymous said...

My Cadillac with the fuzzy dice is way over the cool line!--Ravelstein

jodi said...

Darling Michelle-Sonny James is getting big! Why do you have so many phones? I NEED you espadrilles, if it ever warms up here! Can't wait to see you, cool thing....xo

Jason said...

I'm always a little perplexed at where my mind will take me as different sensory inputs come through. Smells, sounds, a spoken phrase...

Memory must be the strangest element to our brains, right?

Andy said...

The merchants of cool have it all figured out.

the walking man said...

Want nothing, accept everything and *shrug* remember breath is all that really counts, unless of course your sitting atop an incinerator smoke stack.

sage said...

I like your thoughts on how some things, the harder we try, the harder to achieve... and it's neat the way you tied them into the Lent/Good Friday/Easter cycle.