Slave To The Music

Music Abducted Me. Did it Claim You too?

            Ask yourself,  “Am I a Slave to the Music?” 
                   Then ask, “What does it  ‘mean’ ?” 


This can very easily have a positive or negative meaning. First, let’s focus on the positive. Music is universal. It is a language that human and animal kind, understand alike. It bridges the gap that words & writing may not extend to. You can wake up in the morning & have your favorite song circling around in your head. The next thing you know you’re either humming or singing it out-loud as you make-up your bed & get yourself ready for the day with a smile on your face. Depending on the type of song, music can heal, bring joy, or allow us to release the pains that come with every-day life. 

For instance, if you live a life like mine, music is your friend & your comfort when you have no one else around. You can smile & feel the happiness it gives you or allow it to connect with your anger & drown out your pain. “To Be a Slave to the Music” is to let music into your soul. You may not be a prima donna opera singer or soul-singing virtuoso but there’s something about the way music makes us feel that we just want to express it. Some of us sing & dance, others may paint, draw, write poetry, get inspired to do insurmountable things, & so forth. The list goes on. Many of us dream about singing alongside our favorite Artist or to just be in their presence as they are creating their music. To experience a moment like that would be the essence of many of our lives. Even if we may never have that miraculous experience we stay content with the music the Artist delivers to us. It is in the music that we feel closest to them & ourselves.

Now on the other-hand, being a “slave” to the music can have a negative effect on us if we’re not careful. It is very easy to obstinately say, No, not me! I love my Artists & the music they produce, but I’m not “obsessed” with it or them. It is a tug & pull with the emotions we may feel, especially if we’ve seen the Artist in interviews reveal their strengths & weaknesses. This information instantly makes us feel closer to them. They no longer seem so “unattainable”. They actually seem “REAL” like you & me, which they are to some extent. It’s hard to tell if we are truly seeing the Artist for who they are or if they’re just putting on their best face. We all put on our best faces when the opportunity calls for it. It is part of their job to show their selves in the best light to gain their followers. But is it worth compromising honesty and authenticity to put forth an exaggerated image just to show an ass of yourself later when the cameras are not on you? It’s hard to say. For myself, I want to see the best part of my Artists when they’re sharing their selves but I don’t want it to be a cover from who they really are. It is devastating to find out that an Artist you look up to so highly & think so fondly of is just a jerk after all. As part of the audience, a listener, a fan, it is something I’ll never receive a real answer for. The lifestyle they live creates the barrier between our lives & theirs. Trust is a factor because now they must be cautious of who is trying to win their favor for a moment in the spotlight. 

                         

The more & more we learn about who they are in various interviews as well as the music they produce bridges the gap between fame & the lives that “you & I” live. Before we know it, we play the music all day long & all night. We may sleep with it playing in the ear-phones of our CD or mp3 player. Then just like that we’re hooked. It is the power of music. Music is the Master & the listener is the Slave. The difference is this happens unexpectedly in some cases, not by choice. There are people who would probably not see a problem in this kind of relationship because music can be “harmless”, as we tell ourselves. But a fine line can be crossed when you start fantasizing and imagining your life with the Artist & actually “act” on it. That’s when the trouble starts. 

When that high from the joy they make you feel starts to become jealousy or anger when they don’t “acknowledge” or respond to you, can easily turn your every-day life into shambles. You feel you are being slighted by the artist when you reach out to him or her & all you see is responses to everyone else. Your mind starts whirling. In the beginning you may sweep it under the rug but over time when you see the same repetitious behavior you may start questioning, “What’s wrong with me? What makes me so different that this artist is not showing me any love?” What do I have to do to get their attention? And subconsciously you could be unknowingly thinking, “How can I win their affections?” 
{We forget they have heavily laden schedules & numerous fans daily}

This could create a cycle of inappropriate behavior or various measures of expression to get their attention. Many fans show “inappropriate” behavior firsthand hoping to get a response instantly. The more modest fans just wait passively and express an occasional Hi, how are you? & I love your music. Sometimes being the passive fan can get played-out very quick when there are no results. The best example I can think of is the song Stan, the 3rd single from Eminem’s third studio album Marshall Mathers LP. The elements of the song brings a somber, mellow, emotionally charged intense atmosphere with the rain, thunder, & Eminem’s narrative but the melody will capture you. It is a deep & powerful song right to the very end when he raps: 
     

“Some dude was drunk and drove his car over a bridge
and had his girlfriend in the trunk, and she was pregnant with his kid
and in the car they found a tape, but they didn't say who it was to
Come to think about, his name was.. it was you
Damn!”

Wikipedia quotes,  "Stan" has been called one of Eminem's best songs and is considered one of his signature songs. Rolling Stone magazine ranked "Stan" at #296 in their list in The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song was also listed at #15 on VH1's list of the greatest hip hop songs of all-time. In April 2011, Complex magazine put together a list of the 100 Greatest Eminem songs, ranking "Stan" at #2. 
                                               
That’s a bad ass song! It connects to everyone. That’s why it is one of his iconic songs. An Artist has made the biggest contribution to man-kind when he or she can take you inside their mind & make you “feel” what they feel. It is the biggest contribution because it gives us something to relate to as human beings. We say to ourselves, “Finally someone else is going through what I’m going through or has been through it before.”

Just ask yourself, “How do I know I am not Stan? How do we know we have not reached that point of no return with our infatuation with a music Artist?” It’s so easy to get caught up. Music Artists may or may not know how much power is in their hands. To evoke emotional responses from your fellow man is enough power to equate to the super-natural, even God. It may not be too far from the truth since many people idolize their favorite artists. I’m speaking of the relentless groupies, the sold-out concerts, the memorabilia, and the “die-hard” fans. Some are ashamed of their behaviors; others don’t see it, & the rest justify it as being something special that makes them happy. There are Artists who pride themselves on being referred to as “Gods”. They are aware of the power they possess & revel in all the glory. They don’t have a clue what they are getting their selves into, or maybe perhaps that’s what they want. 

It can get out of hand. Many artists don’t realize it can be a serious matter handling something so fragile. Then when confronted with the extremity they are scared out of their wits because they’re playing 2 characters. The Artist is the 1st character & the individual is the 2nd. The Individual is baffled by this reaction whereas the Artist may enjoy the overall attention. I shouldn’t mistake the fact that the Artist can still get scared from too much response as well. Even they can’t live in the façade forever. They are still human, just like the rest of us. Either way it goes we’re all Slaves to the Music, whether we like it or not. If music moves your soul there’s really nothing you can do about it, just make sure it has a place in your life but doesn’t dictate your life & control your actions for the worst.

<3 Serenada’s Pen

 

Challenging The Prison We Set Ourselves In

2:33pm April 17, 2012

Enough becomes 'Enough' when you feel caged in from what is "out of your control". I've lived my life, 20 + years, by everyone’s' standards & rules. The time of change surfaces when you lose your grip on 'Control' & it turns you into the ugliest thing that's tearing you down in the first place. 

I'm discovering that I'm not the only one who is in this mental place of suffering. From a 2-hour conversation with a friend on the phone yesterday, I realize I'm not the only one who feels like a little spec on a sheet of paper. It doesn't matter if you're single, living at home with family, jobless, or married, with kids, & equally unemployed. If you feel the walls are closing in on you, there is no escape or hope from your predicament.

In so many ways I pride myself as a 'voice of reason', even if that may sound conceited. I'm not perfect nor am I an expert on many things, but like Oprah stated of herself, "All my life I have always known I was born into greatness", I believe many of us possess an awareness of knowing, and we tap into intuitively. Psychology & Sociology studies are nowhere in my education so I wonder how I'm able to connect the dots on topics that are challenging for many people to grapple. 

As my friend & I talked the deliverance of my understanding centered around "Change". Change is the key to turning an unfulfilled and unsatisfactory dilemma into a healthy, productive, direction that is fulfilling. There comes a point when we MUST say to ourselves, "Enough IS ENOUGH", when the only thing we're doing is pacifying our problems. One of the main points I tried to make to my friend was, you NEED to stop dwelling in your own self-pity. Moping, Groping, wah this & that is not gonna "Change" anything! We've had this conversation before & as her friend it was my duty to speak to her with "Reason". She may not heed my advice due to ego or feeling defeated, but at least I know it was put out there & she could choose to do what she wanted with it.

It can be scary to be hit with the realization that everything we're used to may not be as healthy as we thought. The realization may be: Family doesn't act or support like a FAMILY, My career is not the career I wanted, my husband or wife is not compatible with me, I started a family too early in my life, my parents did not prepare me for life in the long-run,  I'm holding myself back from life & what I could be 'Giving' to it, & in my friend's case, No one is THERE FOR ME. 

'NO ONE IS THERE FOR ME' sounds like a common frustration I can believe people experience everywhere. I can definitely relate to this because I equally felt this way growing up. She's doing EVERYTHING for everyone with nothing being given in return. This is not to be confused with the act of giving in terms of gifts or acts of kindness with nothing to be expected in return or you miss the whole point. Even though it goes hand in hand, this form of 'giving' is when you're put in the position of care-giver, or money lender, the leader, the supporter, the giver. Much of yourself is put towards everything but in the end you feel depleted, resentful, & unfulfilled. 

After hearing her release tension on this feeling I asked her, So what are you going TO DO about it? It is what It is, another favorite line of mine [Basketball Wives & other reality shows]. This method I'm using could be a form of Problem-Solving, so I take pride in using it to get to the root of a problem & better place. What I came to find was she kept using 'Defeat' as her answer. She kept saying, ' I DON'T KNOW'. So of course I had to re-affirm that she does know what to do & she does. It's just a matter of Doing it! 

Even though discussing many of her set-backs would be beneficial due to being relatable, I'd rather respect her life & not go into extreme detail. But it does allow me to state to the masses- If we're going to LIVE the life we want, we must face what is making us unhappy, depressed, unfulfilled, angry, frustrated, whatever. I'm here to let you know, I'm equally in the sinking ship. There are many facets of my life I NEED to change & make better. So I'm not exempt! I think discussing this topic in a candid, analytic, fulfilling way can bring a sense of awareness & hope to all who feel trapped. We can pull each other together, bring relief to know we're not alone, & regain control of our lives for a better future.