weekend recap...music, politics, and people

another weekend and of course another trip to sf. jumping to the highlights...

• being given a flower
• a return to Stacks and a huge, delicious omelet
• the Exploratorium...and finding out u've got to be in the right mood to go there...
• window shopping
• Poleng and all it entailed
• a shot for Los
• the houseparty
• late nite Cybelle's and Safeway fried chicken with a gatorade chaser
• filling up on curly fries and ranch sauce
• lots of walking
• the perfect weather
  

the funny thing about the weekend was how it involved doing a couple of things that weren't the most fun when considered as a single experience, but they were still tons of fun because of the company one keeps. u can do something that turns out to be less than u'd hoped for or exactly as not fun as u predicted but still have a great time because you are with good people.

being up in sf around such quality people as always reminds me of how great the City is and how lucky i am to know the people i do and be able to call them my friends.

. . . . . . . . .

politics are of obvious importance these days. i've engaged in a handful of discussions about politics, the candidates and so on. i've also spent more time reading up on things and learning more about the lay of the land and what have you.

one thing i find interesting is the intensity some individuals possess about their beliefs. obviously passions will abound on such matters but i'm dumbfounded at the negativity and distaste felt for individuals within the same party. it doesn't make sense and i don't think it really serves any purpose, especially on the democratic side where the tow candidates share much in common and each would represent a major (historic) change and a step in the right direction.

i feel this distaste, this divisiveness does no one good and results in individuals being unable to listen to each other, learn from each other, and grow. anyway, i think my style when it comes to espousing political opinions is more of one in which i discuss things with an individual as opposed to blogging about it.

speaking of blogs and politics, Nick's blog has a link to a very interesting article about art and politics. this leads to the next topic of the evening...


the article wasn't exactly what i thought it was going to be, but i found it very interesting, informative, and thought provoking. as with some of the events from the weekend, just because something isn't what you thought doesn't mean it isn't of equal value.

the arts serve an important purpose in our lives, something that goes beyond anything politics could ever reach [as important as politics may be and as historic as this presidential race may be]. the arts are a form of communication, a way of reaching one another and touching one another's lives.

the 50th Grammy Awards were handed out last nite. taking into account my personal enjoyment of kanYe west and his work, i felt like his performance last nite was simply outstanding. many people criticize him for his cockiness, his tantrums at award shows, etc. multiple people tell me that his lack of humility detracts from his appeal, making these people like him and his music less.

i completely understand that viewpoint. i do not dispute it. but at the same time there is something about the artist. he does possess a talent that few others do. and, ironically, in his music he is at times both self-indulging and also humble and questions himself...i wonder if people see these things beyond his award show outbursts.

but beyond these points, performances like the one he gave last nite set him apart. his rousing performance of Stronger was possibly one of the greatest performances i've ever seen. yet he managed to top such a fierce performance moments later with his rendition of Hey Mama, a dedication to his mother who recently passed away.

music is often used to convey emotions, express oneself, manage one's emotions...to find strength, to find a way to continue on. kanYe has definitely turned to the music and the fans in finding the strength to deal with such a significant loss. to see an individual truly put so much of himself into something, to invest so much emotion and create something that is truly touching is amazing.

seeing him go from a performance that was as much of a show as anyone could ever put on at the Grammy's to a somber, focused, understated tribute was simply amazing. you can hear the emotion in his voice, feel it in how he carried himself, and see it in his eyes. to see the reception he received after his performance speaks to the power of music, of the arts. as important as the political climate may be, for me it will never reach the importance of something i feel is a basic part of our being.

you see, as into himself as Ye may be at times, his performance of Hey Mama indicates his ability to rise above any of the tantrums and be a true artist. it shows that, as much as some may be detracted from his apparent lack of humility, he is at the same time an artist unlike any other...one deserving of a certain admiration for being something others are not...

and yes, i sound like the world's biggest kanYe west supporter at this point, i'm sure. but personally it's more about an appreciation of art and music. i've written about music a lot in this space [the blog generally, not just this post]. so, as i've begun to start leaving reviews on Yelp, i feel a desire to start a second blog devoted strictly to music. i also still want to start a golf blog.

and with the release of the 25th Anniversary Edition of Michael Jackson's Thriller coming tomorrow, i feel there couldn't be a better time to start. so here's the link to what will hopefully be a fruitful blog about music entailing my silly opinions and reviews of albums, songs, what have u as i purchase , come across , and experience them. so here's the link: '...just like music...'

don't worry, there will still be plenty of stuff here and some possible overlap with the two...