Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Inklings of a manifesto...

As some of you may or may not know, I am currently occupying the envious position of dishwasher at the hip, cool vegetarian restaurant "Handlebar" (as in a bike handlebar, not the mustache). Yesterday was busy as shit and made me want to fucking quit. It got me thinking about a lot of things, not the least of which was the direction my education, life choices, et cetera, had taken me to end up back in the dish pit. Of course I know that the end result of all my work and effort hasn't been to get me back in a dishwasher job, it's just the drudgery that's currently necessary to allow me to continue my real work. However, it also afforded me ample opportunity to think about my real work. Obviously, I'm a musician, we're all musicians, but we're not just musicians and it's a cop out to think that's all we've got. None of us are really "sidemen". We're instigators and ambitious people that have something to say and alot we want to do. So, I've been thinking about my "work" in those terms. Not just how much more time I need to spend in the practice room, but what I'm really working toward. So currently, that's my work - trying to establish my direction and purpose. Last night my dad told me about being a janitor while trying to get through school. He told me that he was a damn good janitor and that he was okay with being a janitor, because he knew it was a temporary necessity to get him to where his vision led, but that if the vision wasn't there, being a janitor wouldn't have been worthwhile, because it was a waste of his talent, time, etc. So I'm working up a manifesto and I would appreciate responses and feedback. This is just the beginning.

'To the best of my ability, I am going to help those around me to realize that our greatest assets as a country and as a human race are the artists and thinkers that tirelessly work to create a better reality, not the enormous stores of ammunition or the natural resources in the ground. I don't expect to change the system, merely to help others see the benefit and need for change. We need more Bucky Fullers and Robert Anton Wilsons. More Richard Alperts and Ram Dases. Many more Stevie Wonders and Erykah Badus. These people have often had to work outside and directly against the system in order to give their offerings to the world. Maybe the conflict is necessary, I don't really know. I do know that there can't be conflict all the time - we need at least the support of like minds.'

2 comments:

Jamison said...

I feel as though in positions such as ours, there is no way around moving against the current. Even though I am in a great position to make things happen, it is still easy to get discouraged by my environment and all its factors. I think that is why I'm so obsessed with building communities, because there is nothing more valuable than having a common thread that connects you to others, helping to encourage you and remind you that you aren't alone. In that regards, I am off to push some more. Just remember that you, my friend, kick ass and are unable to do anything less.

jenrock said...

your manifesto - it is.
thank you for your inspiration.