music

it seems tragedy always makes us more reflective.....and the loss of whitney houston so unexpectedly the day before the grammys has brought it all to the forefront once again.  its somewhat ironic that i quoted whitney houston last week in a blog - i probably haven't thought about her specifically or her music until i started thinking about the music that made an impact on me.  i love music....all kinds of music - and while i dont usually watch a ton of award shows, i'm a fan of the grammys just because i love the performances.  and i really am saddened by the loss of whitney houston.....her music was EVERYWHERE when i was going thru school - and her voice was truly beautiful.  im also sad because like so many other artists (and people) she fell into the trap of addiction.  and while i know there are so many people out there who share in that struggle, it seems harder to understand somehow when you watch these people who have so much TALENT and seem to have the world at their fingertips fall into these same traps.  and obviously, they have the same issues that everyone else does - but we as their audience often dont see past the fame.....and i'm sorry for that too.

Fame is like a river, that beareth up things light and swollen, and drowns things weighty and solid. francis bacon

its like anything else, some people handle things better than others.....but the one thing i do know is that music binds us together....its a shared moment and creates shared history.....while i know the basics about whitney houstons life, what i really KNOW about her is that her music MOVED me....it takes me back to individual moments in my life because it was so powerful....having tamika washington sing the greatest love of all at my high school graduation is something i will never forget.....and while it wasnt exactly whitney houston - it was her MUSIC that made that lasting impression on me.  so for me, i can mourn her loss for her family....but on a personal level it makes me so sad to lose her VOICE.....and even more sad that we lost it because of drugs - maybe not directly - we wont know for awhile what her actual cause of death was.....but we all know that the young sweet innocent church choir singing whitney houston slid down the slope of addiction when she hooked up with bobby brown.

but then, we forgive our celebrities all of their insanity because we love their talent.....therefore feeding the cycle.....chris brown gets a STANDING OVATION at the grammys tonight.....there's no doubt he can dance and sing.....i actually really love his music also - but that shouldn't excuse his actions......if he couldn't sing or dance, would people be as happy to embrace him after a domestic abuse conviction???  i highly doubt it.  our memories are short.....at the very least should we NOT give him the platform of the grammy stage?  its like everything else in our society - there are very few long term consequences for bad behavior.....sure a slap on the hand - but if you can sing or dance or throw or hit or shoot a ball, our memories are short (can you say tiger woods?)...

and maybe we forgive them so quickly because of the enjoyment they bring into our lives.....who knows??  and i know i know i know - we should forgive them anyway - they are human, just like the rest of us - just because they are famous doesn't endow them with better life choice skills....on the contrary, it often makes it seem harder.....so on this day, i really just wanted to say how sorry i am for the loss of whitneys life and her music....and how much i appreciate all of the joy her music - and all music - brings into my life......

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.  ~Berthold Auerbach