It was 40 years ago today…
I wasn’t there…and yet; it doesn’t matter. I’ll live the long tooth and dance in the sunset like I was broken for Beatrice. So many moons ago and so many reasons to ask if we are to believe in that type of magic that wonderful world that later capsized and spilled unintended consequence throughout a culture and unto me.
I have thought for several weeks of a fitting topic. There have been themes that I have wanted to work through. One perhaps being the never-ending topic of The Request of Happiness or perhaps the more macabre Death of the Conservative… but I don’t care about any of them that much…that is…I am more in a ‘we all have a burden to bear’ frame of mind…but I will digress slightly in this essay.
First the topic at hand…
Almost 20 years ago I sat in a classroom in Trenton, NJ when our professor rolled out a TV and VCR and popped in a tape. It was a documentary on the album; Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. It had commentary from everyone from Allen Ginsberg to Lee Iacocca about how the recording impacted them. For any of us who weren’t there it is still hard to fathom hearing the recording for the first time. I had heard the songs for years before; even saw the goofy little movie starring Peter Frampton before I picked up the recording.
I have bought the album twice.
The first time was a day in my life that forever altered the prism in which I would view the world; it was almost a year and a half before I would be free again. It would be even longer before I would understand my emancipations.
The second instance was about that same time and I walked into my favorite used book and record store and stumbled upon a ratty, but original recording of the album. I gave the old fella behind the counter $10 and he wished me well and I sped home to my turntable.
It was to be one of the most meaningful moments of my life. The first time I purchased the album; I never had the chance to listen to it. It was confiscated from me and eventually returned to the store. So after all that crap; my moment had finally arrived. I sat and listened and didn’t get it. I admit it; I didn’t get it. I was devastated. I felt the fool. What was I missing…my cherry broke; there was no way to repeat the first time…what was wrong with me? Like I said; I had heard it all before, the concoction was not lost on me, but it would be several years before I could just enjoy it without thinking about it.
Now if I hear ‘A Day In The Life’ it’s Homeric yes; but it also reminds me of summer school and those sweltering afternoons waiting for the car to cool down and 95 WYNF, Russ Albums playing it for the Hot Lunch and he taking extreme pride in playing the duration of the entire E-major chord. This is the measure of the old school serious DJ. The point being; the songs are so strong that they have transcended the importance of the virginal penetrations. Not many things can have the classical and neo classical appeal to them and still remain as iconic as they do…
Nowadays; I look to it perhaps through the lenses about the beauty of the artistic experience.
It not only has become this organic aspect; it also is the gauge that everything else has been measured. But dig this caveat… no one says “this is the new Sgt. Pepper… like they used to say ‘the new Dylan’”… it’s impossible. Just as ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ inspired the Beatles; equally it is as misunderstood. (For the record; I believe that Dylan’s song was inspired after reading Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. Bob, feel free to confirm this with me whenever you want.). Sgt. Peppers over the years has been the victim of reduction of prominence by new schoolers and yet still remains a vanguard; untouched by its critics.
This is the most important lesson for any artist and struggling artists that are out there; this was the beginning for the band’s understanding of the guide that they were following. Every recording there after was able to take the leap from that same peak.
Many artist strive for that moment not realizing that the achievement is internal not external. So much is based on the commercial success that the enlightenment and attainment is lost.
Every step of the artist is for experience not success… thus the road less traveled. We are lucky to be able to achieve success yes, but still, it is not the definition. This also calls to our personal lives as well; the way we label our success and failure and our retention of happiness. The example is placed before us with a legacy such as these magnums.
I have often said and wrote that I wish I could be a person who doesn’t know and doesn’t care. That I too could simultaneously be part of the problem rather than complaining about wanting to be part of the solution; but I take it all back.
Evolution of the artistic endeavor is precious and honestly perhaps the most unique aspect of being human. All the other species eat, hunt and fuck… we are the one’s who supposedly reason. We are the alien life on this planet without a doubt.
The ideal life is a life strived for…be that with mental or physical or emotional…we strive to reach that summit and we ask ourselves…then what? Then what?!!? We live the life that which we wanted… as Bobby so eloquently put it… Someday, everything is gonna be smooth like a rhapsody…
So ~ I bequest unto all…go build your own… Sgt. Peppers… or Masterpiece…or as Al wanted originally a convertible IROC Camaro…want it, dream it, believe it and do it…
you have (at least) my blessing…
I wasn’t there…and yet; it doesn’t matter. I’ll live the long tooth and dance in the sunset like I was broken for Beatrice. So many moons ago and so many reasons to ask if we are to believe in that type of magic that wonderful world that later capsized and spilled unintended consequence throughout a culture and unto me.
I have thought for several weeks of a fitting topic. There have been themes that I have wanted to work through. One perhaps being the never-ending topic of The Request of Happiness or perhaps the more macabre Death of the Conservative… but I don’t care about any of them that much…that is…I am more in a ‘we all have a burden to bear’ frame of mind…but I will digress slightly in this essay.
First the topic at hand…
Almost 20 years ago I sat in a classroom in Trenton, NJ when our professor rolled out a TV and VCR and popped in a tape. It was a documentary on the album; Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. It had commentary from everyone from Allen Ginsberg to Lee Iacocca about how the recording impacted them. For any of us who weren’t there it is still hard to fathom hearing the recording for the first time. I had heard the songs for years before; even saw the goofy little movie starring Peter Frampton before I picked up the recording.
I have bought the album twice.
The first time was a day in my life that forever altered the prism in which I would view the world; it was almost a year and a half before I would be free again. It would be even longer before I would understand my emancipations.
The second instance was about that same time and I walked into my favorite used book and record store and stumbled upon a ratty, but original recording of the album. I gave the old fella behind the counter $10 and he wished me well and I sped home to my turntable.
It was to be one of the most meaningful moments of my life. The first time I purchased the album; I never had the chance to listen to it. It was confiscated from me and eventually returned to the store. So after all that crap; my moment had finally arrived. I sat and listened and didn’t get it. I admit it; I didn’t get it. I was devastated. I felt the fool. What was I missing…my cherry broke; there was no way to repeat the first time…what was wrong with me? Like I said; I had heard it all before, the concoction was not lost on me, but it would be several years before I could just enjoy it without thinking about it.
Now if I hear ‘A Day In The Life’ it’s Homeric yes; but it also reminds me of summer school and those sweltering afternoons waiting for the car to cool down and 95 WYNF, Russ Albums playing it for the Hot Lunch and he taking extreme pride in playing the duration of the entire E-major chord. This is the measure of the old school serious DJ. The point being; the songs are so strong that they have transcended the importance of the virginal penetrations. Not many things can have the classical and neo classical appeal to them and still remain as iconic as they do…
Nowadays; I look to it perhaps through the lenses about the beauty of the artistic experience.
It not only has become this organic aspect; it also is the gauge that everything else has been measured. But dig this caveat… no one says “this is the new Sgt. Pepper… like they used to say ‘the new Dylan’”… it’s impossible. Just as ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ inspired the Beatles; equally it is as misunderstood. (For the record; I believe that Dylan’s song was inspired after reading Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. Bob, feel free to confirm this with me whenever you want.). Sgt. Peppers over the years has been the victim of reduction of prominence by new schoolers and yet still remains a vanguard; untouched by its critics.
This is the most important lesson for any artist and struggling artists that are out there; this was the beginning for the band’s understanding of the guide that they were following. Every recording there after was able to take the leap from that same peak.
Many artist strive for that moment not realizing that the achievement is internal not external. So much is based on the commercial success that the enlightenment and attainment is lost.
Every step of the artist is for experience not success… thus the road less traveled. We are lucky to be able to achieve success yes, but still, it is not the definition. This also calls to our personal lives as well; the way we label our success and failure and our retention of happiness. The example is placed before us with a legacy such as these magnums.
I have often said and wrote that I wish I could be a person who doesn’t know and doesn’t care. That I too could simultaneously be part of the problem rather than complaining about wanting to be part of the solution; but I take it all back.
Evolution of the artistic endeavor is precious and honestly perhaps the most unique aspect of being human. All the other species eat, hunt and fuck… we are the one’s who supposedly reason. We are the alien life on this planet without a doubt.
The ideal life is a life strived for…be that with mental or physical or emotional…we strive to reach that summit and we ask ourselves…then what? Then what?!!? We live the life that which we wanted… as Bobby so eloquently put it… Someday, everything is gonna be smooth like a rhapsody…
So ~ I bequest unto all…go build your own… Sgt. Peppers… or Masterpiece…or as Al wanted originally a convertible IROC Camaro…want it, dream it, believe it and do it…
you have (at least) my blessing…
posted by Sisyphus at 8:09 AM
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