A vat of warm mayonnaise?

For the past few months I've been going through all of my CDs, listening to them in the car, since that is the only place I really listen to CDs anymore, and it's got me to thinking. That, and the fact that I live with Jeff right now, and am related to him in general. He is someone who really gets into his music. He buys CDs of the bands that he likes, he's learning to play guitar (and getting pretty good at it), and is just a musical type of guy. For me, the music is not quite so important. I like music, but I'm not going to buy much. I've been curious what the difference is between us, why he is so into music and I'm not. Not that I think we should be the same or that one is better than the other, I was just curious. And I think I've come up with an answer. A very broad and general answer, but an answer nonetheless.
When it comes to music, Jeff is all about the music itself - the lyrics and the music have to be there. He really likes the Goo Goo Dolls because that is a good description of them, good musically and lyrically. His interest is very specialised, which is not a bad thing. He really gets into music and is constantly listening for the next thing that is going to be awesome, and he's willing to listen to pretty much anything (even country music now!).
For me, it's different. I'm more interested in the story, the words that are used to compliment the music. I can forgive okay music if it is good lyrically. I can rarely forgive lyrics with great music because I'm not that interested in the music. Again, this is a very general thought because there are many songs that I like that are very simple (save a HORSE/ ride a cowboy!). What I look for in music is something that is different, something that looks at life a little differently than the norm. Matchbox 20 is good for that because they write their songs so well. There always seems to be a purpose behind what they are saying, a sort of probing exploration into their lives and feelings. Jars of Clay seems to do much the same. I also like the quirky stuff, like Talking Heads. The music is fun, but there often seems to be something under the surface that they are driving at. I have to admit that I don't always get what they are saying, but for the most part I like it.
In my mind, too much music has gotten completely off track from what artists really should be about. Take rap for example. The entire industry seems to be built on anger, sex, and violence. Many rap artists seem to either sing about how great they are (even their first singles are about how they are so great), how crappy everything in their life is and ever was and ever will be (as they spend their millions from their record deal), or they are simply singing about wanting to get some sex and they don't even care about the woman/man they are singing about/to. Mix in a liberal dose of singing about how bad they are going to beat the other people, and you have an entire industry that is just perpetuating its own problems and not actually trying to solve anything. I'm not saying that people need to completely ignore their problems. There is absolutely nothing wrong with acknowledging what has gone before and what has led a person to the place that they are at. There is something absolutely wrong about not dealing with it, and that seems to be what much of rap is. Simply anger for the sake of anger. That is why I liked the song Gravity by Eminem. This song talks about how life is always a struggle and that things are going to be hard. The people that he is singing to face troubles that I will probably never see, the gang wars, the poverty, the inner city turmoils, that kind of stuff. But the song goes on to say that you need to take a shot. Life is not going to get better by sitting around doing nothing. No, life will change only if you reach out and grab it by the short hairs and yank. Life ran out of golden platters a long time ago, so it can't hand it to you. Make your own opportunities instead, and make the best of them. Stuff like that is not said in rap often enough, because it seems that whining and complaining about life is more profitable.
And it's not just rap, that's just my particular beef. Rock is bland, pop's bubble has, well, popped, country is just so depressing sometimes. Those people need to understand the difference between a touching song and a sappy song. Most are sappy, some are actually touching. Whiskey Lullaby, by someone who's name I can't remember, is a very touching song. It's not just whiny sorrow. Sorry, just another hang up.
All of this to say, songs, for me, need to be chewed to be really enjoyed. Either that, or they need to be good loud fun (Cuz chicks dig it!). I can certainly handle that. But there's more to it. If it was just that simple, then I would constantly be buying CDs as well, but I'm not. Another difference between Jeff and I is that music is just a small part of it for me. I love movies that are either very good like the music I like, or just plain fun...like the music I like. Hitch is good because it is not just a typical comedy, but it actually looks at love. Heck, I'm just impressed that his goal in the movie is not to get guys into the beds of the women they like, but into the hearts of the women they like. That's different right there. So many movies are bland reworkings of what has gone before. I find it gets harder and harder to impress me (Johnny Depp is a master at it, I hope to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory soon) with movies these days. I can enjoy a movie, but at the end I often forget about the movie completely. But some movies stick out.
But wait, there's more. While I am more inclined to watch and enjoy movies, my true passion lies with books, and I think that goes back to relating through story. In my mind, I am a story teller. A long winded one (sorry about that folks, I'll be shorter next time, I promise), but that's okay, I hope. I'm not necessarily the best person to tell an anecdote because I am actually terrible at verbalising stories like that. However, random ramblings, that I can do out loud. And give me a pen and paper, and I'll entertain you with a story, poem, limerick, etc without even trying. People who know me know that I enjoy making people smile, if not laugh. That is not all though. I really want to start pushing people with what I have to say, to maybe stir up a little controversy, or at least make people think. I don't quite have the confidence to rock the boat yet, but I'm working on it.
I think, though, that is what always gets me about the whole Christian arts scene. It's too bland - all of it. The music, the books, the movies. A great deal of it sucks. My biggest problem is that there are no problems in the Christian are world it seems. Most of the fiction seems to be romance that follows a very similar pattern. Protagonist falls away from Christianity, has life altering experience, comes back usually because of the love of a Christian, and the book ends with them all giving their lives to Christ. Or, protagonist is Christian, runs into trouble, falls in love with someone, and by the end everything has been worked out and their love is Christian. Gag me with a cactus on the end of a die grinder. Or how about this - the music always sings about how good God is, and how everything is better with God and stuff like that. My question is this - the day after my sister is killed in a bank robbery, am I supposed to simply chalk it up to God working for the good of those who love him? Or can I grieve for a while? Is it okay to ask God why she was taken like that and why the bank robbers got away? Is it all right to cry and be upset? Yet so much of the music completely ignores this aspect of life. Even David in the Psalms got right ticked at God. Why can't we do the same? I'm not saying that we should question everything that God does, or that we should go around angry. But we can't ignore it. As for the books, I wonder why everyone in the book, except for the bad guys of course, decides that they really want to be a Christian? In my life, I have to say that more often than not, experiences like the ones in the books would not instantly turn people to God. Yet the authors seem to completely ignore that possibility. It's like they are afraid to make people really question what they believe, to make them examine what they say is true and what is false. If they really believe that what they preach is true, it will hold up to scrutiny. Instead, they turn the world into a fantasy world. Kinda sad, really. And who are they writing these books/songs for, anyway? Are they singing to me about how good God is? Cuz I already know. I may need reminding from time to time, but I know. How is this music helping people to reach those who don't believe? Those who have siblings addicted to heroin so badly that they are robbing homeless people might have trouble simply believing that God is good because that rock band wrote a song that said so without really giving any sort of reason. It makes me sad to think of the state of the Christian marketplace, the home of Christian crap and Jesus junk and God garbage.
I also hate tracts, but that's another rant for another day.
Well, there we are, another picture of me. Or at least a piece of the puzzle. There is a great deal of criticism up there, and to be honest, I'm not entirely sure what to do about it. Maybe in the future I will help lead a revival wave, but one the likes of which has not been seen since Acts chapter one. Anyone else have any ideas? Let me know.
If you've stuck with me this far, congratulations. Go and treat yourself to a creamsicle. Or banana, your choice.
For all of us here at channel 32, good night.

P.S. For the record, I don't have any sisters, and definitely none who were killed in a bank robber. Just in case you were wondering.