Saturday, June 20, 2009
Conversations with Calliope- Musical Emotions
Troubled Times
JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Are you feeling better than you did yesterday and did you resolve your musical dilemma?
JOE: Yes on both accounts. Resolving my dilemma improved my mood.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: I told you I woke up yesterday with my reaction to Michael McDonald still on my mind.
CALLIOPE: You did.
JOE: I started to consider my emotions. I realized I felt sad, on the verge of tears, angry and resentful.
CALLIOPE: Do you hold Michael responsible for all that?
JOE: Of course not. I remained puzzled until on the way to the gym I recalled something I told Carol the night of the concert.
CALLIOPE: Which was?
JOE: That his type of music constantly grated on my nerves at a practice where I worked in the early 1990's. I found the type of music annoying then but did not associate Michael McDonald with it.
CALLIOPE: Just annoying?
JOE: No. The owner of the practice insisted on playing music which I considered bland and insipid at best. When one of us worker bees changed the station to jazz or classical music, he would change it back which I saw as a symbol of his control.
CALLIOPE: And that's the connection?
JOE: Not entirely. That was a very difficult time for me professionally, financially and in my marriage of the time. Altogether bad memories. That's the connection. I'm glad I discovered it and now will work to put it to rest. Talk with you on Monday.
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Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Conversations with Calliope-
Nazis Were Human Too
Great Siege Tunnel- Gibraltar
JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Today's title has an odd ring.
JOE: Jarring isn't it? I based it on a recent speech President Obama gave at Buchenwald.
CALLIOPE: What did he say?
JOE: Among other things he reminded us that "the perpetrators of such evil were human as well and that we have to guard against cruelty in ourselves."
CALLIOPE: A chilling thought.
JOE: It is and one which stuck in my mind.
CALLIOPE: How do you account for evil?
JOE: From the research I have seen, it seems to come partly from heredity and partly from environment.
CALLIOPE: Do these factors entirely explain evil?
JOE: Not to me. Mystery remains in my mind as to why some people follow their inclinations and others don't.
CALLIOPE: It seems to me that this is one of the mysteries of the ages.
JOE: Me too. But we would rather separate ourselves from evildoers considering them as animals, sick or crazy rather than see any similarity to us.
CALLIOPE: I can't wait to see the article.
JOE: It will be posted on my website fairly soon I hope. Talk with you tomorrow.
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Saturday, June 13, 2009
Conversations with Calliope-
Smokey Robinson's Lesson
The Audience
JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Energized.
CALLIOPE: By what, may I ask?
JOE: You may. The Rochester International Jazz Festival began last night with Carol and me in attendance.
CALLIOPE: What did you see?
JOE: The Greece Olympia Jazz Band, the Eastman High School Jazz Band seniors and Faux Frenchman. And those were just the free street performances.
CALLIOPE: I take it from today's title that Smokey Robinson played a part somewhere.
JOE: Indeed he did. He was the evening's headliner and our main reason for going to the festival last night.
CALLIOPE: Which brings us to the question of his lesson.
JOE: It does. I saw clearly that his message was that he loves his audience. He said so several times and repeatedly showed it by his interaction with us throughout the concert.
CALLIOPE: What lesson did you take from that?
JOE: Give your audience what they want. This applies to writing and web marketing as well as performing. I will try to keep this in mind as I work in both areas.
CALLIOPE: Good idea.
JOE: Thanks. I thought so too. Talk with you tomorrow.
*****
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