The Scarborough Dude gets called an artist, and takes it all too seriously.
Music:
Something's Happening - Eric Clapton - Behind the Sun
Without Again - Elliot Brood - Mountain Meadows
Photo courtesy of Squidpod Joel
Taken at "...ed", 1602 Dundas West
And don't forget to listen to Norm Augustinus!
5 comments:
Dude,
I'm with you on these chicken-ass decisions made by principals.
A certain principal at a certain school that I have knowledge of, has recently issued a memo to teachers asking them to avoid detentions either at recess or after school. AND if a child is kept in the use of the actual word "detention" is not to be used. He has also asked that teachers do not ask children to put their heads down in class. This all seems to have come from the pressures received by a couple of pain-in-the-ass parents.
Who is running these schools? And why are the principals so afraid of the parents?
So. I understand your frustration... I share your anger.
The opening music was Hard Sun by Hamilton born Indio (Gordon Peterson)from his 1989 album Big Harvest. The song was later done by Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam fame for a Sean Penn movie Into The Wild.
An artist may be defined unofficially as "a person who expresses him- or herself through a medium". The word is also used in a qualitative sense of, a person creative in, innovative in, or adept at, an artistic practice.
Based on that definition, I'd say you are an artist without any doubt Mr. Dude.
I cringe when I hear the word Artist. It implies (to me anyway) someone who makes money from a creative process. The capital "A" Art is a horrible by-product of creators as sellers. Suffice to say we all have the ability to be creative and, on occasions, be part of artistic processes. The product is irrelevant to your process other than as an afterthought. That afterthought allows me to know that you are immensely creative and artistic. And the day you start to consider doing what you're doing in order for your listeners to consider you an Artist is the day you start to fail them. But you know that. Your process and dedication is inspiring and, while I would never begrudge your appreciation of being called an artist, you're far more liberated in your creativity than most "Artists" I know. You will further validate my opinion by telling me to "go fuck myself".
Dude:
I also argued for years that although I wrote music and songs that I couldn't REALLY call myself a true "artist" because it wasn't my stock and trade. Much like yourself I just thought of myself as a guy who likes to make up silly little shit that no one really cares about all that much.
Then one day it was explained to me (carefully and slowly because sometimes I'm not that bright) that since I created something, especially any form of media, that I put a lot of time and effort into that is strictly for the sake of the creation, and that it effected people's emotions to some degree, that made me an artist.
That also makes YOU an artist.
Don't think that because you can't write like Jack Kerouac or paint like Picasso that you're not an artist, because:
A) that means that they're just BETTER artists,
and more importantly
B) your medium isn't print or paint -your medium is spoken word. Hell, I'd even venture to say that you wander into performance art category from time to time :)
With a little more attention payed to cadence of speech for example, a lot of your stuff would fit in with a poetry slam crowd. Your poem on being a Canadian comes to mind for example.....
So embrace the artist in you......just don't let it go to your head - don't go all crazy and start chopping ears off or building sandboxes in your office :)
And for the record, I said you were definitely a Spoken Word Artist at PAB - three years ago.....
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