Imagine ...

Sunday 16 March 2008

... how much more honest the world would be if we could only communicate to each other in song lyrics? There are parts of me that feel like they can only be expressed through music. And I can't play any instruments. But still, I can sing - or at least, a passing resemblance to singing. And I did, yesterday, with Neil Diamond on the CD stacker. I have his Greatest Hits CD there that I pass over constantly over and over. I haven't played it ... well, I don't think I have played it ever, actually, since my ex-father-in-law asked me if I wanted it. But yesterday, gave it a burst, and boy did I dance around my lounge room? Yeah, I did. But then went quiet for Play Me. But gee, he had some good stuff. Solitary Man, September Morn, Cherry Cherry, Girl You'll Be a Woman Soon, Kentucky Woman. I must admit, I'm also a bit of a sucker for You Don't Bring Me Flowers. Just don't tell anyone.

Jane and I were talking last night about how a movie of Gandhi needs to be made that is less Hollywood-ised - that tells the story not only of his greatness but also of his less-than-perfect family life, and of an India where the people look and sound Indian instead of some bastardised English/New Zealand/Swahili/Botswanian thing (the South African ones were even worse), and where the poverty is represented truly instead of glossed around the edges for a people who weren't ready to see how the rest of the world lives. But then again, those things aside, the heart of the man was captured. Which is the only thing that matters, perhaps, or at least the best thing that matters. This quote was featured at the start of the movie:

"No man's life can be encompassed in one telling. There is no way to give each year its allotted weight, to include each event, each person who helped to shape a lifetime. What can be done is to be faithful in spirit to the record, and to try to find one's way to the heart of the man...."

Still, it would be good to see a movie about Gandhi made in India. Just as long as it's not a Bollywood version :) A dancing Gandhi musical probably wouldn't cut it :)

A dancing life musical though. That would be pretty cool. As long as it was a rock musical.


Edit: I think this disjointed post is actually about 3 separate ones. But you know, you can't always have jointed posts on a blog called Discombobula. And anyway, the transitions make sense to me - however, I suspect my brain works in rather strange ways :)

4 comments

  1. Sue, I had a client who is a conservative/republican and a christian tell me the other day that at this time the world is so screwed up he thinks song writers, story tellers and poets are our only hope as far as leadership to get us out of the mess.

    We never have too many song writers, story tellers and poets do we? Unfortunately to many of those are stuck in a place of producing shallow art for mass consumption. It does though make those that are digging deep stand out.

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  2. Kent, yes I've heard someone speaking about that too, I think it was NT Wright, from memory.

    It is so, I think. The people perish for lack of vision. But thank God for the internet, and for underground subversion :)

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  3. Ah, I hope you thought the movie was worth your time after bidding, paying, waiting and then sitting through 3 hours of it!

    I agree with you that a less Hollywood-ized version would be good. I think if I were him I would have used my platform to stop childhood prostitution, but he could only do so much I suppose.

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  4. Jennifer - oh, it was definitely worth it! It's just whet my appetite, that's all. I want to read some biographies about him now.

    Yeah, I guess there was only so much one man could do.

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