By Hans Ebert
We often give the impression that we’re very open and how it’s all about truth and honesty and leaving blood on the tracks, but in actuality, there’s a great deal of second hand political correctness involved and carefully manufactured “truth” out there.
It’s often to build images and, maybe even, “create character” where often there is none.
This was all brought home last night when I invited a few friends over from out of town.
With Hong Kong in lockdown mode and so much panic being dispersed through the social media app vine many are surviving in fear and scared to venture outside their comfort zones, we gathered at my place to simply break bread and catch up and listen to what everyone had to say. All phones were off.
The conversations ebbed and flowed through subjects like trust and real love, feelings about original music flowing upstream with no land in sight, Netflix, the genius of Jim Henson, those who pretend about things they’ve done and those who do, certain attractive brunette actresses in some current television crime series and getting back that feeling or courage to go forward without fear. To make mistakes to get there, but to get there.
Music was playing- much of it being what have and continue to inspired us- music that has brought us to where we are, but not far enough. It’s never far enough.
Being what would have been Bob Marley’s 75th birthday, “Redemption Song” and “Three Little Birds” were played along with listening to what George Carlin and before him, Lenny Bruce’s commentaries on life before Lennon’s “Gimme Some Truth” came on.
All of us having followed the music of John Lennon through the great stuff and the not-so-good stuff, what was always there at the very core of everything he did was vulnerability mixed with searching for the truth and willing to sacrifice everything to get there.
It’s there right from the early days of “I’m A Loser”, “No Reply”, “Help”, “I’m So Tired” and deciding to include “Revolution 9” on the White Album and release “Two Virgins”, record “Woman Is A Nigger Of The World” and say the things he did- like how the Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ at the height of Beatlemania.
Sure, Lennon was forced to backtrack for the media, but this had to do with business. One doubts this “apology” had anything to do with the man who spoke what was to him the truth.
Without dwelling on it, I agreed with him on that “popularity poll”. I never trusted Obama either. Nor Oprah. They’re all showbiz. And as we go through life, at least for myself and this very small handful of real friends, there’s always the feeling and fear of not being true to ourselves.
It could be because of the businesses we’re in, how we were taught to mind our Ps and Qs and, maybe, hitting that comfort zone where we’re happy to be glider pilots and just coast through life and the bs zone.
How many times have you had lunch or dinner with people, or listened to them natter on the phone, and wanted to just SCREAM for the bullshit to stop? But that inner voice is silenced. It’s just how it’s meant to be. We can’t all be Jack.
It’s like going at it at full throttle and being reminded about what “the neighbours” might think. Honestly now, does it matter? Ever even met “the neighbours”?
The night faded into early morning with us listening to Marvin Gaye, Dylan, Stevie Wonder, “Can’t Find My Way Home” and a few other tracks before lyrics were scribbled down, guitars were brought out to give them melodies and some rough tracks were laid down.
It was therapeutic. It was honest. And it will last until the next time.
There’s always gotta be a next time unless this time is all that was needed.
Comments