songs of the day: Devil Town by Bright Eyes and Down and Out by Cam'Ron

Does "celebritizing" usually add to a situation's overall well being? Through the media, I think a lot of us are bred to think that becoming famous is a beneficial end, when in fact, it seems like those who use it as a means are those who are far happier. This is a double edged sword, however, because it seems as though being a celebrity can become a liability. (Just ask Kanye West about what he really thinks of "Flashing Lights.") 

But I want to get a little deeper than just the annoyances of having to shelter your children from flashing cameras or hundreds of annoying fans wanting your autograph and I want to talk about what it must be like to having your life/ ideas being filtered through the various media.

I must confess that I am a John Mayer fan. He is an amazing guitar player and it is entertaining to watch. This is relevant for two reasons: one, because me having to lay this down as a confessions shows that there are preconceived notions of John Mayer fandom that are ideas that I would like to separate myself from; and two, he has talked about being constantly misunderstood as a person due to his celebrity status. Why should I have to apologize for liking someone's music? It can only be the case that the person that John Mayer exudes must be different for me than for those that would judge me for liking him. This is not really saying anything unique or interesting because the very nature of relationships among people creates differences of opinions. What is interesting, however, is what makes me want to justify my feeling of difference, because again, the difference is not a big deal, it is why I'm doing it. The reason is simply because the consensus among people my age is that liking John Mayer is a girly thing to do. I see this as a distinct contrast to normal reality (between two non-celebrities) because no one would ever deem liking someone else as a girly state of mind. Because John Mayer is a celebrity who was made famous for his music and his music has been deemed girly, liking John Mayer has become synonymous with being girly. The two things should not be congruous, however, and this is why being a celebrity can be a problem. His meanings, messages, and art can all be misconstrued in the eyes of the their respective beholders because of their preconceived notions.

This leads me to the second reason of the relevance of me being a John Mayer fan. In his concert and very brief documentary "Where the Light Is," Mayer feels misunderstood in two different ways. Being a musician with diverse talents, he talks about the frustration of being type casted in a genre, which is understandable and slightly related to his celebrity. His other concern, and this is related to my main point, is that when he is seen on things like TMZ or entertainment shows, he is not usually getting to effectively convey his personality to the audience. In this case, he was not sure that the message of how much he loves his fans was getting across because he seemed upset when people were taking his picture. There then becomes a large difference between his message that he is trying to send and that that is received. In my opinion, being an artist is all about trying to send a specific message through your art- even though it can be interpreted different ways- and not being able to do so effectively almost can be thought of as a defeated purpose.

The is v.s. the should be. This examination of this contrast is probably at the heart of every piece of art there ever was. This assertion, I should add, is rooted in my assumption that every artistic creation is a form of social commentary. Where am I going with this? Well I thought that it was an interestingly coincidental parallel of my feelings toward what seems to be all over the television right now. Nowadays I feel as if every channel is being bombarded with advertisements for a myriad of award shows. It just seems strange to me how much we idolize celebrities. It seems strange because it seems as if we obsess over people who are rarely the full artists of the work that got them all of their acclaim in the first place. This is not to put down accolade for a job  well done in being a part of a team, because it is very uncommon for someone to do a work, especially one as complex as a movie, without assistance. I am only puzzled at how much we obsess over these people who only the face of a work but far more concerned at how much we choose to worship people as opposed to praising the work itself.

Today's winner is Backyards by Broken Social Scene. This is a song that has almost caused my roomate (who will from now on be referred to as Chuman, Chu, Chuu, or sometimes even Chuuu) to go crazy. As sad as it is to admit that I listen to a band named Broken Social Scene, it's even sadder to admit that I have in the past and that I continue to draw a small sense of inspiration just by the ending lyrics of the song: It's a hard parade just, be courageous.  It's those ethereal vocals of Emily Haines mixed with BSS glory...shit's contagious. 

hmmm

i hate malls

hmm

better stuff tomorrow

same story

bros by panda bear

I got nothing.

so very tired.

song of the day:

"A Little Priest" from the Sweeny Todd soundtrack

numero uno

Hmm...well this is the beginning of the chronicling of my 20th year. I was supposed to start this 3 days ago, but in this case it is better late than never. I guess this is sort of a resolution to see if I can in fact write something once every day for an entire year.