some food for thought...

some food for thought…

"A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the
violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about
45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that
thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to
work.


Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician
playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried
up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first
dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping
continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to
listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again.
Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tugged
him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally
the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all
the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the
parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for
a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He
collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one
noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the foremost
musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever
written on a violin worth 3.5 million dollars. Two days before his playing
in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theatre in Boston and the seats
averaged $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was
organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about
perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a
commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour do we perceive beauty? Do
we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected
context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not
have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world
playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?"

FONT CONFERENCE

hahaha!

you gotta love this!

Sub-Lime Music Video!

My first music video!

Directed by a very talented upcoming Film Director, Sheridan De Myers.

We shot this is August 2008 in London, mostly under the Waterloo bridge where loads of the new Banksy art is. An incredible place. If I was homeless in London, I would make that my home. You could never get bored of those walls. So much to be inspired by. Would be f*cking freezing though...




Anyway. We did this on no budget so all things considered, I think we pulled together and did a wicked job.

Props to Mimi Fresh for the styling, Nick for the camera work, Maya for hair and styling, all the breakdancers..my girl Cat (also a Mestiza ;-)) who features throughout the vid, and to Shan Phearon for photography.



The song is called 'Sub-Lime' and was produced by Colin Emmanuel (awesome UK producer who's worked with the likes of KRS:One,/Terri Walker/Beverley Knight/Jamelia/Tawiah). I wrote it after I came back from Trinidad. In Trini when you're chillin you say you're just 'limin', or you just 'lime'. I kept telling Colin I want sub bass, more sub more sub more sub! i just love sub bass... so we called it 'Sub-Lime'. obviously it has a double meaning. Lyrically the song is about the sublime beauty of life. The realisation that we are all collective energy communicating and being taken on this ride... yeah I was pretty high when I wrote this song.. high on life that is of course ;-)




Sub-Lime [Lyrics]

You said 'do you feel this energy?'
I said 'It sure feels good to me'
You said 'Come a little closer come vibe with me
and get free if you know what I mean'
I said 'Get free baby I got you maybe we can share a joke or two
wild child is my style we can get down if you want to
and I surely do, I surely do, I surely do, I surely do...

Let this melody take you on a journey through my mind
can you feel it so sublime?
can you reach into my mind
high we can fly
we can dance with rainbows in the night
Can you feel it so sublime?
Can you reach into my mind?
Into my mind, into my mind, into my mind

Life is beautiful so beautiful
I didn't know life could be so beautiful
Life is beautiful so beautiful
I didn't know life could be so beautiful

More amazing than I have ever dreamed
I feel light I feel free
It feels like ecstasy
do you feel it coming?
Do you hear the sound of the humming bird?
When you hear it strumming its funny how the world turns..

Let this melody take you on a journey through my mind
can you feel it so sublime?
can you reach into my mind
high we can fly
we can dance with rainbows in the night
Can you feel it so sublime?
Can you reach into my mind?
Into my mind, into my mind, into my mind

Life is beautiful so beautiful
I didn't know life could be so beautiful
Life is beautiful so beautiful
I didn't know life could be so beautiful

So its you and me in the ocean deep
just riding on this wave
eyes dilate as what we say
correlates you make sense to me
Your smile is poetry and the stars shine in your eyes
reminds me of Wilde 'we're all in the gutter
but some of us are staring at the stars'
staring at the stars
and here we are..staring at the stars...

Let this melody take you on a journey through my mind
can you feel it so sublime?
can you reach into my mind
high we can fly
we can dance with rainbows in the night
Can you feel it so sublime?
Can you reach into my mind?
Into my mind, into my mind, into my mind

Life is beautiful so beautiful
I didn't know life could be so beautiful
Life is beautiful so beautiful
I didn't know life could be so beautiful

The Catherine Tate Show

This kinda ting makes me miss the UK!

The New Tracy Chapman???

I am a huge Tracy Chapman DEVOTEE...

beautiful, conscious

voices and songs like Tracy Chapman's are a rare thing to find...



but I think I found a new one!



Check out Asa 'Jailer'...

She is BIG! [not fat, thats just London slang for massive, popular, rockin, wicked, slammin, vibin, cool, the shizzle..I think you get me]




and now lets reminisce with a favourite from the much loved Tracy Chapman.

this song came on the other night when I was in a taxi on the way home. perfect riding home late on your own music... :)

"Give me one reason to stay"..