TO WHERE I AM NOW

In the Lascaux cave in the Dordogne region of South Western France, humans painted images on the walls. What was the point? Palaeolithic humans didn’t need to depict the animals they hunted because they were already caught and eaten, that was the sole purpose, wasn’t it? Maybe they were trying to brighten up the place. Then there’s the hand prints in the Maltravieso cave in Cáceres, Spain, allegedly 64,000 years old, created by a Neanderthal.

Although this doesn’t fit very well with the quite fascinating popular religious belief by 40% of Americans that the Earth is only 6-10,000 years old, it does make you realize that the imagination is alive and well.

So what is creativity? Why did Paul write Eleanor Rigby? He didn’t know her. It’s a fantasy. I’ve cherry-picked these conclusions from Google:

1) “Creativity is the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality”.

2) “Creativity is characterized by the ability to perceive the world in new ways, to find hidden patterns, to make connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena, and to generate solutions”.

So apart from the solutions part, why are we driven to paint, write, or make music? What use is it? In the preface to The Picture Of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde said, “All art is quite useless”. Art exists for its own sake and yet people seem to be rather taken by it and then in other cases not at all. First there’s nothing, then there’s something, rather like the universe, so you might call existence a successful art project.

It seems like magicians get way too much credit for making women and rabbits disappear. Surely making women and rabbits appear would be more magical. The mystery of creativity, the conscious mind, the concept of the soul, the need to imagine a creative God, are all impossible studies. Why do some people believe in God and others don’t? Surely God exists or doesn’t, somebody is right, somebody is wrong and why commit? I personally don’t care either way, I’m more interested in the idea that first there’s nothing and then there’s something, that’s perplexing enough. Humans can create something out of nothing, not just with art, but also crops out of fields, buildings out of stone, electricity, aeroplanes and flared jeans – we must be gods.

Creativity is simply there and it manifests itself in different ways. How do we find a creative solution to getting around the fallen tree that’s blocking the road and why not just take the opportunity to paint the fallen tree while it’s there? I probably wouldn’t be able to come up with a successful plan to move it or create a decent painting, but I might be able to write a half decent song about the event. Have you ever asked yourself which creative aspects of yourself are dormant? Can you change that? The answer is yes – if you want to and if you’re not afraid to succeed. There’s no way you can fail, because you’re either the type that can paint the tree, get around it or sing about it, you just have to find out which it is.

But then there’s desire. You might just enjoy other people’s art and have no desire to create your own, especially as you are busy with creating a plan to move the tree. The truth of the matter is that we are all creative all day long, it keeps us alive, human ingenuity is an incredible gift as incredible as our ability to self-destruct. Okay, so we’re complex. We might as well spend our time thinking of practical and creative solutions. Did I ever tell you about my potato masher?

Traditionally the potato masher has a wooden handle attached to a metal end with a flat part with holes in it. With this ingenious device you could mash your boiled potatoes into a delicious easy to eat thick paste. The problem always was that the wooden end of the handle would dig into the middle of the palm of your hand and if you had lots of potatoes to mash it really started to hurt. Then one day some genius invented the potato masher with the horizontal handle and with a little practical and creative thought, the problem was solved. Now onto Palestine and Israel.

Music today has been a journey into the past of the Steve Miller Band. It took him seven studio albums, a half live and half studio album and an Anthology before finally on the 9th album he came up with The Joker in 1973, the single hit the No.1 spot, the album No.2 on the Billboard charts. But take a look at this long list of his early albums:

Children Of The Future (1968) – No. 134
Sailor (1968) – No. 24
Brave New World (1969) – No. 22
Your Saving Grace (1969) – No. 38
Number 5 (1970) – No. 23
Rock Love (Half Live) (1971) – No. 82
Recall The Beginning (1972) – No. 109
Anthology (1972) – No. 56

Although Miller was born in Milwaukee he found his way to San Francisco after playing in bands in Wisconsin and Chicago and at some point realizing that San Fran was the place to be. He may never have found his way there as when he was 7 he moved to Dallas where he met Boz Scaggs who would be in his band for the first two albums. In 1962 he returned to Wisconsin to attend university already proficient on the guitar, from there via Chicago he took the Psychedelic plunge.

Although he was mostly unknown in England he had a similar success in Canada, but he was unable to come up with a hit single on these early records. It’s an interesting journey that eventually took him to the top of the US charts, selling millions of albums.

But before we go, one fascinating fact from Wikipedia concerning a certain Paul Ramon on Miller’s third album, Brave New World.

“The track My Dark Hour featured Paul McCartney (credited as Paul Ramon) on backing vocals, drums, guitar and bass guitar, and he performed additional backing vocals on Celebration Song. My Dark Hour was recorded in a late-night session on May 9, 1969 after an acrimonious argument between McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr over signing a contract appointing Allen Klein as The Beatles’ financial manager. Lennon, Harrison and Starr walked out, while McCartney remained at Olympic Studios. Miller was the only member of the band to attend the session, and the song emerged from him and McCartney jamming. The primary guitar riff on My Dark Hour was also used on the title track to Steve Miller’s 1976 album Fly Like An Eagle. Space Cowboy uses the same primary guitar riff as the Beatles’ song Lady Madonna, owing perhaps to McCartney’s involvement on My Dark Hour and allied permission.”

Song Of The Day today is Kiss You To Death as a nod to Sandy’s comment yesterday about the “kissing cars” and the fact that Steve Miller found a way to turn simplicity into memorable hits. Kiss You To Death might also have found its way into a chart in a parallel universe.

 

Kiss You To Death

In the rain, in the pouring sun
I have hardly begun to celebrate you
For a chance, for a thousand years
I will fight just to steer a moment with you

I’m so frightened, a heart’s excitement
I’ll kiss you

In a field, running through the trees
Oh what can this be, ridiculous and new
I’ll retreat, then advance to the front
Unafraid to be blunt, I’m taking you

See my fire, I can’t tire
I’ll kiss you to death
If you even try to get away
I’ll kiss you to death
If you even try to get away

What’s the time, a quarter past none
And infinity is long, waiting for you
There you are, stepping out of the train
Igniting the flame, this calamity that’s you

Got you, keep you, prepared for you
I’ll kiss you to death
If you even try to get away
I’ll kiss you to death
If you even try to get away

I’ll kiss you to death
If you even try to get away
I’ll kiss you to death
If you even try to get away

(Willson-Piper)
Spirit Level (1992)