Books {about music}

I love music so much.  And I love reading about music - so when the two join forces, it is always a good day.  Just the past two weeks, I have been lucky enough to pick up memoirs by both the Beastie Boys and Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco, and Uncle Tupelo fame).  These memoirs of a life in music always peak my curiosity, but they usually also provide some important insights.


Reading about the long and divergent career of the Beastie Boys certainly helped me appreciate the consistent need for curiosity and creativity in our daily lives - especially as we get older.  It is just so easy to find inspiration and creative outlets when one is young - as we are often surrounded by people our own age, who are busy looking for something to do.  Hence, we grow so much during those years of our youth in learning new skills, forming bands, or navigating relationships.  But as Mike D and Ad Rock will attest - the constant search for inspiration is crucial for those of us on the other side of 30, or 40, or 50..  The Beasties certainly pulled in off, with one reinvention after another on their path to creative brilliance.


As for Jeff Tweedy, who has been in 3-4 separate bands, and been kicked out of bands, and has kicked others out of bands - he sums up much of his philosophy this way:  “There are only three people I’ve committed myself to completely for the rest of my life: Susie, Spencer, and Sammy,” he writes, referring to his wife and two sons. “Everybody else, we’ll take it day to day.” 

Immediately, I recognized myself in these lines. (and really, isn't that what art, literature, and music are really about?  Finding someone else who feels like you, and finding comfort and understanding in that tie that binds?)  I am 100% committed to Jessica, Noah, and Avery - and they are my home team.  After that, my allegiances can, and sometimes do, shift. - depending on the situation.  For me, these priorities are so important in making our lives count - and it feels me with gratitude to find a shared sentiment.

So, yeah - today I am grateful for music memoirs that help me feel a little bit less alone in the world - and a lot more understanding of how much of the music of my youth came to exist.