Time is limited. Our days on this Earth are numbered.
Still I manage to find ways to waste time.
Avoiding. What is it that I’m avoiding? What am I so afraid of? And why is it I’m so afraid to let go?
I’m only creating more pain for myself which is the very thing I seek to avoid.
You’ve offended me. You’ve slighted me. The only thing is that it’s the perspective I choose to take that really affects me. See you haven’t actually done anything to me. It’s only the additional weight that I heap on myself. A burden all too burdensome.
So I seek ways to come to the truth. And reflect on the unchangeable in every situation so that I may become a better person.
You talk down on me well let me show you I’m not someone you want to underestimate.
I will make you feel like a fool and then satisfaction will be mine. How dare you come against me in such a way.
Still after all my efforts I’m left with nothing. Shells washing up on shore and then being carried away by the very ocean that brought them. I gain absolutely nothing.
Give up control. Give it. You are not a judge nor a ruler. Just someone playing the game, that is. And as a player you don’t get to set the rules. So play the best way you can. Figure out how best to play so that you can one day make it out.
We’re all playing the game at our current level. Some are stuck on the first stage and that’s okay. Because if it is meant to be, we will all see the end.
I’ve heard this movie receive a lot of noteworthy praise and buzz about as long as it’s been released to the public. Unfortunately it wasn’t until recently that I saw this film for myself. If I could sum it up in one word, I guess it would be “wow.”
I find this movie to have a lot of depth and the characters to have, well, character.
Let’s start with Andrew Neiman. A freshman at Shaffer Music Conservatory, “the best music school in the world.” Andrew is struggling to make his mark at school. He is a freshman first year. The movie spans over one semester of his freshman year in college. His talents are later discovered by Terrence Fletcher, a teacher who rules with an iron fist who leads a band full of the most talented and brightest.
Andrew is so determined to make his mark and impress his teacher that he sacrifices everything. Literally everything. His relationship with a girl he liked, his relationship with his family, his sanity and his health. Many times he is brought to the breaking point, if not by Fletcher then by his own pursuit and his unrelenting ambition.
Putting literal blood, sweat and tears into his craft we later see the fallout that happens between him and his teacher after a failed performance. This results in Andrew leaving Shaffer and Fletcher getting fired.
Andrew is utterly broken. He’s lost everything, the girl, his shot, and the school of his dreams. In one scene we can see him watching a video of him playing drums as a boy as he weeps tears while smiling. To me this means that he is looking back on when music was about having fun. To him now it was all a competition to be the very best at the risk of everything.
They later reconvene at a low-key jazz nightclub and Andrew agrees to do one last performance. Fletcher purposely deceives Andrew the moment he steps on stage. They play an entirely different number then the ones Fletcher said they would play. Now Andrew is looking like a fool, this was Fletcher’s way of saying “fuck you.”
Utterly embarrassed and without much he can do about it, Andrew storms off stage only to come back moments later. He completely takes the reigns of the band and leads them in song. This is Andrew’s “fuck you,” but to me more than anything it shows how much power Fletcher still had over him. Fletcher is not amused, until Neiman breaks out into a solo that lasts several minutes. Then the movie cuts at the end and we don’t get to see what happens next between them.
To me this was a perfect way to end it because it leaves you to come up with your own ending. How do you think things ended for Andrew? Hopefully well.
If anything this movie speaks volumes to anyone who specializes in any sort of craft, particularly an artistic one. What is more important? The soul of your work or trying to be so perfect so that you will gain respect and be admired as a result?
We can see a lot of Andrew’s ambition in the way he talks. He breaks things off with a girl because she will get in his way. He wants to be remembered. He will not settle for mediocrity or even good enough. Maybe that is why Fletcher took him on as a student. Searching desperately for his Charlie Parker. Maybe Fletcher wants to realize his own dreams through a student and is willing to do anything to get it.
I think this film is very good and musicians should see it. Not only musicians but anyone who has a creative craft that they may be struggling with or don’t know where they stand on it.
In a day and age where late rappers are becoming a norm, we are seeing more and more of the release of posthumous work (i.e. work released after death.) A few prolific rappers stand out in this conversation, including Lil Peep, XXXTENTACION and Mac Miller.
All at the height of their success when they passed. It’s truly unfortunate we couldn’t see the further development of these artists especially when they were so ambiguous in their work and so promising.
Often when these artists die there is still a plethora of music left behind, yet to be released. In the case of Lil Peep, the rising emo rap star, there was an immense amount of work unreleased. The label partnered with frequent collaborators of Lil Peep to bring about projects that the fans could accept. Following the release of the polished Come Over When You’re Sober collection, label heads, with input from Peep’s mom decided to release the more raw and authentic Everybody’s Everything. Which doubled as a soundtrack to the documentary on his life.
A lot of controversy was stirred when the label continued to release music under Peep’s name but rest assured his mother Liza was behind it every step of the way. Saying:
“What do you do when a young artist dies long before his time, leaving behind a legacy of finished and unfinished work, and a legion of heartbroken fans?”
– Liza Womack
It seems like the honorable thing to do to honor the late artist and put out a body of work that most closely emulates what the artist in mention would have wanted.
Like stated before, this isn’t without its controversy as the bodies that distribute this late work are often met with backlash. Like when the BMW that XXXTENTACION died in was on display at an album event.
This begs the question of if an artists’ legacy is best left alone. Of course the family and friends of the artist have an idea of what the artists would have wanted in a project, single releases, etc. but the artist isn’t there to provide input.
Prior to his death, Mac Miller was busy at work on a follow up to his album Swimming. The album featured production from one producer named Jon Briar who later went on to finish the album keeping in mind the vision Miller had for it.
Again, it is nice to still get new material from an artist after their death but it often spurs a slew of questions about how exactly these releases are being handled. It seems that the ones in charge of these releases put immense thought into the given project before releasing but without the touch of the artists in question something is somewhat lacking.
That being said, you can’t please everyone. Especially on the internet. Someone will always have an opinion. Admittedly it is nice to see songs that didn’t have a proper release get one finally and for unfinished projects to see the light of day but the motives of the people at hand are often in question.
Sorry to say, these artists are gone and all we have left of them is the music. If we can continue their legacy going even for a short time, then maybe the details don’t matter so much.
Nowadays, young people suffer more than ever. Especially during that transition period from young adulthood to full on adulthood. It seems like just yesterday we were playing on the playground and now we have bills to pay.
Life can be tough but that’s why I’m thankful for video games.
Video games allow you to explore places you’ve never been before, meet mysterious people, join in on the action, realize a legend and more.
When I was younger, I got made fun of a lot for the games I liked to play. At some point I just wouldn’t tell anyone what my interests were. Then years later, things like comic books, video games and anime were brought into the mainstream and suddenly it was the cool thing.
Also with help from content creators like RDCWorld1 and Cilvanis (just to name a few) things that were once seen as nerdy are culturally relevant.
Gaming culture has become so much apart of our culture that now big companies are advertising at gamers.
Safe to say, gaming culture isn’t going anywhere. People who were old enough to remember when gaming first made its way to homes are now old enough to have families. These people are still playing games and even with their children now. So we will still see this going on for generations.
This is so important for us all today. Gaming provides an escape. You can forget about all your worries and get involved in a complete storyline or a whole new world. It allows us all to tap into that inner child. I believe there is a game for each person out there. Perfectly tailored to your tastes. In this day and age, now more than ever we need ways to go back to those days on the playground and feel like kids again. If even for a moment.
Artistic Apathy 