Did you watch last night’s Breaking Bad? Wow.
No spoilers here, just a personal statement and a literature reference. First, the statement: That was the most heartbreaking episode of Breaking Bad I’ve watched…
Now the literature reference:
The title of the show, if you bought it on iTunes, is “Ozymandias.” This title makes an English teacher jump up and down and scream, “Allusion!” (My former students will chuckle at my continual obsession with literature terms.)
Anyways, today I thought I’d reread the poem “Ozymandias” by Percy Shelly. (Here’s a fun coincidence: I used this poem during first teaching lesson in my own classroom at Holly High School, in 2003 for World Literature seniors!) It’s a powerful message to anyone believing money or power matter.
* * *
“Ozymandias”
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: `Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear —
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.’
* * *
After rereading the poem again today, it was the first time I noticed how Shelley puts distance between us, the readers, and the very statue described. The speaker of the poem is retelling a story from an traveler. It’s not even a statue the speaker witnessed! Even the ruin is simply a telling!
That’s the less obvious Romanticism theme: The most powerful thing in humanity is a story; the sublime is found in passing down of words, as nature continues…
And Breaking Bad sure has its characters, and fans, retelling stories…
Reaching Goals: Sprinting to the Finish Line
Creative pursuits are like long distance running: it’s more about endurance than sprinting.
My track and cross-country coach, Mark Carpenter, once pointed out to me that the way I was sprinting the last 150 meters of a 3.1 meter race was a sign I was leaving too much on the course. He coached me to run more consistently, and slightly faster, during the middle of the race, during the tough miles. By the end, it was too late!
Coach Carp’s advice about running is now an adage I follow for music. I’m reminding myself about it a lot this week, now that I’m in the middle of the tour (almost past the second week, 1520 miles into 4000+).
Success isn’t a sprint to the finish line; the hard work is in the middle of the race, the time where it gets tough, the time where we need to exert about 10-15% more energy, focus or attention.
At a Chicago open mic Monday, I met a fantastic duo named Frances Luke Accord. Brian and Nick are an acoustic, folk pop duo. Picture Simon & Garfunkel meeting Nickelcreek.
Anyways, we struck up a conversation, traded CDs, and I asked them where they recorded their debut.
“Uganda” the young songwriters said.
Yep! Uganda. It knocked my socks off, too.
During their senior year in college, FLA was invited to visit the Barefoot Truth Children’s Choir of the Kkindu Village in Uganda. With the help from donations by family, friends and grants from Notre Dame, the seniors recorded a seven song CD featuring the children’s choir.
All of the profits are donated to the children’s education.
Did your heart just skip too?
These young songwriter’s aspired to follow the footsteps of Paul Simon’s Graceland with a unique work that gives back to a community miles and miles away. Brian told me they’ve raised $5000 from the CD sales already.
So I’m crossing the Mississippi River today, listening to the record, and it’s just beautiful. I’ve listened to it on repeat all day.
The next time someone tells you art or music can’t make a difference, or college students only drink beer all day, just whisper, Frances Luke Accord.
You need to hear this:
- The story about their project
- FLA’s official website
- FLA’s Bandcamp where you can hear and buy Kandote, and donate
- My favorite song from Kandote, “In the Water”
Related show
When a friend (or stranger) treats you poorly, do you feel a little jaded, and say, “I’m going to be more careful with how generous I am next time.”
However, when a friend (or stranger) is so kind, do you feel empowered, and say, “I’m going to pay it forward, I’m need to be kind!”
Kindness should always win; don’t get jaded.
