BY: OLIVER KOGOD//
“What do you think about it?”
“About what?”
“Music… what else?”
“Oh, haha, of course. Hmm. To me it feels like my entire life revolves around one thing. No matter what I’m doing, or not doing, there is some connection to this thing. And the thing is music.”
“Do you ever find it limiting or annoying to be always attached to music?”
“No, honestly I find it quite lovely. Music is a language that helps me understand both myself and the world. It helps me make sense of life. To have it with me all the time feels like a special gift that I am lucky to have.”
“Could you elaborate on music being a language for understanding yourself and the world?”
“Sure, yeah. My entire worldview, how I see the world, is rooted in music. Whatever I am seeing/hearing/experiencing, my mind somehow connects it to music. Feelings are a good example. If I’m feeling a certain way and you ask me to describe that feeling, it’s a lot easier for me to show you a song that captures the feeling rather than me try to explain it to you through words. How I see and think about the world draws from music, organized sound. For a while, I thought this worldview was too narrow-minded, too restrictive, something that I should try to grow out of. I tried to convince myself that there’s more to the world than music, but my attempted persuasion failed. After a wildly-affirming conversation with a music professor, where I learned that other people share this worldview, I came to realize that this music-centered perspective is not wrong nor in need of fixing. It is a unique outlook that I am happy to hold.”
“Why exactly do you feel happy to have this worldview?”
“There’s a Talking Heads song I really love, ‘Memories Can’t Wait.’ In it David Byrne sings, “there’s a party in my mind / And I hope it never stops.” These lines exemplify why I love seeing the world through music. On one hand, yes, there is always a song stuck in my head. I can turn to it at any time, which I do often. It explains why you’ll see me smiling so much. And, secondly, it’s always a good time when your worldview comes out of a thing that you love. To be clear, music is the thing I love. How could I not enjoy experiencing the world through it?”
To be continued…