When I was younger, I think in college, I started getting into all the hip hop that Stone's Throw was putting out. I used to eat up whatever I could find through mediafire links on my (still very wonderful) iPod classic.
I remember listening to all this music, and not being able to describe why I liked it so much. It hit so differently than the music that was on the radio, and it had a crudeness to it that I also wasn't able to define at the time.
I had a friend named Andy during in my late teens. I remember seeing his stickers all over the streets of my home town. He'd make these really abstract, amorphous, weird characters out of vinyl sheets and stick 'em up on stop signs and the electrical boxes you see by the stop lights. I loved them and eventually tracked him down and we started hanging out.
I got into art through writing on walls and making stencils. I liked Andy because what he was doing wasn't your typical graffiti - he wasn't thinking about the fact that it was so different (at least I don't think so,) he was just a early 20's freak who didn't really care to be doing what everyone else is doing. We all should be so lucky to have a catalyst like this kid was for me.
He had a SP-404 and he was always making these weird little lofi beats (before it was cool!), and I thought it was so neat. He was the one that got me into Madlib, MF Doom, J Dilla, etc.
While I used to listen to J Dilla, he was always my least favorite of those three - mostly I was a Madlib (and associated projects) guy. I know the album Donuts front to back, but by osmosis - I'd throw it on from time to time.
I relistened to it this morning on the way to school, influenced by some YouTube short (the plague of short content!) and was absolutely melted by it.
Since college my music taste has gone all over, but I've always appreciated texture, abstraction and most of all a sound clip/sample! J Dilla had the abstract track layering of Aphex Twin and the texture and sound collage of an artist like Muslimgauze (and plenty more) all wrapped up in a "hip hop" package.
Relistening to music, relooking at artworks, and revisiting places that you have enjoyed in the past can be wonderfully deep wells of inspiration and revelation. It can sometimes be a peek into why you are the way you are. Something that has rooted itself deep with-in you, or helped the already planted identity grow.
I never could have imagined that I'd discover a link between the grainy, textured, stretched and rich drawings of John Blanche and the same style conveyed through the beats of J Dilla, yet here we are, it's all blended together in the media processor of the brain.
While I might know more than I did when I was 20, past experiences paved the way for the hobbyist I am now, who knows what the future holds.
Stay open, look back, and build forward.
xoxo
P.S. Here's a cool little video that sums up some of what I'm talking about:
I think what you describe is nostalgia in its healthiest sense, where memory is examined and considered thoughtfully. A strong contrast to the thoughtless, opiod-like variety that has come to dominate mainstream entertainment. A great read as always.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful read to start my Saturday with!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ian that this feels like a healthy and positive perspective on nostalgia. Through the act of reflecting, one is able to self-examine and grow from the experience.
This post reminds me of my own musical tastes from 15-20ish and how that contributed to shaping me into the man I am today. Thank you for another great post, Terry.
It's definitely a key component of personal growth to be able to retrospect and say, "Damn, Killswitch Engage's 'The End of Heartache' was a great album, but also look at how much more complex and varied my tastes are today!"
ReplyDeleteAll this said, I am guilty of exploring the hobby now through a lens of nostalgia. Revisiting games that I loved as a kid but couldn't fully appreciate due to inexperience/funding.