Telling The Truth
Who knew a take on death metal would get me thinking deeply about truth? Those who know me are already shaking their heads sadly. Clearly I’ve cracked. Well, please hear me out on this one fellow addicts.
On a recent episode of Ask Me Another, musician and novelist John Darnielle, had the following to say about creativity and death metal.
It’s creative expression that can genuinely say that it’s not interested in what the world at large thinks of it. When we say something comes from the heart, we have all these romantic associations. It has to be emotional in some way. It has to be somehow sad or plaintive. But death metal really does come from the heart because it’s put out there at risk of ridicule and the near certainty of no monetary reward at all.
People think Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, and the boys (and girls) are full of romance and beauty. But in thinking that, they miss all the richness of music—all the grit. Sure, composers in the past had to please their benefactors. But, each found a way to push the boundaries and say what they saw as truth within the confines of the times in which they lived. This poem from Emily Dickinson says it all for me.
Tell all the truth but tell it slant —Success in Circuit liesToo bright for our infirm DelightThe Truth’s superb surpriseAs Lightning to the Children easedWith explanation kindThe Truth must dazzle graduallyOr every man be blind —
Therefore, in music we find everything—the good, the bad, and the ugly. When we put this out there in our interpretations, our teaching, or blogging we ourselves become just as naked and vulnerable as the aforementioned death metal musicians.
And, as to the $$$, I’m simply not going there.
