ø - Razorcake

involved in the martial arts I’m referencing.
Only individuals pitted against individuals.
Pussies use guns. To stare a person in the
eye and pit skill against skill is an entirely
different matter.
Although two opponents are involved in
an intimate physical and psychological discourse,
the final goal of a martial arts duo is
not common. If one fighter sticks to tradition
and textbook style, the opponent who
creates something new during the fight, the
fighter who uses an original move, will win.
Martial arts reward creativity absolutely.
With music, jazzers can play strict textbook
jazz standards all night long to applause.
Rock’n’roll or blues cover bands can play
all night for significant amounts of money.
Unfortunately in music, craftsmen and technicians
can be rewarded along with those
who are original. Not
in martial arts.
Personally, JKD has
taught me to relax.
Taught me more
about rhythm and fitting
in with another
human being. Now, I
listen more to
Token’s drums and
can fit to his changes
and emotions better.
In music, the parties
involved work
together to realize a
common goal –
music. In martial
arts, fighters must
engage but there is a
struggle. Therefore,
my senses are being
sharpened. If I can
perform martial arts
“in the void,” I certainly
can perform
music. When a fighter
or musician is in
the void, that means
they are completely
in the moment.
Completely natural. Operating outside of
convention and thought. Pure music. Pure
fighting. Total honesty charged with pure
emotional content equals absolute art. The
martial arts have definitely improved my
music.
Bradley: So is there a rhythm to life?
Chet: Sure. Listen for it. If you can’t hear
the rhythm, stand a day in Los Angeles vs.
Potts Camp, Mississippi.
Bradley: Is life music? Is music life?
Chet: Absolutely. I stayed up one night
writing about his very subject. Once again,
good art requires emotional content. The
content comes from life. We sing about our
lives. When I spend the night with my lover
and put the experience into a song, I have
simply transferred and organized the rhythm
and sound from a night in my life into a
more succinct expression – a song. Poetry
does the same. Poetry organizes sounds and
words into succinct combination to best
describe life. Now, the clincher, you can
live another person’s life through their art.
A good poem or song allows someone else
to share the poet’s life. Just like if you’d
been there.
Bradley: Is there a revolution in sound
going on?
Chet: I hope so. If not, we’re close to the
end.
Bradley: How does your revolution plan to
deal with the battle between the power
of the people and the power of the dollar?
Chet: We’re all interested in a revolution of
the spirit. I used to be more interested in
economic and political revolution. I felt that
the best political and economic organization
would better facilitate my desire for humans
to truly live free. “Free your mind and your
‘Cause cain’t none of these damned little mealy-mouthed sons of
bitches hold a torch to this man right here.
ass will follow.” Now I’ve decided a revolution
of the spirit must first occur, and then
the proper socio-economic organization will
follow. To be more specific, the world is in
need of an ideological revolution. I believe
people, especially Americans, have been
tricked by the powers that be to believe that
individuals do not matter. More and more
people are turning toward “authorities” and
“experts” for answers. For example, if
there’s a problem in the neighborhood, the
neighbors don’t take care of it. They call the
cops. If there’s problems in the world, people
seem to think that governments and
politicians are smarter and more apt to cure
the problems rather than the people themselves.
That’s crap. Deep down, we know
politicians and cops are causing many of
these problems themselves or simply are not
the best solution. Individuals make up our
world. No one knows better what to do for
themselves than themselves. The people
have lost confidence in themselves. They
are scared and looking for others to solve
their problems. In truth, any person is a
dynamic, intelligent, and capable living
being. When folks realize this again, we
won’t need these crooks running the game.
We’ll run our own. With self-confidence
and self-esteem comes integrity and respect.
The consequential socio-political systems
will be anarchic in nature. The evolution of
the world has to end in this point.
Otherwise, war and destruction will occur.
Professional politics and governments are
based around an Us vs. Them mentality.
Politicians and cops are always drawing
battle lines. This is part of their job.
Someday we the people will learn that battle
lines aren’t the solution. Reasoning with
oneself and others
is the solution. The
only solution for
living. I advocate
“power to the people”
in the truest
sense of the phrase.
Bradley: Do you
feel a strong sense
of closeness with
your surroundings?
Chet: I’m a believer
in the “environment
shapes the
personality” explanation
in psychiatry.
I don’t think I
would have been so
compelled to
explore soul music,
blues, and jazz if
those forms of
music weren’t all
around me. I feel
lucky to be from an
area of the world
so vibrant with different
cultures and
their blending. The
Southern United
States holds characters from the worst white
trash über-truck driving redneck stormtrooper
to William Faulkner to the most
cliché gang banger to Martin Luther King
Jr. And there are infinite more examples of
these kinds of extremities in all kinds of
colors.
I wonder how many people would
cringe if I said the South, rather than the
coasts, shapes America. Look through
American History, brothers and sisters. You
will be surprised. The Southern United
States provides America with its figurative
Id. And we all know from what part of the
psyche a person’s passion and creativity
springs – yes, the Id. We also know what
part of the psyche a person blames when
something goes wrong.
Bradley: Why do you think some people
are uptight and weird when they talk about
people playing the blues?
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