On the evening before my first major work presentation I was feeling really anxious until Nice Day For a White Wedding came on the radio. I suddenly felt as if nothing could go badly wrong in a world where this song exists. Never mind that it's probably among the most depressing songs ever written; it seemed to be what I needed right then.
While unable to sleep a few nights ago I lay listening to my iPod Shuffle. The Sound of Silence came on. Knowing that I have both the acoustic and electric versions of this song on my iPod, I waited anxiously for the moment when the drums would start. That moment came and went with no drums; I was hearing the gentle acoustic version. Realising this made me feel strangely relieved and uplifted. I fell asleep before the song ended.
Today I cooked dinner to Pink Floyd's Momentary Lapse of Reason album, and it annoyed me by being (I realised for the first time) unnecessarily overblown and melodramatic. Once it was finished I switched over to the radio and did the dishes to Black Betty, Shot Down in a Blaze of Glory and Enter Sandman, stomping to the beat while I scrubbed.
Tonight I waited an hour on dialup to watch the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain play Ode to Joy with 1000 audience members. Every one of them had a different strumming style. All the ukes were different. But they made real live music together.
Inspiration doesn't have to live inside an electronic device. It might live inside a wooden one... or even a plastic one.
Even if you do have a strange gimpy strum and your spare fingers keep getting caught in the strings.
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