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Kindle Notes & Highlights
Guilelessness is an imperative gift for any performer, and not everyone comes by it naturally.
I didn’t feel “wronged” yet because I still felt wrong.
It’s not vain; it’s a superpower to know what you look like—not on the surface, but what you really look like. It’s even more of a superpower to know and accept it. Now, here’s the truly unattainable nirvana…what if you could actually know—even love it? Most people are unaware of the story their eyes tell or the way their lines show us how often they’ve laughed. I don’t want to be worried about my face or my body. I want to love it. With Pete, I wanted to know what I look like and not just accept it but completely embrace it.
I heard someone from the music business saying they are no longer looking for talent; they want people with a certain look and a willingness to cooperate. I thought, That’s interesting, because I believe a total unwillingness to cooperate is what is necessary to be an artist—not for perverse reasons, but to protect your vision. The considerations of a corporation, especially now, have nothing to do with art or music. That’s why I spend my time now painting.
Maybe we all just want to be immortal. To leave imprints and art and moments and words. To forgive and be forgiven. I hope I can. You don’t have to be famous to be a hero. Anyone can do that. I will never be my heroes, but I’ll always have them.
We put down our guitar cases and went to work untangling wires and plugging in/unplugging microphones to identify shorts in faulty cables while Alex worked on the dinner-plate-sized mixer to EQ for people speaking and leading the movement. It felt better than singing because the glory came from quite literally amplifying the human beings who were actually affected by this atrocity. It’s the new way. We all will learn this lesson one way or the other. I pray for your sake that you don’t learn it on a stage, but that’s where I learn most things.
Write your life. No matter how young or old. Even if you feel like you’re not interesting enough. Do it. Believe me you are. Your life is in fact twisted and beautiful and you’ll find that as you peel back the layers, the unexpected side effect is that it feels wonderful to be known.
