Gustavo Santaolalla | MySpace | IMDB

I recently revisited one of my favorite films of all time, The Motorcycle Diaries, before returning home on an impromptu trip to Hawaii. It inspired me to finally pick up what might possibly be one of the most haunting and emotive soundtracks I’ve ever heard, a collaborative experience composed by several great artists, notably the Argentinean musician Gustavo Santaolalla. The introspective melodies were quite apt for my journey home, in where I’ve been delving into memories from my past via the otherwise mundane task of cleaning my room.

“Let the world change you and you can change the world,” said Ernesto “Che” Guevara, a controversial figure who, whether or not you agreed with his doings, has done great or terrible things for many Latin Americans. Regardless, it’s an inspiring quote that reminds us to open our eyes and our minds, and to connect with the intricacies of the world around us.

This post is dedicated to a friend who found my last post too scary. Hello from Hawaii!

John Powell | IMDB

I was walking down the street the other day, watching people move around in their daily uniforms, and I realized that we are all so distracted in our everyday lives. Whether it is work, getting around, laundry or food, we have so much to do. So much. Here we are with our ability to act against our instincts, our deviance from the rest of nature, and we clutter distractions back into our lives until we’re no more programmed than an ant moving from one task to the next. But when we’re done and the distractions are gone, where do we go from there besides to sleep?

Was everything you spent your energy on today worth it?

Every now and again, I find myself pondering the human condition. Like a robot in some sci-fi flick, sometimes I feel we’re automatons that have been animated with self-awareness, whether intentionally or not. We’re still trying to understand our purpose and, quite basically, ourselves. And while the search for meaning is meaningful in and of itself, there’s always this, albeit exciting, great fear of the unknown.

Like a taxi ride to nowhere – nowhere we may know of, anyway. Adventure, but hope the fare isn’t too steep.

Nirvana | MySpace

Before our show at Red Devil Lounge last night, I had been watching music performance videos to sort of get me into “the mood,” which is, I think, the equivalent of watching porn before having sex. Though who does that, I don’t know. Anyway, I ran into a Rolling Stone article on Kurt Cobain, discussing the sixteenth anniversary of when the rock icon committed suicide. The article commemorates his life with an amazing photo collection and some updates on his legacy, including his inclusion in Rock Band and the planned biopic on his life, Heavier Than Heaven. Here was a guy, loved and hated musically, that stood for something beyond music, injecting something more meaningful than sex and booze into rock culture. And as destructive as he was, he was/is pretty damn inspirational.

As a musician, I think it helps to constantly reevaluate why you create music. I think great music comes through if it stands for something, if you’re motivated by something more than simply creating melodies for the sake of creating melodies. That’s what separates an artist from a hobbyist, I guess. Artists create largely because they have to. Like the need to drink water or breathe air, their medium is an ingrained form of expression that, whether they want it to or not, needs to come out. Not allowing it to would be akin to never speaking for a kid that can’t shut up.

Nirvana’s performance at Reading, regarded as their greatest, is available on an NME award-nominated DVD. I’m seriously considering finally picking this up.

What I love most about the guitar is its ability to create something big from relatively little. Unlike literature or painted art, audio physically surrounds the listener. It’s enveloping. And unlike other instruments like the piano, the guitar is unique in that the player has direct manipulation over the strings. New notes and sounds can be achieved via harmonics, slides and bends. You are truthfully the master of the universe that you create.

Rather than selling my soul to the Devil like Steve Vai’s character did in the movie Crossroads, I chose to do it the old-fashioned way like Ralph Macchio. (He is, after all, the Karate Kid.) And while running modal scales proved ultimately useless (I’m pretty sure I’ll never use Lydian), I did pick up a few philosophical lessons on playing and performing that I’ve been re-pondering hours before heading out to load for tonight’s gig at The New Parish.

So, here they are. Five life lessons that can be inferred from the guitar:

1.) Be Light As a Feather | Use the minimal amount of finger pressure while fretting to attain faster playing speed. It’s not how hard you press, it’s how efficiently you move.

2.) Find Your Balance | Relax and focus on what you’re doing now. Keep the future in mind but don’t wander too far or you might get lost.

3.) There Is No Wrong Way | Mistakes are only deviations from your desired path. Push through and don’t let these deviations bring you down or you’ll end up straying more. Don’t sweat the small stuff or you’ll end up drenched.

4.) Be Inspired | When it comes down to it, the goal of pursuing any artistic endeavor is to create something meaningful, expressive and aesthetically profound. Try and hold onto whatever it is that inspires you.

5.) Don’t Forget to Have Fun | Life is short, after all…

Here are a few heartwarming ads I found particularly effective. I love a quality promo even if it has little to do with the actual product. It’s interesting how so many goods are now defined by a lifestyle, and how proper marketing can completely turn a company around (see: Jack in the Box, 1995). A good commercial is a good commercial, even if it’s from a dinosaur relic like JCPenney.

By the way, did you know Arizona Jeans are way affordable?

Saw this ad before Avatar and it damn near choked me up. Song: “Follow the Arrow” by Rosi Golan.

Who doesn’t want Jim Lehrer to tuck them in at night?

Another great one from JCPenney that premiered in theaters a few years ago.

Wait for the eyebrow raise.