BEST AND WORST OF 2011
I end the year, the way I started it: alone.
It's strange how this reminded me of what the mother of a friend of mine told me once: note down how the first 12 days of the year are like for you, and see that somehow, the 12 months of the year will correspond.
I never believed it, but now, I remember it.
It's not so bad being single. I don't have to deal with buying gifts for a new boyfriend, "what's he going to like?" etc. I don't have to deal with long, drawn-out meals at the in-laws. I don't have to deal with their bad presents either.
And I don't have to deal with the usual end-of-year fights; ah yes! The Grinch strikes again!
...And yet the cold, seems just that much colder, the wind seems to whip my face, with even more ferocity....
So, I thought about the year past (because it is that time of year and we all get like this) and reflected upon what I liked and didn't like.
MUSIC:
My favourite subject here. Well, let's start with the good, shall we? For me, there was a lot of good...and just as much bad, to be honest. And most of it didn't come from where I expected it to come.
To me, 2011 was a year of discovery, and to top that off, here are some of the albums I fell in love with:
-Lana Del Ray, "Video Games". Ok, so this isn't exactly an album, you're going to say, yes it's an EP, but I loooooove her. I mean, I discovered her and WOW. She has the most amazing haunting voice, like a mermaid I imagine, and I mean that in the most positive and artistic way possible. She comes to you in her music...And then never leaves you. My iPod is going to explode, I listen to this girl so much! And what a joy to be able to discover new musicians and feel that sense of awe and wonder, much like falling in love all over again.......I cannot wait for her album to come out in February 2012!
-"Barton Hollow" by The Civil Wars. Ok, so they were nominated for the AMA's and honestly, they deserved it. I like the folk, grass-roots sounds, and I really love the way both their voices seem to meld together, forming a beautifully peaceful harmony. And of course, their individual musicality makes an album that is really well done. Bravo to Joy Williams and John Paul White for making me smile.
-"Mylo Zyloto" by Coldplay. This is the second album I listen to over and over again on my iPod! Coldplay always amazes me; Chris Martin and his boys have the unbelievable capacity to make at least one perfectly beautiful song per album. They are able, with each album they record, to hit that "sweet spot" right on, and it is quite a feat, let me tell you. Being a musician myself, I know just how difficult, if not impossible that is. And this album does it once again; it's almost boring to say that they'll never disappoint, but it has to be said.
-"Wasting Light" by Foo Fighters. I was a fan of Nirvana. Then I became a fan of the Foo Fighters, and this is one of the albums from the "biggies" this year, one of those "highly anticipated albums" that did not disappoint. Thank Goodness. With the boys above, at least they came through! And yes, "Rope" is a good track; it really is. It is really well-recorded, worked and edited; no doubt, this is excellent work.
-"Bon Iver" by "Bon Iver". My BFF introduced to me Bon Iver first, years ago, sitting at my old house in the freezing cold winter time. I really liked them then, and am impressed with their album this year. You may say that it could only be: they had such a promising start, so this was foreseeable. Well, not really, because you never know; sometimes you think you're on the right road with something (I mean artistically) and then you realize, you kinda went WAY OFF. But not this, and it certainly deserves its spot on my BEST list of 2011.
-"No Time for Dreaming" by Charles Bradley. This is on Rolling Stone's Top 50 of 2011 list, and I gotta agree. Bradley is kinda like Coldplay or the Foo Fighters; you're not really going to be disappointed, or at least, there is a very good chance you won't be. And although he is now 63-years-old, old Charlie still has soul. Lots of it.
-"The Bright Lights" EP by Gary Clark Jr. Believe it or not, but I got this blasting in the back while I write this. What can I say? Soul, blues, R&B.....Jimi Hendrix, is this where you went? He not only rips the guitar, he sings like something that wants to reach in tear your heart out. Really looking forward to this album too; I've heard that Eric Clapton and Questlove are already fans. I completely agree with them.
-"El Camino" by The Black Keys. Ok, I loved "Brothers". I danced to that album like, all summer when it came out. And I loved their sense of weird, funny and dark all rolled into one. So, I couldn't wait for this album, and I wasn't disappointed. The boys, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, teamed up with Danger Mouse once again and they created a great, get-up-and-move album that is just so much fun.
-"Helplessness Blues" by Fleet Foxes. So, at this stage, some of you are going to say, you listen to folk and blues exclusively. No, that's not true. I listen to everything. I'm not one of those snobby musicos; I really do listen to everything; I love Joan Baez as much as I love The Beastie Boys and Jimi Hendrix. I can lie on my bed and put on Led Zeppelin so loud the walls shake, and I can also lie there and let myself float away listening to Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. So, please, don't click off because I haven't listed Beyoncé on here. I listen to anything and everything, as long as it's quality. QUALITY. And I mean that. I have enough discernment I believe, to make the difference between something that is purely pop, something that is badly written and something that is truly beautiful. Of course, personal taste does enter into it: otherwise, why in the world would I be writing a BEST OF? But I have to say, I'm trying to be as objective here as possible, all the while sharing what I really did enjoy this year.
-And finally...I gotta do this one for my kid: "21" by Adele. What can I say? It's her year, isn't it? And you know what? I'm happy for her. I'm a poor, starving musician; I learned years ago, I was never going to make it as a performer. I'm a composer and that's where I get high. But to be both, is tough and rare and coming from someone so young, it's quite a gift. Now, I don't like all the songs on this album, but once again, what is surprising, is that she is only 21. And it's a highly accomplished album at that. I'm not so sure I could have done something like that so young. I was still running around, trying to get my music in movies back then, so I really support a young musician and most of all....this whole album talks about heartbreak. About being alone, and being left alone. It talks about wanting to take revenge on THAT GUY, it talks about crying alone in the dark, because you'll never be the same again.
Yeah. I did lots of that this year. So, she's on my list, and she's staying on it!
And from some of my readers, who participated, here is their list of albums and muscians of 2011:
-"Undun" by the Roots. You want good hip-hop. Here it is.
-My BFF mentioned Angus and Julia Stone. The thing is....the album came out in 2010, not 2011! So, I can't really mention it on here! But being that she's expecting her first child (and it's a BOY!), I'm going to give her a shout out anyway!
-"Beautiful Imperfection" by Asa. Unfortunately, this too, is an 2010 album, but I thank Ben for having contributed to my list!
-"A Different Kind of Fix" by Bombay Bicycle Club. From my old and good friend Philly, yes, I like this one too, and I'm glad that you reminded me of this Indie-Rock band that I like very much!
-And another friend said, "#4" by Nasser. This is if you like remixes and DJ's. In fact, the person who suggested this, is a DJ, so go figure.
ART :
My mother was an Art teacher, so Art and the Fine Arts, have always been close to my heart. In fact, she taught me to draw, sketch; she taught me about perspective and how to use different mediums. She also taught me how to knit, crochet, how to make lace and stitch. I make clothes thanks to her. And the truth is, I would have become a Fine Artist, if I hadn't opted for music when I was 13.
-On top of my list, has to be the Occupy Museums Movement. So, this isn't really an exhibition, more of an activist movement, but it still is at the top of my list. They brought "Bring Your Own Manifesto" to MoMA, a Philip Glass-led people's microphone reciting of Ghandi's quotations and even held a séance to channel distant voices of extinct dinosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History! Brilliant! I think we should all do that! I wanna hear a T-Rex growling for his mate!
-"Alexander McQueen at the Met". Yes, you can admit to it, boys; he was a genius. He really was. I defy anyone who says that designing clothes is not an art. No one combined sex, texture, patterning, cut, finish, vision, and just exquisite tailoring as well as Alexander McQueen did. I'm not talking about clothes, as in wife-beaters and Crocs. I'm talking about real line and design. And no, I won't think you're a pussy if you say that you agree with me.
-The Clark Collection at Giverny. This was a small exhibtion (relatively speaking; this wasn't ArtMichigan) but it was exquisite. The Clarks were perhaps the most famous of Impressionist collectors, and when you bear that in mind, you suddenly realize that their collection was undoubtedly one of the most impressive in the world. And here, they showed it for everyone's pleasure, and it really was. Imagine being surrounded by those paintings; it seemed pretty much like Heaven when I walked in...
AND EVERYTHING ELSE....
I can't speak for everyone, I can speak for myself, but here are for me, the events that affected me, touched me or just plain blew me away this year....
-Maybe the most amazing thing was becoming a teacher again. After a first, pretty disastrous dive back into it in early September, I found my mark again, and it was really great. Still is. I love teaching, and I love it as much as I remembered I did, back years ago, when I was a newbie teach. I'm even more disappointed with the system today, but actual teaching in itself is as tough and rewarding as I remembered it to be. And thank Goodness. I'm still a teacher at heart and it felt good to get back home.
-I moved. And it was the best, but hardest thing to do. I had gotten quite used to living out in the forest, being lost from everything, but then I realized; I wasn't just getting out of touch with reality, I was getting way out of touch with myself. The active, proactive and hyperactive girl that I am, was suddenly happy, sitting at home, staring at my cats. Not good. So, it had to be done, and it was honestly the best thing I have done in the past 7 years. I don't think I'm ever going to leave the city again.
-The Occupy Movements. Yes, I support them and I am with them. It's about time. Whether the Movement in itself will truly have any effect, I don't know, but the key here, is that for the first time, people have had enough of the old, capitalistic ways. We need to find new ways to distribute wealth, make wealth, consider wealth, consider ourselves through the perspective of what we consider to be our true worth. This was way overdue, and I truly hope that this is just the beginning....
-2012. What? The End of The World? It better be. I mean, the world, AS WE KNOW IT. Isn't it about time things truly changed? Are we going to sit here and accept rape, abuse, war, prejudice and injustice? I mean really? Is that all that we're here for? Hey, you know, we've got it pretty nice here on the Earth, don't you think we should start respecting her and taking care of her? Because, you know what? I don't think you want to get Mother Nature too angry with us....
-The weather. No, I mean it. When I say "weather", I am including natural disasters too. But first of all, 2011 was a year of extreme weather. We went from snow drifts so high I couldn't drive, then to extreme heat, flooding, rains, drought...and it is still going on. And scientists say that, yes it's due in part to different weather phenomenons, but mostly due to our own selfishness and greed. So, if you aren't scared right now, and haven't been scared all year each time something pretty extreme happened in the weather, then get off the Earth. We need to start doing some pretty big things here, to save ourselves lots of suffering and pain. And we need to do it fast, people. This leads me to another phenomenon: natural disasters. The tsunami and earthquake in my own home country was devastating, terrifying and a huge blow to an already crippled economy in Japan. It brought up such important questions as, how safe and how necessary is nuclear energy? How do you re-build after such a disaster? For those of you who helped and gave of yourselves, I thank you very much.
-The Tsunami and the Nuclear disaster in Japan. This was terrible, horrible and just so heart-wrenchingly sad for me. It made me all the more home-sick and want to drop everything and go back to help. The one thing that I can say is this: the positive part of this disaster is that it showed the Japanese to be a bonded, good-hearted and honest people. Hard-working too. It showed how the government screwed-up, but it showed that the people, well, are some of the best strongest, and best people around.
-Steve Jobs. Goodness, what can I say? I loved this guy. I loved his sayings, I loved his story. He may not have been the easiest person to live with, but he was a true visionary and fighter.
All in all, so much happened this year, whether to me, whether around the world. Too much to write here in just one little post. I could talk about the shock and horror, but also the anger I felt when the first female journalist was sexually assaulted, in public, during the Egyptian protests. What kind of a world do we live in, that a woman cannot be safe doing her job? My old music teacher, who taught me for 7 long years was diagnosed with Leukemia earlier this year. This news was perhaps the most devastating to me. She was like a mother to me; closer to me than my own estranged biological mother. I cried lots of tears about that, lots, and here we are at the last day of the year, and I still don't know how to deal with it. How do you deal with losing someone you love?
And yes, loss. I dealt with that a lot this year. Loss of love, loss of trust, loss of respect. Loss of friendships (or what I thought to be friends)....basically, a loss of innocence.
And losing your innocence, is one of the hardest things to live through, because we would all rather see life through rainbow-coloured glasses, wouldn't we? And yet, life catches up to us. But I'm no longer a child, not even a teenager. I'm starting to wonder if life isn't just an endless cycle of dreaming, building dreams and illusions, losing them and then finding new dreams and illusions.....
And the worst?
Sure, I could go on about that. I mean, there were a lot of disappointments this year, there always is in life, right? But then, I changed my mind. Sorry, maybe some of you will disagree with me here, but I thought, it's easy to criticize. It's easier than saying something good, looking inside of your heart and smiling at life. So, I've decided to do just that: look you all in the eyes and smile.
Life is way too short to waste time on disappointments. It really is. And at the end of our lives, the only things that we will remember are the good things, the happy things, the things that took our breath away. We can be strong, we ARE strong. And we are miracles, each and every one of us, conceived and born of the simple miracle of life. We have to love ourselves, love others, love the Earth and the Universe, and be thankful for what we have, and what we DON'T have, because, damn, people....I don't know about you, but I've had more than enough of people who are so ungrateful and complain all the time. Life can always be better, sure, that's true, but it can also always be worse. And most of all, no one, and I repeat, NO ONE can take away from you the most essential part of yourself: YOUR OWN SELF-ESTEEM. So, build it. Grow it. Look in the mirror, and see yourself for who you truly are, and love you. And if you don't like what you see, that is, you got a lot of negative in yourself and in your life? Then change it. Simple as that. No, the road ain't easy, but nobody said it would be. But you gotta keep fighting! We don't have very much time here, you know. Life goes so fast, and we're just such nothing in this universe, such a finite part of an infinite vastness. Please, if there is one thing, just one thing that I wish for this coming year, then yes, it's a new world, a new beginning, a new everything, because it's high time we live our lives through LOVE, and forget about hate, violence, prejudice, manipulation, regret and all the negative things that pollute our lives and our world.
I wish you all, a very Happy New Year, and may 2012 bring all the things that you never dared to dream of, and all the things that make us truly human and humble, every single moment of the day: true love and true happiness.