Songwriting and that other thing...

I was just on The Violet Burning's website (www.thevioletburning.com) and came across this little quote from modern-day mystic, Mike Pritzl (aka, The Violet Burning):

"You know, a song like “I See Stars” or “Slowa” … those songs, man, they just, they kill me. When we play those songs, they’re really strikingly beautiful. And sometimes for me, I think, God, where did this come from? Because I believe, in a kind of mystical way, that songs are out there, and there’s certain people who are able to kinda tap into ’em."

Ok, chances are that I'm going to be arrested for posting that on here without permission, but we'll just pretend that nothing ever happened until it actually comes down to the lawsuit. Oh yeah, I also want to point out the fact that he's talking about his own songs there.

Anyway... my point is that I thought what he said about songwriting was really cool because, and Matt can attest to this, that's pretty much my theory on the topic as well. It's my opinion that good songs aren't written so much as realized. God has music out there, and we, as songwriters, are kind of like radios that tap into the cosmic radiowaves and spew out the results for the world to hear. That's also why I think some songs, and records, are unbelievably good, and others obviously bad. Some writers are better than others at tapping into Music, while others are just imitating, or perhaps they're only getting part of the signal because they're only partially tuned in, or for whatever other variety of reasons.

This theory, in my opinion, explains albums like Radiohead's Kid A, or Weezer's blue album, which I consider to be two of the best albums of all time. They're so good that it almost hurts to listen to them, and I would always wonder how it was that these people who, as far as I know, have no particular relationship with Christ, which I consider paramount to my own writing, are still able to create something as divine as the moments captured on those recordings. God just gave 'em really long antennas, that's all.

Ok, I know this is getting long, but I seem to continue stumbling on other points I'm looking to make. The next point being that songwriting ability is really nothing to take credit for, as I suppose nor are most things in life, because it has been bestowed upon those of us that are able as a gift. I can no more take credit for my songwriting ability (beit good or bad, you be the judge) than I can for having five fingers on each hand. I can certainly develop that gift, and therefore tune into the waves a bit better, but that's more a responsibility than something to be prideful of anyway.

Well, that's my profound statement for tonight. Umm, there was that other thing, but I for one can't remember what the heck it was... so until next time, I'll leave all my adoring fans (meaning me, when I read this thing again later to remember what it was that I actually wrote) awaiting my next entry with great anticipation (and boy am I excited).

Long live Jason Martin!