Women Must Rock

The history of women in the world of rock & roll dates back to the juke-joint "mamas" of the 1920's. Those women simply used music to express themselves & they poured out their musical souls which unknowingly laid the foundation for future generations of female musicians to push and seal the envelope.  
 






Maggie, Annie, Abby & Lanea
(2010) "The Uke-ladies"

 

Wanda Jackson is one talented firecracker who was dubbed the Queen of Rockabilly and/or the Queen of Rock.  Jackson was a teenager in the '50's & with her daddy's support, learned the guitar and created her own cutting edge style, labeled "rockabilly" - a mixture of country and rock.  Wanda was mentored & encouraged by Elvis Presley to "jump into the mix" and make some buzz in the biz. She broke ground with her infectious sound & fringy dresses, making a classic statement that still looks hot & fresh today.
Check out Wanda's video on her website page:  http://www.wandajackson.com/main.html

Wanda has recorded a couple of CD's in recent years and she says that she is finally reaping the rewards of her breakthrough in the 1950's. The 70-something Wanda says that "to see women still knocking down these barriers, not only in music but in business and all the arts, I'm quite proud of them. I don't care for everything that's happening in every respect but I'm very proud of the strong women-the way they've come to the forefront." Wanda is performing in Louisville, KY this Sat. nite - July 27th at Headliner's Music Hall!

I happen to think that there are other women "in rock," namely on-air radio personalities such as my late friend & co-author, Maggie McHugh, along with Evansville local radio personality, Julie Michaels. Not to mention the long list of female authors who research & write about the importance of rock & roll.....You will enjoy Jude Kessler's viewpoint this week of another woman in rock ...read on for more...(she also shares an excerpt from her latest book, soon to be published Vol. 3- She Loves You).

Please attend my "Women In Rock" program this Thursday, which will be a brief view of where women started in rock & where they stand now. The program will also include a musical performance by radio personality Julie Michaels and local musician, Mariah Dawn Shepherd.


Women In Rock - Studio 4905's Local Author Event
Thursday, July 25th ~ 6:00 - 8:00 pm cst
4905 Timberlane Dr., Henderson, KY 42420

 

My Music Nugget of the Week:

I love this spine tingling performance by Heart - two very important female rockers. Their tribute to Led Zeppelin is exquisite. My 6 yr old niece, Hillary, says that Jimmy Page (on the far right of the Led Zep fellas) - looks like George Washington ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK_DOJa99oo


Ask the Intern with Claire Edwards

In today's rock world, what new female artist shines?    -   Dreamboat Annie, Chandler, IN

 

            The first name that comes to mind is Amanda Palmer who first become a prominent figure in the music scene when she and Brian Viglione, who together form the duet The Dresden Dolls, released their debut album. Although The Dresden Dolls helped her make a name for herself, Palmer, who is a composer, pianist, lyricist, and singer; has since participated in many musical endeavors including Evelyn Evelyn, Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra, and her own solo career. Palmer’s stunningly unique lyrics, deep vocals, and activist themes set her far apart from others in the alternative rock community. Much of Palmer’s music is classified a punk cabaret which is a style of music that combines gothic and punk music styles with aspects from burlesque and vaudeville shows. Palmer’s work promotes individuality, equality, and creativity in a way that affects and inspires listeners.

Peace, Love & Rock & Roll,
Lanea Stagg
Recipe Records Cookbooks
www.reciperecordscookbook.com
lanea@reciperecordscookbook.com

John's Blurb with Jude Southerland Kessler

  - Author of The John Lennon Series

     www.johnlennonseries.com

 

  

Linda Ronstadt, Joan Jett, Blondie, Lady Gaga, Heart, Janis Joplin, Cynthia Lennon.

Which one doesn’t belong in that list? If you selected Cynthia Lennon, I’d have to say, “not so fast, wack!” (which is “not so fast, bucko!” in Liverpool terms.)

Because I DO think Cynthia Lennon was truly a “woman in rock.” The only difference between Cyn and the others on my list is, Cyn didn’t choose to be in rock’n’roll full time. However, when she dated and later married John Lennon,  her life and her dreams of being an art teacher became secondary to his dreams and his life as the most famous composer-rocker-performer of the 1960’s (and maybe of the Whenever).

Cynthia’s friends became rockers. Her outings and vacations were spent with rockers. Her days and nights were spent caring for Julian as a “single mom” so that John could be off and about the business of being a rocker. And when John was at home (which was seldom) Cyn would listen to his aspirations and frustrations with rock’n’roll. It became her life as well.

For the first year that John and Cyn were married, they lived apart. For a while, she lived with his Aunt Mimi in Menlove Avenue, Woolton. Then for a time, she lived in her mother’s house in Hoylake. But in January of 1964, John and Cyn moved in together – into a 6^th floor mansionette in Emperor’s Gate, London.  And that’s when Cyn really began her life as a “Woman in Rock.”

Below is an excerpt, (a sneak peek) from Vol. 3 in The John Lennon Series, She Loves You, which will be out in just a few months. I’m only sharing it with readers of Lanea’s blog, but I hope that it gives you a glimpse of what Cynthia Lennon endured for the man she loved.

Cynthia never pined for nor aspired to the life she acquired when she married into Rock’n’Roll. But it was a package deal. When Cynthia accepted her “wedding band,” it was both a ring and The Beatles.

Choosing for yourself

to live in danger
to live in the public eye
to live under scrutiny
to live in the midst of controversy is one thing.

But taking on this role because you love someone so much that you’ll accept those terms right along with them is….amazing.

This week, instead of quoting John Lennon, allow me to quote from St. Paul in Galatians who said, “My life is not my own.” I’m sure many spouses (both men and women) have said that. I’m sure many women in rock (and men in rock) have muttered that. And I’m fairly certain Cynthia Lennon whispered those words many times between 1959-1969. But to her credit, she faithfully stayed the course.

And that, dear friends, is love.

Here is how Cynthia handled her rocker’s life in January of 1964 from She Loves You. If you like what you read, you can pre-order the book here: http://www.johnlennonseries.com/OrderSLY.html

You’ll get a free, signed “Doors of Liverpool” art poster shipped to you immediately when you order.

And now, a glimpse of Cyn’s heart:

At the Lennon’s New Flat

Emperor’s Gate, London

January 1964

 She was “Wendy” playing house, and John was “Peter Pan” – a reluctant father off each morning to fight pirates and lead Indians but home every night to the hidden getaway. To Cynthia, it was magical.[i]

While John completed the last nights of “The Beatles’ Christmas Show” and recorded yet another Saturday Club in Playhouse Theatre,[ii] Cynthia bundled Julian against the January winds and took him out in the pram. By 9:30 a.m., the two were window-shopping.[iii] Cynthia strolled and hummed, while Julian followed each passerby with bright, watchful eyes.

Brian had sent word that a decorator was “quite in order” so Cyn made stops at Barker’s of Kensington and Derry and Tom’s, making “pressing appointments” to discuss furniture, bed linens, and accent pieces.[iv] On her own, Cynthia purchased a few colourful cushions and a bit of art, and by the time that mother and son returned to the daunting Emperor’s Gate staircase, the bulky packages were more than Cyn could manage.

Lifting her son from the pram, Cyn wedged the packages into the place where the baby had been; she tossed a blanket over the lot and manouevered the pram to a quiet spot beneath the stairs, praying the expensive carriage wouldn’t be spotted and stolen. Then moving as quickly as she dared with an infant “aboard,” Cyn clattered up the six steep flights up to the flat.[v]

“Mum…Mum, I’m back! Take Julian…quickly! Quickly pleeease!” Then pounding down six flights again, Cyn thankfully found the bulky pram and its cache still waiting for her.

This time, the climb was a trudge. One deliberate level at a time. Then a rest. The sixth flight was excruciating. Cynthia was done in.

“What’ll I do when you’re back home in Liverpool?” she panted to her mother over a glass of water. “I’ll have to park Julian up here somewhere safe and then hurry back down![vi] I don’t even want to think of it! This is an awful mess!”

“Well, it’s your home, isn’t it?” Lillian reminded her, ruefully. “I mean, you chose it…despite that that rumbling underground…’n the air terminal nearby!”[vii]

“Yes, the noises have unnerved me as well, Mum. Sorry,” Cyn apologized, daubing her face with a damp tea towel. “But you’re right, you know…it’s our home. And now that we’re here together, John’ll be with us almost every night. I suppose that when you figure that into the equation, it rather hushes the racket. It makes it all worth it, doesn’t it?”

“Well,” Lillian shrugged, “all that matters, I suppose, is that you think so.”

 

*********

Thursday, 9 January 1963

            But even though John had registered everything under the pseudonym, “John Hadley,” the fans found them. They awoke one morning to dazzling winter sunshine, a light dusting of snow, and a flock of bee-hived girls parked down the stairs, one after another.[viii] John had stepped out to meet Mal and the van for a ride to the afternoon rehearsal, but he was immediately back again, his face stern and ashen; his eyes, cold.

            “They found us!” He tore off his coat and reached for the telephone.

            “Oh no,” Cynthia swallowed.

            “There scores of ’em out there! Whoreds.” He made his meaning plain.

            And there were.  Girls in thick eyeliner and tight sweaters. Girls with competing perfumes. Girls in laddered tights.[ix] Girls in scanty clothing, despite the frigid temps.

We’re trapped like caged animals![x] Cynthia thought, pulling strands of hair through trembling fingers. Surrounded by girls of every shape, size, colour, creed, and nationality![xi]Barricaded!

But it was only the beginning. As John conferred with Neil about his desperate need for Mal’s assistance (“I can hardly trek down the stairs, can I?” he shouted), Cynthia fretted about Julian and the months ahead.

Would they ever go out again? Was it safe to even consider it? How would she navigate the stairs? Insure her son’s safety? Insure her own?

Locked in a tower six flights above the earth, the once-naïve girl from Hoylake got her first real taste of Beatlemania. And it was a bitter pill.

 

---

[i] In Twist of Lennon, Cyn comments, “Moving into our own place again was wonderful!” (p. 102) and in John she says, “John and I were really excited to have our own home!”(p. 128)

[ii] Lewisohn, The Complete Beatles Chronicle, 142.

[iii] Lennon, Cynthia, John, 128.

[iv] Lennon, Cynthia, John, 128.

[v] Lennon, Cynthia, John, 128.

[vi] Lennon, Cynthia, John, 128.

[vii] Lennon, Cynthia, A Twist of Lennon, 103. Cynthia says that the “flat overlooked the underground railway and the new Air Terminal…”

[viii] Lennon, Cynthia, John, 129.

[ix] Lennon, Cynthia, A Twist of Lennon, 104. Cyn says that often Julia was surrounded by these girls and all she saw was “a mass of knickers, bottoms, and laddered tights, all colours of the rainbow.”

[x] Lennon, Cynthia, A Twist of Lennon, 103. This is a direct quote from Cynthia.

[xi] Lennon, Cynthia, A Twist of Lennon, 103. This is a direct quote from Cynthia.

 

LAX ROX

Years ago, while trying to educate myself on the scariest topic ever known--daughters-- I read a book by Mary Pipher:  Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls.
Pipher discusses the phenomenon which occurs when young girls transition from football throwing, spitting in the wind, carefree girls to awkward, insecure, less confident adolescents. One day you have a girl who doesn't care what boys think, then suddenly you have a girl that only cares what boys think. Pipher lays out the evidence & discusses solutions.

One solution is to empower girls.
It's not easy and yes, it does take a village as the task can't be achieved solely by one parent, teacher, clergy or friend. It takes a combination of many positives to sustain proper influences for girls.

There is usually no lack of activities for me and this past school year I took on a duty which I never anticipated. I organized & coached my daughter's high school lacrosse team, incorporating my very limited athletic AND attention skills. My daughter had played lacrosse (LAX) with boys since she was in 3rd grade & wanted to play high school girls lacrosse but her school did not have a team. My optimistic brain told me that if I get the ball rolling, someone will come around to be the coach. Suffice it to say that my "optimistic brain" does not exist much anymore. 
After inquiring with girls & parents who had little or no previous experience with lax, I found myself organizing--and then coaching 25 girls for their school team.

The experience became one of the top 5 positives in my life. It was awkward to begin shaping, forming & teaching these girls a sport of which I had limited knowledge, but we grew together and with the assistance of my daughter, a college lax veteran & another mom, we guided them with proper techniques. I was very blessed to encourage & lead these girls to learn a sport which was completely foreign to them and empower them to learn something new that was outside of their comfort zones. You have no idea how intimidating it is to run with a stick in your hand, anticipating a catch or trying to throw from a basket that drops the ball to the ground at the slightest twist, while trying to run as fast as you can around 8 girls who are charging at you. I witnessed girls who went from being terrified to being empowered.

It is my hope that the experience for the young ladies was as positive and moving for them as it was for me. They are beautiful inside & out and their futures have no ceiling. 
And how blessed I am that I was able to share this experience.



"Nugget of the Week" - A peer lacrosse coach shared this video with me & even though it's an advertisement, it has a great message on how to view girls.....


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/03/goldieblox-video_n_3541690.html






John's Blurb with Jude Southerland Kessler

I’ve been pounding the pavement in sweltering Louisiana temperatures! And despite the fact that “I’m meelllllting, melting!” while I run,  lovely Kelly Clarkson keeps right on wailing into my earphones, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!” So I sweat and push on for another couple miles and mull that concept over.

Each day for the last week or so, that’s been the scenario. My mp3, it seems, just loves that song!  Or perhaps I’ve noticed the lyrics more since the summer run DOES actually seem to be killing me! So the mantra of “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” has really been on my mind.

And what I’ve decided is: it’s just not true.

Tragedy doesn’t always make you stronger. And to tell someone that it does strengthen them  makes them feel a flop – a failure – when tragedy breaks down instead of building up. Sometimes tragedy leaves a gash, a scar that never heals. That’s the truth.

John Lennon was a prime example of that. John’s mother was killed by a drunk driver 55 years ago this very night. So, Julia has been on my mind all day. She was on John’s mind all day, every day. He just couldn’t adjust to her loss…ever. It haunted him for the rest of his life.

In a letter to his best friend, Stu Sutcliffe, John wrote, “I have a sadness that goes too deep for tears, a sadness that leaves me a spectator of my own stupidity.” The pain that John endured 55 years ago on this evening and on all of the evenings that followed (nights thick with loneliness and abandonment) didn’t make John stronger. The pain gutted him…and left John sardonic, cynical, and guarded.  The blithe prediction that “pain will increase stamina” was never true for John. The pain buckled him and kept him gasping for air, forever.

BUT…that place of desperation isn’t without benefits to the waiting/watching world. The greatest writers, artists, poets, and musicians have all discovered this, and in their “crippled inside” attempt to survive, they gave the world works of great beauty.

In pain, Syliva Plath wrote The Bell Jar and her poem, “Tulips.” In tragedy, Keats, Byron, and Shelley wrote the definitive poems of the Romantic Movement. In tortured sadness, Edgar Allen Poe penned his short stories and his lovely “Annabel Lee.” And in anguish, Jackson Pollack produced his greatest works of art.

John Lennon wrote the soundtrack of our lives from an emotional fetal position. Never once after losing his mother, Julia, was John lighthearted again. And the result was “Hide Your Love Away,” “Help,” “If I Fell,” “I’ll Cry Instead,” “I’m a Loser,” “Nowhere Man,” and so, so many more breathtaking compositions…the songs of our lives.

If some tragedy has knocked the wind out of you, and you don’t feel as if you’ll ever be that giddy girl or glib guy again, okay. Really. Okay. You don’t have to “return to normal” or “use the pain to grow.” Just be you. Just be.

Your pain isn’t wrong. And it isn’t weak. It just is.

And it can become a springboard for something lovelier than a life lived without it. It can become a moonflower – an eloquently beautiful plant that grows and blooms only in the dark of night.

We don’t all “grow stronger, last longer” from the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” (to quote two bards). But we don’t become less because of it either. We become us…singing, painting, cooking, sculpting, dancing, writing, reaching out in the night…and expressing our pain in a way the world will never forget.

“What doesn’t kill you makes YOU.”  That much I know.

 --Jude Southerland Kessler

www.johnlennonseries.com

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Ask the Intern with Claire Edwards

What do you think about Christian music?   -  Eve (Evansville, IN)

It makes no difference whether you are interested in religion or in your high school sweetheart; it is still effective to use musical expression as a vehicle to share those feelings with others. However it bothers me that Christian music is separated into its own genre. All the other basic genres (basic meaning that they are large enough that they are usually clearly labeled sections in a record store) are categorized by musical aspects such as pacing, the use of certain instruments, and vocals. Christian music on the other hand, is separated because of its lyrical content. You can’t walk into a store and a find an entire section for albums about sports or pets so why can you easily find sections dedicated to Christianity?  Christian music can vary from singer-songwriter style to hip-hop to hard rock, so there is no reason it should all be lumped together into one category. So, in my opinion, Christian music is fine as an outlet for individuals’ opinions and creativity but should not be separated into its own genre suggesting that is more important or more prominent than music focusing on other subject matter.  

LAX BABY,

Lanea Stagg
Recipe Records Cookbooks
www.reciperecordscookbook.com
blog:  www.rockblocks3.blogspot.com
radio:  www.blogtalkradio.com/reciperecords

Upcoming Gigs:

July 25 - "Women in Rock" event at Studio 4905 in Henderson, KY
August 9-11 - Fest for Beatles Fans in Chicago - I'll be giving programs & signing books!
www.thefest.com

Jill Focke Rocks The Stars

My excitement has been increasing each day this week, as I'm excited to introduce you to an outstanding woman, wardrobe supervisor, Jill Focke, of Houston, TX.  
If you can't listen to the live radio show, then please, please listen to the archived show at the link below. The show is 30 minutes  - simply click on the link, press play & listen while you are doodling on your computer.

Jill has served as a professional wardrobe supervisor for various stars in movies & on concert tours; spending the past decade+ assisting celebrities such as Bette Midler and Jennifer Lopez. Jill tells me she absolutely loved working with the Divine Miss M and had the great opportunity to assist Bette on many projects.

I'm very honored that tomorrow she'll take time from her super busy schedule (assisting Lenny Kravitz this week) to appear on my radio show. Jill's resume is a dream list of entertainers that she's assisted:  Faith Hill & Tim McGraw, Chris Isaak, Alicia Keys, The Backstreet Boys, Miley Cyrus and most recently Jennifer Lopez' 2012 world tour & Fleetwood Mac's 2013 tour which travels to Europe in September.  *hint: listen in for her story about making shirts for one of the members of The Backstreet Boys - it's a riot!

As someone who spent many hours ripping out crooked seams while my mother hovered over me, I've come to appreciate seamstressing as a fine, fine art which is worth much more than the usual price tag reflects.
Jill's exquisite talent has followed her from the wardrobe support side also to the designing end of the clothing business. She also creates clothing designs for J. Ellen Designs.... After finding a passion for Sari fabrics (which is ANOTHER story involving Paul McCartney,) Jill began designing clothing to showcase the beauty of the fabric.

Tune in Tomorrow!  July 11th at Noon CST (1:00 pm EST) 

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/recipe-records-cookbook/2013/07/11/jill-focke-rocks-the-stars

Call the show & speak with Jill!    347-857-3983

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My Music Nugget Of the Day:

Let Love Rule by Lenny Kravitz
Jill's work with Mr. Kravitz took me back to 1989 when Lenny released his first album & this song - which is a spectacular blues/rock song & completely freakin' rocks....
Enjoy......he's right.... Let Love Rule....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcU57tAKzng


Peace, Love & Rock & Roll,

Lanea Stagg
Recipe Records Cookbooks
www.reciperecordscookbook.com
Facebook:  send friend request  RecipeRecords Cookbook
lanea@reciperecordscookbook.com
Enjoy all of the Radio Show Episodes: www.blogtalkradio.com/RecipeRecords
I'm on Twitter too....

Upcoming Gigs:

July 25  - Studio 4905  "Women in Rock" program
     Call 270-869-4469 for details

August 9-11 - The Fest for Beatles Fans - Chicago
www.thefest.com

Starving Author Show

I find many similarities in the definition of "starving artist" to that of "starving author." A starving artist generally makes tremendous financial sacrifices in order to create art. Much is the same in the world of writing books which is very convoluted & confusing. There tends to be two worlds in the book business these days, publishing your works with a formal company or self-publishing. Each have great benefits, but also struggles, particularly if you self-publish which will undoubtedly define you as a starving author.
In order to support my self-published book Recipe Records, one year ago I embarked down the road of creating an internet radio show to promote my book & future publications, hopefully reaching potential readers. My very quirky & interesting show has a raw "garage" sound which has pushed me out of my comfort zone and it's been a total hoot. I've experienced the most wonderful guests & learned about their talents, views & stories...and it's all been quite a rewarding experience.
Joining me tomorrow on the first anniversary of my quirky show, will be two remarkable women. We are going to talk about the incredible mountains of experience, growth & rewards that have come from publishing our books. Most likely you'll hear about some of the pitfalls as well.
My guests will be Jude Southerland Kessler, the author of the 9-volume John Lennon Series along with publicist from Moonglow PR & author Jennifer Vanderslice.

My many fascinating meetings this year have resulted in finding new friends in the writing world, such as Jude & Jennifer. Jude has spent decades researching the life of John Lennon & meticulously provides the product of that research in her books. Jennifer recently "stumbled" into publishing her first book, after she recently experienced a retreat at a monastery in Kentucky.


If you don't listen to the show live...that's OK. You can go to www.blogtalkradio.com anytime & search for the shows. In the search box, enter Recipe Records & you'll see a list of all of my previous shows. I've had the honor of interviewing authors, musicians, chefs & more. Each guest has been very special & I feel that they are someone that YOU should know as well.

You can listen to tomorrow's show by going to this link: 

  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/recipe-records-cookbook/2013/07/09/starving-author-show

You are cordially invited to chat with us!
Call this number:  347-857-3983

   Jude Southerland Kessler     Jude, Illustrator Doyle Jeter &

                                                          Susan Cowsill of "The Cowsills"

 

 

Jude & Charlie Lennon (John's Uncle)

 

 



  

Jennifer Vanderslice

 

 .    

             Jennifer's latest publication

 

WANNA BE A WINNER?

* Tomorrow's first caller will win Jude Southerland Kessler's book Shoulda Been There

* Another lucky caller will win a copy of Jennifer's Journey Along the Abbey Road 


If you can't call in tomorrow--you have another chance to win:
* Do you like Recipe Records Cookbooks?
You can win a chance to have your recipe featured in one of my next books: Recipe Records-the 70's Edition or Recipe Records - The Light Rock Edition


*A copy of Recipe Records will be given away on the air tomorrow also.  
You must send an email to win & I'll announce the winner on the show tomorrow!
Send your email to:
lanea@reciperecordscookbook.com


Hey---Support Your Starving Authors - these books make very thoughtful gifts & now is the time to stock up! Be sure you sign up for Jude Kessler's newsletter via her site as well.  You won't regret purchasing any of these fine books:

Jude Kessler:  www.johnlennonseries.com

Jennifer Vanderslice:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DHMXGK4/ref=cm_sw_su_dp

Lanea Stagg:  www.reciperecordscookbook.com




    *                             *                          *                  
 

John's Blurb - with Jude Southerland Kessler

   www.johnlennonseries.com

 

It was the same old story. While I sat in the hospital waiting room with my father – waiting for my mother to get her weekly blood tests completed – I was treated to another desultory chorus of “If only you’d worked as hard at being a professional as you have at being a Beatles writer, you could have made something of your life…you could have been a teacher!” 

My father delivers this tired sermonette at least once a week. It’s useless trying to explain to him that I was, indeed, a teacher for six years, but I gave it up to devote my life to writing the life story of John Lennon. He can’t grasp that. He’s so clearly disappointed in me.

As he went on about fact that “with as much work as you’ve put into these three books, you could have written a dissertation and had your doctorate,” the lady sitting in the waiting room next to us tried (in vain) not to eavesdrop. But after about ten minutes of the diatribe, she looked over at me and silently mouthed, “I’m so sorry.”

The truth is, I’m rather used to it. But I brought it up to tell you that if you feel unappreciated, if you feel that no one “gets you” or sees the things you do, you’re sooooo not alone!  In Strawberry Fields, John Lennon talked about his own feelings of isolation. He wrote, “No one – I think – is in my ‘tree.’ I mean, it must be high or low.” In other words, no one was “sitting” on the same branch as John was. No one shared his perch, his world view. John, quite often, felt very much alone.

For years, it was a source of pain for him. He felt misunderstood. So many of John’s songs and quotes are about the fact that no one understands him. You hear it when he says, “It’s weird not to be weird,” or “You don't need anybody to tell you who you are or what you are. You are what you are!” You can just feel the little boy who grew up without his mother and father – living with an aunt and uncle on Menlove Avenue – singing himself to sleep, consoling himself against the vast loneliness.

But towards the end of John’s life, he began to make peace with the world’s inability to share “his tree” or see his side of things or appreciate his genius. And he began to comprehend that others had faced this same isolation.

Case in point: Vincent Van Gogh only sold 1 painting during his lifetime. He died thinking he was a miserable failure. And the great Impressionists (Matisse, Picasso, etc.) were vilified during their lives. Their paintings were forbidden in the world’s great galleries. The poet Emily Dickinson faced so much rejection that she became a recluse. And Galileo – for expounding his view that the earth revolves around the sun – was tried for heresy, forced to recant, and placed (for the rest of his life) under house arrest!  John was not alone in his predicament.

By the end of John’s life, however, he had come to realize that “when you do something noble and beautiful and nobody notices, do not be sad. For the sun every morning is a beautiful spectacle, and yet most of the audience still sleeps.”

You may not feel today as if anyone notices what you do. But someone does: you do.

You may think the songs you sing aren’t heard. But they are: you hear them.

Make the music that delights your soul. Write the book that is in your head and heart. Dance the dance you can’t help but dancing. If it fulfills you’re the desires of your soul, that’s enough. I believe that. And during the sermonette in the next hospital waiting room, I still will.

- Jude Southerland Kessler

 

 

Peace, Love & Rock & Roll,

Lanea Stagg

Recipe Records Cookbooks

www.reciperecordscookbook.com

lanea@reciperecordscookbook.com

blog:  www.rockblocks3.blogspot.com

radio:  www.blogtalkradio.com  Recipe Records
friend me on Facebook:  RecipeRecords Cookbook
 

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