music can change the world in ways nothing else can, it can leave you breathless or lift you up or move you to tears, it is the language of emotion, and there is a type of music that can elevate you to another level.
There are many kinds of music and not all of them have that profound effect on me, but it’s especially true of classical and progressive rock. That said, YES is one of my favorite bands. They are often mentioned in the same breath as Emerson Lake and Palmer, Rush, and Genesis. YES was formed in England in the mid-1960’s and has been through numerous line-up changes over the years, but their music remains compelling.
If you have the opportunity to see them live, They’re usually pretty good. I tried to catch them on a Pacific West coast tour when they came through the region a few years ago, but the tickets were sold out within minutes of going on sale. Fortunately, they have a number of recordings available, so you can experience what the act is like when they’re on stage. I’m not really a concert-goer, anyway. The best concerts I’ve ever been to are ones where I’ve been playing the music myself! In fact, you might call me a closet musician. I have a Fender Stratocaster, Gibson J-45, Ibanez RG & ESP Electric Guitars, a Hammond L-100 Organ, Les Paul Standard, a couple Fender Basses, a Gibson ES-175, and enough Tubes and Mics to fill a small closet…er, room. I’ve characterized myself as a wings-wanted-id-be-comin’ Guy thing…I’d rather be a Rock Star than a Lawyer or even a doctor – and yes, I ‘d love to be able to hit the Road and play music for a living, but I suspect that when you get to that point in life, it’s too late – you have to put in the sweat equity to make it work in the early years. So I play my Music at home and dream about becoming a real Axe-slinging ROCK Star in the Legends of Time & Rock w/ a distinctly Kiffe-Overton Flavor, all over the world. If I make it…Great! If not… Wells, I tried, right? And in that spirit, I continue to play – Dreaming of the Day when my music will be heard and appreciated.
PS…The music of YES has a distinctly Californian flavor. You can hear it in all their albums, especially their most current releases. You can hear it in songs like “Roundabout”, “Kashmir”, “Starship Trooper”, “Close to the Edge” and even in their early Jethro Tull-like stuff like “Yours is No Disgrace”, “Perpetual Change” and “Soon”. From seeds planted and grown under the California sun, YES grows to reach towards the Heavens with their original sound.
I just think, if you want to make the world a better place, follow my lead.. Here are my tips:
It is part of Universally accepted proper descriptive writing rules that you should not disparage or personally attack another organization or person in your writing unless it is attractive to do so i.e. you’re willing to get legendary status as a troll if it’s really worth it…
So 1st off Ad Agency folk without an interesting or disruptive portfolio that actually addresses an advantage that your agency has over others, then you my friend will have a very hard time of it.. So to everyone else who believes they can do superlative work, fantastic, but at least deliver something at 2am that is highly original or disruptive. That is, as far as your agency at least, no one else can do that highly original work wouldn’t EXACTLY be the same s#$t dumbed up with a bigger budget..
In other words, quantity does matter as does higher conceptual work, presence, buzz, etc. but the higher your IQ the more you do fewer highly sophisticated pieces well…not a laundry list of ANY piece of work.. I mean the most sophisticated people live in the smallest houses (house used as metaphor) i.e. a nuclear family and household etc. or some other extremely tiny house physically. Sure, the people I admire also have kids but really look at yourselves, your staff, etc. The more smart people you have, the fewer high-concep strategy and creative wins you’ll get. It’s not about quantity, it’s about nuclear quality…
So with that understood, take your clients/prospects, and put them through a highly skilled research process for them. Many in the agency community disparage it, but you’ve got to do it or you will end up making a humanitarian argument to brief them on your skills and wares. Sure, some people will get it, but everyone hates to hear about someone’s “unique selling proposition” unless they have to..
To do that, you need to often run what I call research-help-sessions, and I believe that they are often invaluable not only to agencies, their clients but are often surprising in a profound way.. Which brings me to my conclusions. The art of any brilliant process that delivers amazing insight is to “Keep it Simple” not to create a “Sophiobratic” process full of jargon ad Crud many, many, brilliant agencies are known for..
I just have to say that, in reading this very pointed and interesting article, I became so involved that the time passed by in a blur. I also must say that, to a large extent, this effort strikes me, at least, as the act of a highly creative man. The author effectively employs a wide variety of writing styles and situations to get his points across. He also manages to stimulate a variety of emotions in his readers.
I would, however, warn you that you had better be careful if you publish this kind of material. You will antagonize a great many people who, for better or worse, have the ability to visit unholy vengeance upon you for ‘daring’ to publish something to which they object. That is to say, you should be aware that there are individuals out there who will do what they can to stop you from writing anything else forever.
All in all, however, with this article, you managed to avoid that fate. You wrote something that I felt was a valuable and honest attempt to discuss a complex and thought-provoking set of issues in a medium that usually receives very little attention and even less respect.
Volere lo facciam.
#dailyOM Post of the Day on The Artistry of Writing may cause symptoms from radiation sickness in some segments of the population.
I love writing and suggesting meaningful solutions involving the improvement of current media & technology.
Avid writing lover and wordsmith. Thought leadership engager with wow impact.
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