On The Soapbox Again: School Funding

Well it's that time of the year again. School is almost out for the summer and school boards across the country are starting to grumble about funding.

Not enough money for this, we need to make cuts in that. And what is the first to go...the Arts. Bullshit I say. Why does this country always attack the very things which give us our humanity.

Music and Art. Let's take one at a time.

Art.
I have no artistic ability. What I do have is an appreciation for the gift of others to create something which makes your eyes grow wide and never want to erase the image from your mind. Example, I love the artist Georgia O' Keefe. I have several prints, posters, notecards etc. of her art. It's must be 20 years ago, there was a major exhibition of her work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. I was so moved by seeing the art in person; it is still one of my most treasured memories all these years later.

Music.
I have no musical ability. What I do have is a heart that has exploded more times than I can remember, when hearing a song that both makes me smile and brings tears to my eyes...at the same time. I have been lucky enough to enjoy live concerts from almost every music genre. From Blues to Rock, from Classical to Reggae...there is nothing that can take the place of a live performance.

What's my point?
Without the Arts in the schools, kids are void of the stimulation needed to "scratch the itch" and develop their abilities. A generation growing up without the humanities...aren't we all becoming too computerized already?

So, I thank one of my friends from Twitter for bringing up this ongoing issue and hope you all will do what is necessary to fight for that which makes us feel alive...the Arts.

Let's have some fight songs:

Twisted Sister  "We're Not Gonna Take It"
Bob Marley  "Get Up Stand Up"
Bryan Adams "Kids Wanna Rock"

and if you need a little more inspiration...
Survivor "Eye of the Tiger"

Feel it. Do it.

.

The Voice of a Generation: Lady Gaga

Say what you will about Lady Gaga...the woman might just be the talent to define her era.  While not a fan of the whole performance artist thing...go beyond the costumes, hair, make-up...definitely keep the attitude, and then you have the voice.

Even "back in the day" various artists like Kiss, Twisted Sister, David Bowie and Madonna, re-invented themselves to stand out from the crowd.  Lady Gaga takes it to a new level.  In this wasteland that is music today, I kind of wish her great stuff would have been heard without all the distraction.

Case in point.  Listen to this clip of a live performance of  "The Edge of Glory" on the Howard Stern show.  The power of this vocal is just breathtaking.  Drink it in.