That Lady Got the Thickness, Can I Get a Witness?

Music


Is there any one other thing besides this and perhaps politics that can either divide or ensnare people so well? I would hazard a guess at a no answer to that.

What ideally is music? Well, to every person and even every creature it has a different meaning. Myself, it's the great equalizer of concepts and a way to quiet the noise in my head. Oftentimes I've heard other people allude it to being cathartic lyrically, I've even observed animals being placated by the vibrations from a synthesizer. Such random things from vibrations in the air at its most basic. Amazing actually.

Let me throw out a little story here from a time about 18 years ago(Good lord!).

I was living with my friend Dale and being disenchanted about life and what I was making of it. I had just dropped out of college because I couldn't come to terms with pissing away all this money for a limited use degree. We barhopped a lot, shot a lot of pool, and acted like assholes. Standard procedure for many twenty-somethings I'm sure. Somehow we end up deciding that hitting strip bars is the next greatest idea since sliced bread and bologna. Which, ha it pretty much is, but that's really beside the point. We're starting to become regulars at this one joint on the border of Phoenix/Tempe. Start knowing most of the employees and a few of the dancers by name.

One person there sticks out though. He was the DJ. Chaz Lee. Craziest bastard I think I've ever known. Long hair, handlebar mustache, drove a late 70's Camaro. Complete definition of a hair metal dude as I've ever seen. I blame this guy for really taking a can opener and a blender to what I thought was music. He played everything from alternative to folk to metal with bluegrass and country thrown in. Got me hired on a rookie DJ there with no real job skills and no viable mic personality. We did some crazy crazy shit in the short 2 years I worked there and no I won't go into gory detail, but suffice to say, two of my friends are quite familiar with this time of my life.

Now the reason for all that long winded narcissistic horsecrap.

Music can be anything, it can be everything and it can also be nothing at all. But one thing is certain, it is universal. Thanks to Chaz, I was given an opportunity to expand my musical tastes a hundred-fold. Because of that one time 18 years ago, I still try to pay homage to an old friend that I have no idea where he is or where he's been by trying to show people that you can find something to love in every kind of music. From Blackfoot's "Soldier Blue" to Tupac's "California Love"

So with that said, share some music you love with someone this week. And while you're at it. ask them to share some music they love with you. And be gracious enough to give the new music a chance, even if its not something you normally like. You never know what you might stumble over.