The Zen of Country Music

[Xmac]

This quote is from a guy who knew Hank Williams. It's from a BBC documentary. I was amazed at how much this described the theme of spiritual seeking and expecting to find what one is looking for on the outside and in the future instead of the inside now.

"See, Hank was one of those people that had driving ambition, he wanted to get to this place in the world where he was somebody. And he got up there and there wasn't anything up there, it was empty. Do you know what I mean? It was empty. There was nothing there that he wanted. It was all back there, down where he had been."

It reminds me of this by Alan Watts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWNZNcsB9Y8

and this from the Wizard of Oz:

"If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own backyard; because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with."

[Tiam]

Well, that's interesting. Seems more of a comment on the man than on Country Music in general. And of course it would be relative to the individual. For some people their art drives them. For others, they drive their art. Sounds like Williams was the latter. In other words, their experiences and feelings can drive their art and once that's done it becomes empty. For others it's the art itself that drives them. Even if their experiences and feelings feed that art. Neil Young comes to mind. There is an artist that is driven. Never stops, never ceases to be creative. Doesn't get stuck in a repeat of earlier successes. Always experimenting and pushing boundaries and keeping it fresh. For others, the art is a direct result of their experiences or feelings. Which means that when the well runs dry, they may find themselves literally empty.

[Xmac]

Tiam, it seems to me that Hank saw that his talent could get him some kind of status/golden ring/respect or whatever, and when it wasn't there he didn't care about the big time, but he kept playing because seemingly, that was important to him. His music was too good to motivated by lust for status. I think it was his nature to be a great musician and I think he used it for status, much like the way someone gives a present from a pure place and later the ego uses it to get something back later.

[Gardenarian]

That reminds me of this quotation:
I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer. —Actor Jim Carrey

[Tiam]

Tiam, it seems to me that Hank saw that his talent could get him some kind of status/golden ring/respect or whatever, and when it wasn't there he didn't care about the big time, but he kept playing because seemingly, that was important to him. His music was too good to motivated by lust for status. I think it was his nature to be a great musician and I think he used it for status, much like the way someone gives a present from a pure place and later the ego uses it to get something back later.

I agree. I think I was saying that.

[Tanglefoot]

That's a great quote!

I find a lot of zen in old country and bluegrass. If the TV's on in the morning, it throws my zen all out of whack, but if I put on some good pickin', I just feel so centered.

[Xmac]

That reminds me of this quotation:
I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer. —Actor Jim Carrey

I can't say I know experientially that he's right, but I really hear it.
Jim is an Eckhart Tolle...umm...follower? Something. He's got an enjoyable vid on YouTube in which he talks about his journey.

[chauddog]

I love this topic. As a quasi-Buddhist, I have been an avid country music fan most of my adult life and have really found so many Buddhist messages in so many country music tunes both older and newer. To me so much of country music is about experiencing life's pains and pleasures in the moment and reminds us that we are the cause of so much our own suffering. To me so much of the genre is about valuing human relationships and realizing that the true enjoyment of life is experiencing life in the moment. From the old timers like Hank Williams and Patsy Cline to newer performers like Toby Keith and Blake Shelton, country music has always provided me with keen spiritual insights. Although there are performers who are prejudicial and discriminatory in regards to non-Christian beliefs, I think if people take the time to look at the words, you will find that most are really spiritual creative people. I love to quote the Dolly (Ms. Parton that is and not the Dalai Lama who I also love) who reflects my beliefs wholeheartedly in one of her songs "The day you're born, you start to die. Don't waste one minute of your life. Start Living." Now what could be more Zen than that?