Einstein killed science. That bastard.

[hohum]

catachrestic, aka Peddler of the Mundane, asked me:

I'd be interested in an entry about the central themes from your study of religious studies that you find most intriguing, which inspired you to pursue the field, or which you are focusing your own work or thoughts in. How has your view of religion been shaped by certain facts you have learned? Which

Comments

[johnnyfavorite]

you are a smart girl. even if you get bored with livejournal again, i'm going to endeavor to keep us from getting out of touch for a year and a half. heh!

the problem with metal music, as i see it, is the audience it's crafted for. it's not that a lot of it isn't well-made, because i'm sure it is, but that it's aiming at a spot on the ground where i don't want to be.

here is something pretty crazy i wrote about religion a few years ago. i don't think i still believe all of it, but the concepts are still familiar to me.

[hohum]

When you say audience, do you mean that you avoid certain "scenes"? See, I rarely go to shows. I primarily just listen to music on my own, so avoiding scenesters isn't a big deal for me. :D My issue with metal is how it sounds. I need someone to say, "Listen for this and this. Wait for it, wait for it... oh godddd, did you hear that?" And after I miss it, they can expound, and we can listen to it again.

I read your old entry. I really enjoyed your thoughts on prayer, and I think it'd be interesting to hear an update on what you believe now. I'd certainly comment on it.

religion answer

[johnnyfavorite]

this is kind of bad: i actually didn't read all of that old entry i wrote before i linked to it. heh! but i did just now, so i can decide how much of it i still believe in

music answer

[johnnyfavorite]

i also tend to consume music in private, and then discuss it with others later or maybe not at all, so scenes are not an issue for me either. what i meant was, by listening to music, i can reverse-engineer who the intended audience is

Re: music answer

[hohum]

Did you mean Lady Gaga? Ha. Katy Perry doesn't really give me the shock treatment. She seems pretty light and goofy to me!

A human barometer for what? (I've never listened to David Byrne, or heard of David Byrne. What kind of music does he make? Is it something totally un-boxable?)

Re: music answer

[johnnyfavorite]

oh, i bet you have. david byrne was the mastermind behind the talking heads. he had to break up that band because tina weymouth went batshit insane on him. he's released several solo albums since then, but none have reached the prominence of the heads records, of course.

he is also a heavy thinker. try reading his blog, for example. i have to admit that i don't, very often, because he's way too wordy for me. his ted talk is more approachable, i really enjoyed that one.

the best thing david byrne has done for me, however, is set up his own radio stream. i've been listening to that for years now. i can confidently state that he has better musical taste than anyone else on the planet. i've heard things on there that have bent my brain in ways i never thought possible.

given your musical tastes, i'm surprised you are not already familiar with him. he is the smartest man in all of music, if you ask me.