Gould, the Taleban, and Crows

I don't know why, but I find myself increasingly listening to this. Just listening to it, not seeing it. Wish I had a musical ear. At the moment it seems the more I listen to it the more I pick up on their distinctness. Perhaps later I will see the unity in it.When I first listened to it I had the semi-blasphemous thought that, you know, when one reads the Quran the text seems to be the same in different places but when you hear it each surah has its distinct flavour, tone.

The playing itself is so 'alive', as if there was a perfect meeting of structure and inspiration, spontaneity after years of dwelling in the music, rather than performing it. It's as if the technical was brought within the folds of human meaning again.

Said on Gould: order and "new thinking"..a rejection of the vertical. A 'late style' means revisiting origins.

~~~

But I mainly listen to it to blot out what's going on around me..the disintegration of the country into the chaos of poverty, lawlessness, violence, fanaticism and stupidity. Of course, art and poetry are futile, extravagances even, in the face of so much suffering (as is an academic life) but..

Faced with the brutality of the historical onslaught poetry and the imaginative arts are practically useless. Yet they verify our singularity, they strike and stake out the ore of the self which lies at the base of every individuated life. In one sense the efficacy of poetry is nil-no lyric has ever stopped a tank. In another sense, it is unlimited. It is like the writing in the sand in the face of which the accusers and accused are left speechless and renewed.

~~

oh yes, crows. Talking to KP yesterday. He's been attacked by two crows almost every day for the last two weeks.

"They only attack me, not the person I'm walking with..what do you know about crows?"

Corvidus...

"That's not much help. Why me??I need to go to some 'elder' or sage who can tell me what this means"

"Well, in England they're sometimes associated with battles and carrion"

"Here", KP says, "if one sees some crows outside one's house that's very auspicious..something good will happen to you"

And then he adds, gingerly:

"Either that or death is coming for you"

"Er...that bit of folk wisdom isn't very reassuring!"