Stop! I Want That Painting!

Friday 30th January 2009, was the Black Tie Art Auction in our school and it went fantastically!
We think we've earned about $2,000 from the tickets, art, and wine sold, and it's all going to the Blue Dragon Children's Foundation in Vietnam. I think we're all pretty proud of ourselves. It's always a surreal emotion to know that you're doing something really important for other people our age who are far more disadvantaged.
I always try and make it a note to myself that my personal crises are extremely minor in comparison to many other people my age around the world. It's not worth making a big deal out of my complaints, other people should follow suit, and instead we should sing and parade down town to make that a permanent point. Get off your weary heads you well-off people! There are people who would give their lives for a plate of your food and yet you complain about the price of cabbage going up 10 cents.

Anyways, I will use this post to also show-off - come on, one must do it sometimes - the song I composed for the auction. I titled it "Stop! I Want That Painting" and costructed it to revolve around the thickset chords of the piano with the sweet sound of the flute.
I discovered that Dylan had been playing the flute for 3 years but had stopped for a year once moving to Singapore, so I figured it was my chance to get her to take it up again. She was worried that maybe she would not be good enough, but I tell you, she better make sure to keep playing that instrument because she makes it sound gorgeous.

I knew that the piece I had to compose would have to have some sort of relevance to the night. I couldn't just rock out post-rock mentality, or decide to go techno on everyone's sophisticated evening. So I thought the piano had to be the basis to bring a song to life. I had a long, isolated and quiet contemplation as to what exactly people's mindsets would be on the night. Art, bargains, food, wine. Ah! I know! They are going to be running into some fantastic pieces of art, they are going to fight over these fantastic pieces of art, and if not I will make them fight over the fantastic pieces of art. STOP! I Want That Painting! It hit me! It's unusual for a song title to come to me first before a song had been created, but it definitely did help.

I sat at my piano, in the wee hours of the night, and played around with it until I found a beautiful chord progression of A major to C major. Oh it felt so emotionally complex, like how you would feel if you really had interest in something or someone, but you just don't know when to jump in and grab it. Oh, but I needed a monumental chorus, one that lifted it, a G major! It all arrived so combined!
So I recorded what I had on Garageband and then used the piano to construct a flute melody - with the help of the synthesized pop flute!
I wanted full sounding piano chords but a sweet, windy sounding flute. The traveling eye of a human [flute] with the intricate emotions of need/want/a heavenly must have [piano].
And I had it!

So here's a video of us performing on the night. It's recorded on Tanya's phone so, forgive the darkness and low quality sound.



I did record a rough-ish version to send to Dylan to practice with the flute, you can find that on my last.fm page here
forgive the pretentious biography, the writing had to be in third person.

I also had the privilege of controlling the music on the night, here's the playlist :

• Bittersweet Symphony [instrumental] - The Verve
• Trainspotting - Primal Scream
• Christmas Song - Mogwai
• First Breath After Coma - Explosions In The Sky
• Last Ride In - Green Day
• Year Of The Ox - Sufjan Stevens
• Feeling Good - My Brightest Diamond
• Audrey's Dance - Angelo Badalamenti
• Year Of The Dog - Sufjan Stevens
• The Winner Is - Mychael Danna and DeVotchKa
• Redford (for Yia-Yia and Pappou) - Sufjan Stevens
• Twin Peaks Theme - Angelo Badalamenti
• Sé Lest - Sigur Rós
• Stupid Prick Gets Chased By The Police And Loses His Slut Girlfriend - Mogwai
• Out Of Egypt, Into The Great Laugh Of Mankind, And I Shake The Dirt From My Sandals As I Run - Sufjan Stevens
• Dance Of The Dream Man - Angelo Badalamenti
• The Vivian Girls Are Visited In The Night By Saint Dargarius And His Squadron Of Benevolent Butterflies - Sufjan Stevens
• Stamping Ground - Moondog With Orchestra
• Seven Hours With A Backseat Driver - Gotye
• The Black Hawk War, Or, How To Demolish An Entire Civilization And Still Feel Good About Yourself In The Morning, Or, We Apologize For The Inconvenience But You're Going To Have To Leave Now, Or...- Sufjan Stevens
• Starálfur - Sigur Rós
• The Supine - Andrew Bird
• Prairie Fire That Wanders About - Sufjan Stevens
• 7:25 - Mogwai
• To The Workers Of The Rock River Valley Region, I Have An Idea Concerning Your Predicament - Sufjan Stevens
• Andvari - Sigur Rós
• The Undivided Self (For Eppie And Popo) - Sufjan Stevens
• The Eraser - Thom Yorke
• Year Of The Dragon - Sufjan Stevens
• Wake Me Up Before You Go Go - Wham!
  

I could go on about how I chose each song, but I wouldn't want to bore you so I will mention some highlights. I did not want to go with the typical classical music which I'm sure I would have gotten away with easily with some Mozart. I decided that a mix of Soundtrack, Post-rock, some Electronic instrumentals would go along nicely to coincide with the range of art pieces on auction. I, of course, couldn't help myself with My Brightest Diamond's cover of "Feeling Good" as I am extremely euphoric about the Red Hot compilation coming out this month [definitely on my list]. You can check it out here. Great music, important cause my friends.
Sufjan Steven's instrumentals that he adds in his State albums, in between longer songs, are extremely over-looked, as well as some of his Electronic stuff. Sigur Rós and Andrew Bird - both underrated artists. And do ignore Wham at the end, it was just in case the wine got to anybody.

So, the night went well, I was happy, people were happy and we've made a difference!

Inertia

How it would be nice to light the hallway
with your voice and ideas,
it would keep the world turning
without the oil.

How it would be easy to succumb to your words
so quickly and well,
we know you mean good intentions
without the war.

But we’re jumping on the bandwagon,
prepare for disappointment,
and when the dawn comes and we realise
that human is as human does:
Inertia may bring us down.

How beautiful it would be to see the world smiling,
but we could just be changing a rusted frame for a new one.

Man In The Mirror, aka, Capitalism Is Destroying The World!

So we say we all are what we aim to be,
Yet the man in the mirror said “What do you see?”
I see faces, and eyes with little delight,
They’re walking beside me, they’re walking at night.

They talk of money and future ideas,
They have plans of schemes and instant tortillas.
Some call them people, and some call them dim,
I call them zombies, of hurry, of sin.

The man in the mirror told me of hope,
He took my hand and gave me a telescope.
“Look for the small, the special, the fair,
The people of right, the people who care.”

I looked back at him, a tear in my eye,
“My dear friend, I almost forgot how to cry.”
He gave me a smile, and wave of goodbye,
And away did the man, disappear in the sky.

I walked back home crying, unsure of my state,
Was I happy or sad, scared or irate?
I was unsure, but I did not mind,
I have a hope, yes a hope for mankind.

So we say we all are what we aim to be,
But I’ll only agree if you will believe
That glory is here in the palm of your hand,
Closer to you than what’s in demand.

Current State Of Mind; - To 4 years later. 15/8/08

As for you aspirations...
-Aspiring environmentalist.

And future education?
-What university are you attending 20 year old Helen? Don’t tell me you dropped out you lazy bum, pull yourself together!
I want to go to a Canadian University and then find a good environmental job in New York City. There has to be good environmental jobs in New York, it seems like the kind of place that needs to limit its pollution a bit more. I hope you’re doing that Helen/20.

And musical interests?
-Currently entering the realms of unconventional music.
-Currently waiting on Rufus Wainwright’s opera album.
; tell me 20 year old Helen, are you famous?

I want a t-shirt that says THINK BIG!

Interests on the scale of normality?
-Literature, music, awkward history, serial killer research, movie reviewing, genealogy, Google news, writing down words I’d love to use on an appropriate matter, secret political talks, old comic book reading, forum snooping, Greek gods, time travel...

Stop there please...
-I enjoy playing the guitar and piano, making music whilst limiting the cheesiness due to my young age. It’s a tough musical outing.

On to literature
-I’m reading Aisha’s book I borrowed. - A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius. I love the character, he’s crazy, rebellious, intelligent, funny, questions the world and I feel he suffers from dementia.

Highlights of the summer?
-HEY, I went to New York, I went to New York! I fell in love! I loved the cultural diversity, the fact that no 2 people looked at all the same. I loved the cold tomato soup and viscously strong coffee. I loved Prospect and Central Park, I loved the museums. I loved the feeling of liberty. I loved walking down the streets hearing people talk about everything, the interesting subjects -the ignorant talk, the funny talk, the talk of life, of love, of religion, of George Bush being a/an [fill in the gap].
-And highlights for the UK, hmm. I’d call my whole UK experience a true blast from the past. I came across old watches and jewellery, old homes, old childhood friends. Everything of before but still something that is very important to me. To reminisce the past, to perceive how I was and how I grew into my present self that is still undoubtedly growing into my future self; something that should only be taken as it comes, all in good time.

And on to future prospects.
-To marry someone who thinks big. Somehow I keep picturing Superman, is that normal? No, the person doesn’t necessarily have to be physically big, Jesus!
But I’ll stop thinking of tomorrow too much. It hasn’t come yet.

And as for now?
-I got my IGCSE results!
Art & Drama were low....D’s :(
BUT everything else was fantastic! Biology and English Literature were A*’s. Chemistry, English Language, Maths and Geography were A’s and Economics came to be a B.
I think my Art was too cartoon-y to make it eligible to be ‘skilful’ in terms of the examiner’s expectations. I love bright colours and flowers and peculiar objects such as aurora’s. Have a look at Mika’s album “Life In Cartoon Motion”. That probably explains why I got a D, oh well.
And as for Drama, well my teacher explains it all!
Oh 20 year old Helen, did you ever come across that man again? Is he a university lecturer now? Or a truck driver?
I have 2 years left of school, I want to do something different. I think I will take up cooking, and join a book club if they have a book club that is. Maybe I’ll write a book or maybe I’ll write a speech. I’ll visit my dog once a week and tell her I love her. I miss my dog.

End this please.
-So I’m going to leave now. I hope you (parent/higher power/random inquisitive reader/20 year old Helen) enjoyed reading this.

All the Best/God Bless/Regards/Kind Regards/Yours sincerely/Yours faithfully/Best Regards/Farewell...The End.