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Playing For Change: Peace Through Music

I don't suppose there are too many things better to post on Christmas Eve than something about peace. My friend Greg recently turned me on to this documentary, made by Mark Johnson, called "Playing For Change: Peace Through Music." I don't want to ruin all the fun by telling you the story here; take 18 minutes or so and watch this video above... you'll be glad you did. (Get a sample song, "Stand By Me," below.) Happy holidays my friends! PBS chat transcript is here. Playing For Change website is here. //

Paradoxical Art

It seems to me that artists exist in some kind of existential purgatory. Anyone who considers themselves any kind of artist is constantly using art to make sense of the past and the present. To explain and elucidate, to bring some sense of order the universe -- to make stars into constellations. At the same time, however, our forever temporal art is itself shaping the future of culture as it bombards society, bouncing endlessly through the insides of minds and countless other imaginations. Art is paradoxical by nature. It both reflects the past and creates the future. It both orders and dis-integrates, and somehow, through the course of both, defies entropy. Maybe that's what humans do, too: reflect and create. Maybe that's why we need art so badly. //