Hello Bloggers,
I have several playlists that I listen too when I get down or pessimistic and need some inspiration. Sometimes it's classic rock with fight-the-man and free-love messages. Sometimes it's girl power that can be anything from Sheryl Crow to Britney. AND...sometimes my strongest self-love inspiration comes from musicals. What can I say, I'm a theatre geek through and through and I'll be damned if Sondheim can't soothe my ailing heart.
My new favorite musical is [title of show]. [title of show] was written as the writers went along, and it chronicles them putting a musical together. It's adorably clever but it packs a lot of punch when you need a reminder to believe in yourself. Things have been a little tricky around these parts lately; I've encountered some road blocks and self-doubt started creeping back in for the first time in a long time. "Other companies have more community support" I told myself. "Other freelancers don't need day jobs" I said. I said these things repeatedly, and told myself a lot of other very horrible things that I won't bore you with. I couldn't even pinpoint what exactly was wrong with me, I just felt really down and worse yet, down on myself. Then in the car, with the iPod on shuffle, some [title of show] lyrics hit me like a ton of bricks and I was choking back tears. First is a song called "Die, Vampire Die", and here is the basic gist of the song (edited to make sense if you haven't seen the show):
There are some people in the world who say that writing stories,
or composing music or dancing sparkly dances is easy for them.
Nothing interferes with their ability to create.
While I celebrate their creative freedom,
a little part of me just wants to punch those motherfuckers in the teeth.
This song, I sing this song for you guys and for all the rest of us.
You have a story to tell, a novel you keep in a drawer.
You have a painting to paint, but you lazy like an old French whore
You have a movie to make, Shrinky Dinks you can bake
but you best grab a stake, cause,
in sweep the vampires, in creep the vampires, knee deep in vampires,
Filling you with doubt and insecurity, ‘bout what you art should be
in sweep the vampires
And when they come run like hell, see those bats in your belfry, then call on Van Helsing.
In swoosh the vampires
in a whoosh ooh, the vampires,
ooh, all the vampires
Filling you with thoughts of
Self consciousness
Feelings of
Worthlessness
They’ll make you
Second guess
Die vampire!
There are so many vampires, inside, outside, and nationwide,
it helps to recognize them with this vampire hunting guide!
Listen closely,
A vampire is any person or thought or feeling
that stands between you and your creative self expression,
but they can assume many seductive forms.
Here’s a few of them!
First up are you pygmy vampires.
They’ll swarm around your head like gnats and say things like:
Your teeth need whitening
You went to state school?
You sound weird.
Shakespeare, Sondheim, Sedaris
Did it before you and better than you, or they might say that you cannot
sing good enough to be in a musical, or they might say:
Ooh, your song’s derivative.
To keep that song from you! Just tell them:
Die vampire, die!
The last vampire is the mother of all vampires and that is the vampire of despair.
It’ll wake you up at 4am to say things like:
Who do you think you’re kidding?You look like a fool.
No matter how hard you try, you’ll never be good enough.
Why is it that if some dude walked up to me on the subway platform
and said these things, I’d think he was a mentally ill asshole
but if the vampire inside my head says it
It’s the voice of reason.You have a story to tell, pull your novel out of that sock drawer!
You have a painting to paint, you best paint it and then paint some more!
In fly the vampires, oh my the vampires, then die the vampires,
filling you with life, creativity, all that you heart should be, out go the vampires
Die vampire, die vampire, die vampire, die!
______________________________
Immediately another song from [title of show] came on entitled "Nine People's Favorite Things" that I really needed to hear. It was more of a career-focused self-love boost then a general one, but listening to it back to back with vampires left me uplifted on the whole. Again, these are edited a bit for space and to make sense:
We can either follow our instinct
Or take advice from every joker
We can either be distinct
Or wind up merely mediocre
But not me
Not me
When we set out to write this musical
We said we’d write a show that we wanna see
We knew we’d never please everyone
Remember that day
You said to me
I’d rather be nine people’s favorite thing
Than a hundred people’s ninth favorite thing
Nine peoples favorite thing
Than a hundred people’s ninth favorite thing
And when Bock and Harnick were writing “Tenderloin”
They were taking a risk to write a show about whores
When Kander and Ebb were working on the Rink
I’d like to think at some point; John looked at Fred and said
I’d rather be nine people’s favorite thing
Than a hundred people’s ninth favorite thing
time for the annual church bazaar
There’s a cake-baking contest
I am going to be the big star
But I don’t want to make a German chocolate
And a seven-layer I’ll never complete
So I show up with pride this morning
With a tray of rice-crispie treats
And they try to push them aside
Say that they are too strange to compete
And sure, most of the judges award the red velvet
But one picks the rice-crispie treats.
Let our show be the rice-crispie treat.
I’d rather be nine people’s favorite thing
Than a hundred peoples ninth favorite thing
Nine people’s favorite thing
Than a hundred people’s ninth favorite thing
Those nine people will tell nine people
Then we’ll have eighteen people loving the show
Then eighteen people could grow into
Five-hundred and twenty-five-thousand, six-hundred people
Loving our show
Nine peoples favorite thing
Than a hundred peoples ninth favorite thing
Nine people’s favorite thing
Than a hundred people’s ninth favorite thing
So the decision’s made
And we’re on our way
And we may lose or maybe we might
Be nine people’s favorite thing.
_______________________________
So there you go, a little dose of self-love and determination, musical theatre style. Click on the links below to:
Hear Die, Vampire Die.Hear Nine People's Favorite Thing.
Learn more about [title of show]I'd love to hear some of your own self-love inspiration, as well as music in general that inspires peace, passion, and love in your life!
