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Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2012 16:29:04 GMT -5
aleksandrakv! I hope you are really back. That would make such a big difference to me. I have missed you soooo much. Kinda, sorta.... a little bit, lol? I'm back for you, if you'll have me ;D aleks,and welcome to the moon garden, wendyness.
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Post by rabbitrabbit on Oct 22, 2012 19:18:54 GMT -5
Mika I am kicking myself that I didn't get the chance to meet you at the DC benefit. I was there by myself, and had a wonderful time cheering myself hoarse and jumping, but meeting you would have been icing.
Just peeking in and commenting somewhat randomly based on questions raised in recent posts.
This really resonated for me juniemoon. I am out as an Adam fan to people in my RL. Generally I find that if I am there in the moment for them, if I’m interested in their passions and give a listen to a new group they love, if they understand that they come first in my affections and my time, that they are there in the moment for me if I want to share something Adam-y.
There are a couple of strategies that I have found non-effective or detrimental in contributing to my own creative process or life happiness. One is looking toward the past as a golden age rather than embracing the possibilities and marveling at/enjoying the present. When vocal members of a community reject learning about and listening to the present with an open mind and ears, I tend to conserve my energy and back away.
The other is looking towards the future like an odds-maker, forever hedging bets or handicapping the odds of one’s own or Adam’s career and artistic development. When vocal members of a community develop well worn cycles of angst and or every Adam accomplishment is buried under a wish or hope or caveat, or ‘some day’ or ‘if this happens’ or ‘if only this had been different’ (then what, then some invisible receding threshold of validity will have been reached and one can sit back and start enjoying?); I tend to back away.
Luckily there are Adam fan places including of course twitter, where ‘in-the-moment’ celebration dominates other modes of expression. I enjoy being an Adam fan, I enjoy Adam, and it’s more important for me personally to continue finding places were fanning is a supportive and uplifting activity for me, and therefore (since it keeps me requesting and buying and tuned in because I deeply appreciate all the free joy he’s handing out) for him.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2012 9:43:51 GMT -5
This morning I was reading a political column, and it made me think about Adam. Which was good because I would a lot rather think about Adam than politics!! The subject was a phenomenon known in economics as "preference falsification," which can lead to something called a "preference cascade." Bear with me because it's actually interesting, I promise. A preference falsification is, quite simply, when you pretend to like something because of perceived social pressure. It happens every day. Perhaps you go out to lunch with your friend to her favorite restaurant; you may say it was great when really you found it bland. Or, say, at my aerobics class yesterday, we had to dance to some Justin Bieber song, and the instructor asked how we liked it and we all gave the expected if unenthused response -- "woo." In social settings, preference falsification seems harmless. But as it builds on a society-wide level, it actually leads to the preservation of systems that are widely disliked. Eventually it may happen that some tradition or system is like a hollow tree -- it still looks the same, but the support is largely contrived. The hollow tree stands as long as each individual thinks he or she is the only one who feels that way. Some seemingly minor event makes people realize they're not alone. This can trigger a bandwagon, known as a preference cascade. The system seems to collapse "suddenly," when really it lost support long ago. Very large examples include the fall of communism and the collapse of apartheid in South Africa. But bringing it back to Adam ... this article made me think about the angst about how "mainstream" institutions favor certain pet artists. We are told that certain artists are overwhelmingly popular with the American public, and others are somehow unacceptable. As we talked about yesterday, many of us still remain pretty quiet about liking Adam, because after all -- everyone knows that's weird. Our behavior doesn't match our beliefs -- it matches our beliefs about what is acceptable. Few of us have rabbitrabbit's willpower and abilities to bring people together! :D We feel part of a minority too small to make a difference. Yet the truth on the ground doesn't always match the images. I wrote last week of a crowd of 70,000 people turning out to watch the Swedish artist Avicii here in Austin. Adam Lambert is playing prestigious gigs overseas. We are told that there are "not enough requests" for Adam's music when we know darn well there are. By privileging some views and suppressing others, the powers that control the exposure of music to the American public are presenting a distorted idea of reality. Glimpses of other realities are leaking out around the edges, as the cases of Adam and Avicii show. I wonder if there are not a lot of people saying "woo" while thinking something else. I wonder if the collapse of radio's hegemony is only one tiny technological innovation away. Finally, these ideas come from economist Timur Kuran and his book Private Truths, Public Lies www.amazon.com/Private-Truths-Public-Lies-Falsification/dp/0674707583 -- looks really interesting.
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Post by wendyness on Oct 23, 2012 9:49:16 GMT -5
Thank you junie and aleksandrakv for sharing the music. I feel it. Thank YOU, Wendyness, for everything (you know what I mean ) Yay, aleksandrakv is back. All's right with the world! And thanks for the welcome juniemoon, I'm here every day (lurking); I love this place.
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mahailia
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Post by mahailia on Oct 23, 2012 12:26:53 GMT -5
I'm pretty exhausted for several reasons, so as much as I would like to comment in depth on some stuff, I just want to say:
YAY!!!! Alek, so glad you are back! Thanks for the beautiful serbian song.
Sugaree - we will def miss you around here, hope you check in every once and a while
Junie: loved your Willie Nelson lesson, and it sounds a lot like his early days are like Adam's with not being accepted by radio and the current pop "powers that be". Thanks, and I love Willie too!
mika: love all of your words.
rabbit and wendyness: so glad yall are here!
In general: All of my closest friends know that I am an BSC Adam fan. Most of my friends like him, but are not BSC like me, however, they do tolerate me. Ocassionally I post some Adam stuff on FB, but get no comments. My hubby repeatedly snears at my obsession, but admits that Adam is the next big thing, and has compared him to Elvis, Michael Jackson, and Fredde Mercury. When I was in UK with my sis, and we hung out with my BFF UK Glambert, she talked almost the entire time about Adam, as she is way worse than me in her obsession. (and I was trying to act somewhat normal around my sis, which curbed my fangirling)
It is very hard to articulate to a non fan what it is about Adam that is so entralling, captivating, and what it is that draws us to him like we are. Sometimes I think that some of us are "called" to follow him, much like the analogy made by Mys*&@^#r and the mashed potatoes scene in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". (in case anyone hasn't seen this movie, this is where Richard Dreyfuss realizes that he is totally obsessed with the mountain and feels "called" to go there) Also, I believe the level of our stanning, knowing Adam's "stats", ie. what he wears, what he says, when he said it, etc. is very similar to what guys do with their favorite sports teams and players, so that is an excellent analogy.
With my sis in UK, I finally verbalized it as best I could. I told her, Adam is my muse. His music, his voice, the lyrics to his songs, the honesty, the fierceness of the way he lives his life fearlessly makes him my muse. She still doesn't see Adam the way I do, but she understands what a muse is.
Also, for me personally, being an AFL superfan is a great and entertaining hobby for me. Most of you know that I live on a ranch in a very remote place. I spend huge amounts of time alone. Following Adam is fun, gives me something to do, keeps me from being bored out of my friggin mind, and has also broadened my horizons, in terms of skills learned on the computer and internet, and also all the things I have learned from reading the incredible variety of posts and references by all the really smart and passionate people at Atop. And above all else, I have made some fantastic friends all over the world. It works for me.
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lynne
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Post by lynne on Oct 24, 2012 0:41:14 GMT -5
I just want to say that I enjoy you all of you here in the Moon Garden so much! I have been creatively engaged in real life things that have my mind busy and popping, but I still visit when I can to take a break from those things and just relax- and even leave a quick post here and there. All of my friends and family know I am a huge Adam fan. My family especially has been very tolerant in allowing me to talk about him (at times too) frequently and bring him into many conversations. My children even fondly listen to me relate his experiences to theirs, lol. I have made sure to tell them how much I appreciate them still liking me in spite of all of my eccentricities. Hey, I have supported all of their interests for years, after all, so turn about is fair play, right? They are all actually really supportive of my interest. (My daughter contacted friends all on her own who hooked me up with radio show tickets when Adam came to her city; my oldest son arranged to get me tickets to Club Nokia, has agreed to come with me to the next concert here, and has had friends that have interviewed/ and or worked with Adam get me autographs- and even once a personal video, lol. ) My husband likes Adam's music, comes to concerts with me and is reasonably interested in listening to me talk about Adam when I am of a mind to do so. But no one gets the way I relate to him quite the way that all of you here do. I like to live in the present. I enjoy whatever Adam is doing today and feel thankful for the added beauty he brings to my days. His music, words, attitudes and actions often have the power to lift me and fill me with very real light, love, laughter and friendship. Love to all of you who understand and share how great that feels.
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Post by seoulmate on Oct 24, 2012 0:58:01 GMT -5
Also, for me personally, being an AFL superfan is a great and entertaining hobby for me. Most of you know that I live on a ranch in a very remote place. I spend huge amounts of time alone. Following Adam is fun, gives me something to do, keeps me from being bored out of my friggin mind, and has also broadened my horizons, in terms of skills learned on the computer and internet, and also all the things I have learned from reading the incredible variety of posts and references by all the really smart and passionate people at Atop. And above all else, I have made some fantastic friends all over the world. It works for me. :2tears: :2tears: :2tears:
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mika
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Post by mika on Oct 24, 2012 3:39:44 GMT -5
I like to live in the present. I enjoy whatever Adam is doing today and feel thankful for the added beauty he brings to my days. His music, words, attitudes and actions often have the power to lift me and fill me with very real light, love, laughter and friendship. So Beautiful and True, Lynne. Thank you. And lovely eloquent, encouraging posts from Jablea, Mahailia, Rabbit, Annala, Alison (who has a great song named after her that always goes thru my head) - and love to all the moon ships at sea. Especially to our Jamie - quiet creator of our garden- a light always shines here for you.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2012 9:47:42 GMT -5
Today I ran across the work of Patrick Martinez, an L.A. visual artist who incorporates a lot of hip-hop ideas into his work. Some of his works are neon signs with social commentary. I don't know what interpretations others might put on Patrick's work but to me it asks about the futility of black and white, either/or thinking, and suggests that we build what we can.
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mahailia
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Post by mahailia on Oct 24, 2012 9:49:57 GMT -5
For my own part, I shall try harder to do my part as Emperor of Pointless Randomania (and Ice Cream). (You may wonder how I became Emperor - well it involved a watery tart throwing swords about in a pond...) Food is always good on a dark rainy evening/day, so here you go - lots of cinnamon and dreams of a warm fire and good company: mika ~ Bet you thought you were going to sneak by without fully elaborating on your title as Emperor of Pointless Randomania. This sounds very intriguing....... Spill!
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