Soul Talk

[warbler]

Erm ... I’d just written the paragraphs below and then saw what’s above. So, to answer your question xanthas, the title of the thread is “soul talk” and soul music was specifically mentioned in the introduction. If someone wants to write about the soulfulness of doing cement work I probably wouldn't be able to relate very well ... but hey, if it’s soulful to that person, then I’ll clap my hands! I might even pick up on their soulful feelings and benefit from the sharing of them. And, I know not all agree, but it doesn’t bother me a bit if/when people digress a little, or even a lot, from posted topics. Meanderings of, hmm ... the soul? ... often prove to be delicious little side trips. I mean ... what if someone on HC has THE best chocolate cake recipe in the world!!! Now that could be a soulful experience and personally speaking, I wouldn’t mind a bit if that were shared! 

So on to what I was ready to post: Haha, Eurydice, my soul joined right in and hands are clappin’! Specially Richie Havens’ FREEDOM! That’s what we’re talking about! Thanks for the journey through one kind of soul-expression. Love this that you wrote: “It is through our artistic expressions that we express our souls - that is where the soul is brought to this earthly plane for us to briefly experience a bit of grace and joy....  Our artists ... are courageous as they must needs expose themselves, the good and the bad, for in the revelation of their soul's truth, we might join to find our own.”

Yes to soul music, soul things ... like:
-when the cat comes through the room and gives you an affectionate head-butt
-a fat slice of fresh garden tomato dancing on your taste buds
-little kids insisting, “LOOK at MEeee!”
-ten foot tall native prairie grasses whispering in the wind on a crisp Autumn day (we call it grass music and I look forward to sitting in the middle of it every single year. There is NOTHING like it.)


 ... all soul expressions. And yes, seems it has a great deal to do with feeling, grace and joy!

[xanthas]

[size="3"]I suppose we could even talk about ‘soul music’[/size]

[size="3"]
Sorry, I hadn't seen this. Here are two juxtaposed ways of the Soul's "expression".

[/size][color="#0000ff"]Etta James - At last[/color]
[flash=425,344]http://www.youtube.com/v/ADDigK8LwyE&hl=en&fs=1[/flash]

[color="#0000ff"]Roberto Alagna - The Godfather[/color]
[flash=425,344]http://www.youtube.com/v/D8snUOQvJDs&playnext=1&list=PLC0844684E75D900C&hl=en&fs=1[/flash]


Since you talk about food, having fun, and joy, and you mentioned you started out in music I think you would like this video, too...
[size="3"]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK4bWwFMVYI
[/size]

[Eurydice]

We all carry ideas that we may think are original or without prejudice but in fact are colored and influenced by our programming, whatever that may be--social, political, cultural, etc. that have not yet been brought to a level of our self-awareness.

I can tell, you're still too influenced by SS's linguistic contortions....

 

"Powers that be" have made sure that James Brown's legacy is more one of Domestic Violence rather than his Art.

 

t

your blind spot with regards to James Brown being a He-man instead of just being a fantastic soul singer, great performer and musician.

  And it still will not absolve Brown from being a brutal and violent, intemperate character with a major chip on his shoulder - a nasty piece of work in spite of him being a great musician.

You don't have to like the Art form nor the life of the Man to give homage to the Artist.  For many (mostly African Americans and lovers of his Art  his sins are forgiven, if not forgotten; comprehended within the larger context;  as his music lives on as an inspiration to the Soul.)

Are you black? It's just a question. The reason I'm asking is that I have never seen  black people follow the SSs. He's too 'white'.

And, as to your intimation that I do not 'appreciate' art, you're leaning too much out of the window again. You're repeating exactly what you did in the first post - 'thinking' that I don't like art, or whatever it is that makes you come out with these odd comments that have no leg to stand on, assuming rather than reading my replies properly, and not projecting your 'understanding' or interpretations thereof into them.

Besides, I don't think warbler's idea of starting this thread had 'James Brown's Soul music and his sexual gyrations on stage in mind.

Warbler, of course you can correct me if I should have misinterpreted your intentions!:)

Thanks Warbler for saving me the time of having to point out to Xanthas her "blind spot" :P, as I took my cue from what you said and was just having a bit of fun and sharing some of my old favs.  Glad that you liked "Freedom"-- Xanthas got way too "heavy" with her condemnations.  I glad you were able to smooth it out where I couldn't and thanks finally Xanthas for sharing some of your musical soul inspirations. I did enjoy listening to them.

 My point to you Xanthas was that you seemed to be trying to make everything "black and white" and coming across with a very rigid attitude--and an insistence of needing to be right, just like SS would do-- since you opened that door.  You seemed so desperate and determined to make me appear wrong and uninformed that you brought SS into the conversation icon_down---which under the topic of "soul" is funny--as he is so out of touch his.   I could go line by line and show you where you misintrepreted and misquoted what I wrote--but that is boring and folks can read for themselves. 

Xanthas, I wondered if you listened to the other samples that I posted because yes-hello-- I was "trying hard" to find some common ground and offer you something that you might like better than JB since that was  something that you had such a negative reaction to. 

[xanthas]

Eurydice, what I did not like was:

Look again and see and feel with your heart-- Remove your --airy-fairy-new-agey-white Christian-dominant-feminist oppressor ideas about spirit-body connection.

That really pissed me off because it struck me as more than just a bit patronising...especially because nothing in that quote has anything to do with who I really am.

And yes, I might've been coming across as 'too heavy' for your liking but that quote above just annoyed the hell outta me and it kind of 'set the stage' for what followed.
So...let's each of us check in with ourselves and start over, ok?

[flash=425,344]http://www.youtube.com/v/vdB-8eLEW8g&feature=related&hl=en&fs=1[/flash]

[Eurydice]

Eurydice, I saw James Brown live... Mind you, the man was trouble with a capital 'T'... Beat his wife, too and being a thug alright, as well. So... I'm not into wife beating men... And I don't care what kind of 'excuse' they come up with for being "black is beautiful" drivel, to me that is being thoroughly as much in the grip of the dubious forces than the Beatles.

Brown was ruled too much by his first chakra to be truly 'Soul-ful'. For my taste anyway.
 

Xanthas: Obvious that you got pissed, you have been stompin around a lot here lately I have noticed.  Fire in the belly? 

Sorry, but you had me LMAO with some of the "drivel" that you threw out on this thread -and yes you should check yourself if you don't see the new agey-whitey-uptightyicon_laola, emasculating-Christian-racist-"sounding" nonsense you so self-righteously tried to throw at me with your over wrought sense of feminist self-importance here.   I tend to stick up for the underdog so I just had to defend JB cause he is such an easy target!  Not a wise move on my part, I admit.

 If you truly want to turn the page, quit trying to prove to me who you are not.  I don't care if you don't like the labels that I used or my choice of words or my choice of soul tunes.  

 You're like a Bulldog who just won't let go until you have the final word or video as the case may be.

You ignored my offers of the olive branch from the get, but now
 when you get called on your sh*t you want to patronize me with a Bob Marley tune--which BTW if you didn't know, he borrowed from a Curtis Mayfield song, check out the source below--has a lot Soul IMHO: PEOPLE GET READY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBrnzqbGM...re=related

And also for the record, James Brown was one of Marley's heros. 

icon_3rofl
If you want to keep going, let's take it to a pm before Richard has to time us out?

[Eurydice]

A bit of levity for Laughter is good for the Soul.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLY7Ry17C9A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z1n7Fh_-...re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REf8dxmnD...re=related

[Eurydice]

"Dark Night of the Soul" refers to coming to an abyss, a spiritual crisis of wanting to know self and the relationship between self and God.  Or is it the quest for meaning, understanding, purpose?  Is it the feeling of total aloneness and separation.  Is it an agony, a trial, a test to the soul?  Does it require a total openess and receptivity?

How many of these do we pass through in our lives? 

[xanthas]

[user=1682]Eurydice[/user] wrote:

Sorry, but you had me LMAO with some of the "drivel" that you threw out on this thread -and yes you should check yourself if you don't see the new agey-whitey-uptighty, emasculating-Christian-racist-"sounding" nonsense you so self-righteously tried to throw at me with your over wrought sense of feminist self-importance here.

This is the biggest load of bull I've read here since returning. And that says a lot. Stop projecting your unresolved issues onto me. Your ridiculous reply and pathetic attempt to give me the metaphorical finger just shows that age does not make any wiser, more lucid, and certainly not any brighter. One cannot grow what's not there.

I tend to stick up for the underdog so I just had to defend JB cause he is such an easy target!  Not a wise move on my part, I admit.  If you truly want to turn the page, quit trying to prove to me who you are not.  I don't care if you don't like the labels that I used or my choice of words or my choice of soul tunes.

JB was no underdog. You're mixing things up here. Other than that I don't have any 'desire to prove something' to you. I couldn't care less. I don't care what you think. I do not agree with how you seem to 'perceive' me - but if that's your p.o.v be my guest and piss some more into your pants laughing - stupidity betrays itself with such childish comments.

If you want to keep going, let's take it to a pm before Richard has to time us out?

How old are you? 5? Just listen to yourself. Who's asking for it here? Grow up.

I've no desire to continue talking to you, bueno?

If you want to 'fight' with somebody then go find somebody else, I am not interested. Or better yet, go play with your toes. Maybe that'll make you laugh, too, given you don't seem to need much to 'trigger' you.

And back off.

Good bye.

[warbler]

xanthas ... I really enjoyed your soul offerings. Thanks!

and Eurydice? ... I'm sitting at my computer watching Eddie Murphy and the hot tub and laughing so hard I just snorted my coffee down the wrong place ... it seems I have THREE nostrils now? ... hope you can't hear me snorting ... just way, way, way too funny ... and darn, have somewhere to be so no time to check out your other two offerings right now ...

but ... snort ... snort ... thanks for the great laugh. What a way to start the day! I'll be back to check out your other joys later ....  (owww ... my sides are hurting ... and if you could see the way the cat is looking at me ... )

[warbler]

And now, more thoughts on soul ... 

Earlier parts of this thread (James Brown’s troubled life) brought up memories. Got me thinking about when I heard that my brother’s wife went to the emergency room. Turns out, John had been abusing his wife and kids for more than twenty years. People in the family were shocked. I wasn’t. This future John is living now was entirely predictable and in truth, I’m surprised he is not worse off than he is. 

Thinking of this situation brought up the same question, again. Why, out of eight children, did the parents choose John and me for scapegoats? Why us and not the others? I used to say, “For some reason they just didn’t like us.” Today I think I finally know why. It’s because of soul: [/i][/b]John and I had lots of it! [/i][/b]And, that’s a problem for people who need to control others. You can’t control people who have their souls intact and if there was anything my parents did not like, it was people they couldn’t control. [/i][/b]

I’ve always thought that those who abuse and/or take advantage of others have lost their souls, or at the very least have damaged souls, but I thought it in a figurative sense. Not thinking that way now. I think soul loss, soul damage, is literal. And, in the case of my brother John, I’d be more likely to say his soul was ripped or squeezed out of him than to say he lost it. I’d say that because I saw how John was treated, starting as a very little child, and even though I was treated just as badly, for some reason I had an extra something that made me not give up, not surrender to the insanity and lies that ruled. And, I am not excusing John’s behaviors. Just saying that for a child like John to grow up as he did, I don’t see how he could have possibly turned out any differently than he has. 

And to clarify, not talking here about soul as only creative expression. I’m talking about the thing behind that - the love, the passion, the joy, the life. Those were the elements of soul that my parents could not tolerate. Now, they did appreciate the “appearance[/i][/b]” of love, passion, and joy ... but only that. The real thing was too much for them.

Question now, why was the real thing too much for them? I don't know and my soul is asking for levity now so gonna honor that by watching Eddie Murphy and the hot tub, and whatever else was in that post. :)