Sometimes people say that a song puts them in a particular mood, but I've never really found that to be true*. If anything, it's the other way around - music sometimes has this cache of emotion that I may or may not be able to tap into, depending on my current disposition. It isn't always accessible - in fact, probably around 90% of the time listening to music is for me a purely aesthetic experience - but there are times when it's something more. I tried to find an analogy that would not in any way involve Magic: the Gathering, as I feel I've already geeked this place up beyond reason, but nothing seems to work, so... *sigh* let's call it mana.
It might seem like just a phrasing the same thing in reverse, but it allows you to factor in an additional level of complexity, which is just what a late-night blog post needs. First of all, I find I'm naturally predisposed towards certain types, and can tap them easily, regardless of circumstances, while others come to me only when the stars are perfectly alligned, and can become completely inaccessible in times of turmoil. I'm pretty adept at harnessing gray (moongazing, headlights in the rain), and can find traces of it almost anywhere. I'm also pretty decent with white (look how scenic and tranquil and life-affirming!), maybe because the two sometimes bleed into each other. On the other hand, it takes quite a bit of focus for me to get a gush of pink (so... do you come here often?), and tapping into red (jump! punch! one-two-three!) is a rare event indeed. (There's also one I'm completely unable to pinpoint emotionally - let's call it purple (vampires, cyberpunk, and River kicking ass) - that I sometimes get from, for example, Poe's Haunted.)
Secondly, the same song can produce different types of mana, depending on my filter, though the only example I can think of at the moment is Talisman by Air, which usually gives me white, but has been known to offer gray, and even pink.
This entire concept popped into my head about a week ago. I was on a bus heading downtown, Garbage's Bad Boyfriend came on, and I suddenly felt this surge of crimson - something I hadn't experienced in what seemed like forever.
And just like that, I knew the post-Washingtonian eclipse was over.
* with the notable exception of Trapeze Swinger by Iron & Wine, which is the saddest fucking song ever, so I just refuse to listen to it. Bad, black mojo.
It might seem like just a phrasing the same thing in reverse, but it allows you to factor in an additional level of complexity, which is just what a late-night blog post needs. First of all, I find I'm naturally predisposed towards certain types, and can tap them easily, regardless of circumstances, while others come to me only when the stars are perfectly alligned, and can become completely inaccessible in times of turmoil. I'm pretty adept at harnessing gray (moongazing, headlights in the rain), and can find traces of it almost anywhere. I'm also pretty decent with white (look how scenic and tranquil and life-affirming!), maybe because the two sometimes bleed into each other. On the other hand, it takes quite a bit of focus for me to get a gush of pink (so... do you come here often?), and tapping into red (jump! punch! one-two-three!) is a rare event indeed. (There's also one I'm completely unable to pinpoint emotionally - let's call it purple (vampires, cyberpunk, and River kicking ass) - that I sometimes get from, for example, Poe's Haunted.)
Secondly, the same song can produce different types of mana, depending on my filter, though the only example I can think of at the moment is Talisman by Air, which usually gives me white, but has been known to offer gray, and even pink.
This entire concept popped into my head about a week ago. I was on a bus heading downtown, Garbage's Bad Boyfriend came on, and I suddenly felt this surge of crimson - something I hadn't experienced in what seemed like forever.
And just like that, I knew the post-Washingtonian eclipse was over.
* with the notable exception of Trapeze Swinger by Iron & Wine, which is the saddest fucking song ever, so I just refuse to listen to it. Bad, black mojo.
1 comment:
brother, to quote pajiba's TK: I just love when you geek out so hard you make me look positively pedestrian.
also, i am glad.
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