Poetic Influence (Music)

Like a lot of folks with a soul, I am grooved by music. Next to writing, music has often been a way of therapy for me as a way of me accepting myself and as a way to calm my bones when shattering. More than most types of music I'm big on rock. In high school I used to be given a weird eye for being at first one of the VERY few black guys into rock music. Actually, I think I stood out more for being that guy and many people came to me if they got interested in the genre. I was even in an extremely short lived rock band. But yes, as the years gone by I've fallen in love with many different artists, even dwelling a little out of rock at times. I'm big on No Doubt and love that they like to branch off to different types of music despite a lot of people's disdain for it. I love reggae, LOOOVE Bob Marley, you should see my ipod. Been rocking to Aaliyah lately and the Sweeney Todd soundtrack and Smashing Pumpkins along with rediscovering my love for The Servants and the magnificent Roots Manuva.

Now for this entry I just wanted to present a few musicians that influence me as a writer, mostly poetic-wise. The three I'm specifically talking of here below are Roots Manuva, a British rapper who's my favorite rapper by far; Blindside, a Swedish rock band with such uplifting music and lyrics; and Gavin Rossdale, former frontman of Bush and Institute and a musician who I've loved for years and can't seem to get enough of dispite noticing a lot of people look down on him.

But anywho, those artist really inspire me when I want to put something creative down on paper. Now, I myself am not a rapper although I have done a few songs in high school and have performed them live, especially singing with other rappers, most of the time with one of my best friends, Teardrop Jones. A month or so ago Jones sent me a beat and told me to write to it and wrote a rhyme that I'm actually rather proud of. Throughout writing it, I thought of the way Roots Manuva would write. He definitely doesn't fit the norm of mainstream rap and he really stands out for me. His lyrics are very haunting and imaginative and very funky and it goes well with his moody atmospheric music. Blindside's Christian Lindskog probably writes my favorite type of lyrics that I myself love to analyze. Each line of lyric just have this wonderful use of imagery that I try to emulate sometimes in my writing but can never seem to accomplish. And many times listening to the lyrics and music is of me trying to rediscover who I am and just what makes me happy. I get a real sense of just spiritual and inner bliss when I listen to Blindside. You should have seen me at their concert last year, October 13! I'll never forget. I even snuck backstage to meet the band and they were all so damn awesome. I ended up stealing a drumstick from upstage which the drummer, Marcus Dahlstrom, ended up joking about with me later that night when I bumped into him. And dear ol' Rossdale! Probably my favorite living rock star today. His music with Bush has always been very influential to me and I always feel that I can just have a strength to be myself listening to him. I can't really seem to put into words my adoration for this guy's music, it just is.

But yes, below are videos from each artist with lyrics accompanying them (excluding Manuva, darn lyric for this song is hard to find!). The Blindside and Rossdale videos aren't actually videos as they're just to showcase the music. All of them are currently my favorite tracks from each artist. Blindside's City Lights is in The Great Depression album (favorite song and album by them), Let The Spirit is from Roots Manuva's latest Silme & Reason, and Rossdale's Trouble I'm In is a haunting duet with Garbage's Shirley Manson from his recent album Wanderlust. They may not be their very best in their catalogue, but these are my current favorites of theirs.

City Lights by Blindside



I took a walk down the 4th avenue when i saw it
This red line in the grey concrete
Leading somewhere out of sight
Something compelled me to stop
So I jumped over the fence and
Started following what appeared to be
The trail of a leaking tin can
Leading away from the light

Is this what needs to be done
Blacklight shining in the dark
Brings out the brightness more than in the sun

Trade love for the city lights
Tonight you chose me to stay
Trade light for the city love
Tonight you chose me to stay

So what if i continue this walk
The red line is taking me down
Trashcan lonely street, yeah
The streets have their names but how come this people doesn't love just for fun
I'm starting to smell something beautiful
Though these streets are rotten

And now is this what needs to be done
Blacklight shining in the dark
Brings out the brightness more than in the sun

Trade love for the city lights
Tonight you chose me to stay
Trade light for the city love
Tonight you chose me to stay

Let The Spirit by Roots Manuva (I find it very funny that later in the video he talks about how he doesn't know what the f**k the song even means)



Trouble I'm In by Gavin Rossdale featuring Shirley Manson



Who do you lie between
Who has your love
You give it like poppy seed
You flow in the blood

I don't wanna fight no more
I don't want to see you crying
I don't want an all out war
You got soul that's dying again and again
You gotta let me in
You gotta let me in
She's under my skin
She's under my skin

Not looking for a scientist
I don't want a lift
Not looking for a doctor
To get me fixed

I don't wanna fight no more
I don't want to see you crying
I don't want an all out war
You got soul that's dying again and again
You gotta let me in
You gotta let me in
She's under my skin
She's under my skin
All the trouble I'm in (x4)

All eyes are watching me
I'm a stranger in this town
I must have lost my way
Since I took a turn awhile ago
These streets I do not know

Who do you lie between
Who has your love
I don't wanna fight no more
I don't want to see you crying
I don't want an all out war
You gotta let me in
You gotta let me in
She's under my skin
She's under my skin
All the trouble I'm in (x4)

All the trouble I'm in (x2)

Hope you enjoyed. Tell me what you think?