Something old, something new ...

I was watching some Ted Talks on productivity and whatnot and one of the things they were talking about was the idea that listening to opinions by people younger than ourselves and people older than ourselves was as important as listening to points of view of people our own age (and profession). And I agree. They were talking about productivity and being a lifelong learner. You know, those Ted Talks that tear apart the attributes we can embrace to gain inspiration or to just to spark creativity.

It's always fun to learn something new. That's why I have posted this today. I found the video of these guys reacting to Phil Collins' In the Air Tonight and I knew I had to talk about it. Why? Because it's a perfect example of what those Ted Talks were talking about: listening to the opinions of someone older/younger than ourselves is eye opening. It was illuminating. not only because the twins were obviously born at the beginning of this millennium but also because this is probably not the kind of music that they would listen to for pleasure. I think they would go with Childish Gambino or Fetty Wap, Quavo or even Frank Ocean. But they were open to listening to a song that is almost forty years old and that allegedly started the trend of Gated Reverb and went on to define the sound of the eighties. And they are a joy to watch.

The moment the drums come in is an absolute revelation to them. They reminded me of.. me? Because that's what I felt the first time I listened to Ella Fitzgerald sing. And my first time with Billie Holiday. And even with Barbra Streisand and even Adele. None of them were the kind of music I was listening to at that time, but they opened doors for me that I did not know were there before. Nowadays I collect vinyl in many genres: Rock, Pop, Jazz, House. Some Blues. And I don't really have a favorite. I even have The Man in Black and Tammy Wynette and Dolly.

Talking about Dolly, get a load of them listening to Jolene:



Or The White Stripes:



Or Aerosmith



Or the fabulous Nina Simone:



So maybe those Ted Talks were right. The secret to lifelong learning and probably the secret to being creative is being open to new things and seeing things the way people older and younger than ourselves see them. I have decided that my next vinyl record is going to be either Deep Purple or Three Dog Night. I made that decision just now.


XOXO