May 1, 2008

In honor of some friends of the crimson variety, and because it looks like tough times lie ahead, I’d like to wish everyone a very happy May Day.

Although the musician tends to be forgotten in most economic conversations, there are many out there struggling to make ends meet while perusing their art. What does the future look like? Will there be any room for art and/or entertainment?

I’m sure people will always need music in their lives, but when there is so much out there for free, who will pay for it? Especially when folks are living paycheck to paycheck and trying to feed a family.

These are questions I ask myself, not because I have any hopes of paying my mortgage through gigs, I just want to understand how it all works. Our economy, which can no longer be thought of in terms of national borders, is incredibility diverse with systems and pressures so complicated (at least for me) that I can’t begin to imagine how it all ties together.

I have a hard time identifying with those who are comfortable with a world view in which national boundaries, socio-economic classes and political parties build a tidy framework of “how things are and ought to be” (in the US, we sometimes refer to these folks as Republicans).

I was recently in Central America. Read the history of countries like Nicaragua or El Salvador and learn what a negative impact US foreign policy has had upon the lives of its people. You can call me a liberal apologist if you want, but pick up any travel guide and you’ll quickly see what havoc we have sown. It doesn't make me very proud.

I use this metaphor too much, but the Chaos Theory in which the butterfly flapping its wings in Singapore causes a tornado in Kansas seems to work pretty well in illustrating modern global interdependence. We are all in this together.

So what does this have to do with May Day and/or music? I dunno, just some random and somewhat disjointed thoughts as we trudge steadily on towards the unforeseen. Maybe a little solidarity would do wonders. As they say, spread the wealth.