Christopher Columbusing Art
I heard someone today describe today’s young entrepreneurs as the Christopher Columbus generation, meaning that they’re just declaring old things new.
Amazing.
The example used was dirty soda, which is really the oldest form of soda. Go back to the soda jerk and soda fountain days, and people were adding stuff to drinks all the time.
A: I thought this was absolutely hilarious and true.
And B: a brilliant musical concept.
In the tradition of stealing art, why not? Take something you love, that you feel connected to, grab it and own it. If you believe in the imperfect mirror theory, that whatever you try to do will come out different enough to where it’s your own, this could be a path forward.
If you’re a performer trying to figure out which way to go, who’s your favorite band?
For me, I could just try to be the one-man Police. I’m nowhere near as skilled. I can’t write as well as Sting, and I certainly can’t sing as well as him. But I can do all the things, kind of. It would come out as its own thing.
Or one of my favorite bands that I’ve been listening to a lot lately, Jesus and Mary Chain. Now that, I could ape pretty well. Maybe too well. But I could Christopher Columbus it and just own it as my own.
Wouldn’t that be something?
And it would probably come out totally original.
I think musicians have been Christopher Columbusing things for a very long time, because that’s what you have to do.
You learn from the masters, right?