Myth in the Music--Children of the Sun Moon and the Stars

How often we forget all time, when lone
Admiring Nature's universal throne;
Her woods - her winds - her mountains - the intense
Reply of Hers to Our intelligence!
--Edgar Allen Poe, In Youth I Have Known One


Sometimes you just feel it in the air--that new sense of freedom, of progress, of advancement. We all experience it in different ways. We can see this in the myriad opinions regarding the possibilities and symbolism of the election of Barack Obama. But there seems to be a split in opinion when it comes to myth regarding his ascension to the throne of the free world. But what better place for modern day myth than the United States of America--Home of the Brave and Land of the Free. I say, the myth is alive for those who are living it, feeling it, experiencing it. And it would make sense that there are so many artist out there who not only are experiencing it, but who are calling it into being. I entitled my blog Brave New World because I feel that we are moving into times of great change on micro and macro levels--this incorporates ideas such as the economy, ideas of religion, how we function internationaly, how do we continue to communicate, and most importantly--how we reconstruct domestically when change is so dynamic by nature. It takes time. Shit gets ugly. We improve. We fight. We challenge. We grow. But we must always cooperate despite our differences. It's America, right?

But in all this, the people who have build America always seem to be the expendable ones so we must do our part to be part of America but look out for those segments of our community that are pushed to the margins of society. It's an age of change and the myth is alive for those who need it, those who create it, and those who attack it.

Poet Maya Angelou talks with Tavis Smily about her ideas regarding Obama's election.
Full interview






TV on the Radio "Golden Age"



But what does this have to do with a Brave New World. Well, I will soon link these abstract ideas in art and music and poetry to real world events.

Peace

Update/Edit:

Over on the Obama Generation a supporter has posted a video of a rapper Jay-Z do his remix of Young Jeezy's "My President is Black." This is a great example of a Black American who has lived some version of the American dream/myth--Jay-Z as the gangsta turned rapper turned mogul who now sees a an elevation in the glass ceiling with the election of Obama. This seems to be a trend amongst Black Hollywood and celebrities whose alliance with Barack is at least based on the idea of holding positions, getting parts, singing songs of ones choice and decision regardless of racial expectations.