"I get a little bit Genghis Khan
I don't want you to get it on
With nobody else but me
With nobody else but me"
(Genhis Kan Lyrics by Miike Snow)
My boyfriend was howling these lyrics at the top of his lungs as we walked around the streets of Belltown (Seattle) last time. It was 10pm and I bet people were flocking to their windows to see what kind of crazy opera was happening on the streets down below.
We were dressed up as 'emos' and carrying a guitar. We were living out our own musical. We started the night pretending to 'not feel anything' and be all emotional destraught. As the night went on, from street corner to street corner we roamed, narrating our entire adventure through improvised song - dancing and acting out our dramatic lyrics. By the end we were laughing about everything.
We sat on the hill by Pike Place market. We sat on the benches outside Local 360. We stared with big eyes into 'Tune: Hi-Fi for Humans'. Outside Local 360 we had a few moments where we were flowing so beautifully with the music waves (like surfers on the ocean), the lyics and melodies and chords were just coming together perfectly.
There was no forethought. It just poured out and I watched it magically come together. This 'zone' just can't be forced. It feels like I plug into the musical layer of the universe and the music just transfer through me out into the world. I can't responsibility for the music, only for the ability to make myself present and open so the music can flow through. I get to just be a vessel, an observer to something FULLY AWESOME.
So yes, playing in public has become my favorite way to play music. I used to hide in my room. Now that I've broken through the barrier and I'm not longer afraid to blast out my voice as I walk down the street, the world has become my oyster. Anytime I feel nervous, I just remind myself...I would LOVE LOVE LOVE it if someone (like me) walked by me on the street signing. That person would be adding character to the city, brighting my day and making the world a more interesting, beautiful, interactive, fun place. When I remember that, it's way easier to take risks and 'make a fool of myself'.
xoxo
Chamonix
