Audio files: Sticking a fork in the (expletive) of my recent Miles Davis obsession
Today’s post wraps up my three-part “Audio Files” series devoted to Miles Davis’ musical tree.
Part One focused on former Miles drummer Tony Williams.
Part Two explored Planet Davis — as in Richard Davis — and though I originally intended to share one more Richard Davis story, I’ve decided to leave the old man alone.
That’s because there’s other things to discuss, as today’s post will be the last of my weekly “Audio Files.”
But this isn’t Killdozer‘s “Fuck You, We Quit” tour. No. I’m not going away, and I’m definitely not going to Brokaw, Wisconsin, the glorious end-point of Killdozer’s farewell tour. I’ll still post the occasional tribute to Media Matters; the semi-frequent love letters to Pravda; and other asinine tripe. I’ll even post (sporadic) “Audio Files” every now and then.
But I’m finding that this “life” thing is time-consuming. There are so many things I want to do but so few hours in a day. So blogging has to take a back seat for a bit.
Still, before I abandon this weekly soapbox, I want to revisit something from my Tony Williams post a couple weeks back.
You might remember that Tony said the biggest thing he ever learned from Miles Davis was how to deal with fear.
I’ve always thought that was a very interesting comment.
So with that in mind, I turn to the readers of this blog with a simple question. A serious question.
How do YOU deal with fear?
Please leave comments. I am anxious to hear people’s responses.
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Sorry to read this is your last weekly Audio Files, MC.
I deal with fear by ignoring it. I have always had a “problem” with issues avoidance anyway.
Thanks Ricky. Audio Files will crop up on a much more limited basis when I have time to give it the proper love and nourishment. I want to avoid the habit of just lazily posting links to John Oates’ mustache problems and things like that.
How do you ignore fear though? I have problems ignoring it.
I love AF so i hope you reconsider soon.
Re: FEAR. My reactions vary according to the nature of the fear. Since this is AF, let’s start with a musical reference. John Cale sang Fear is a Man’s Best Friend. This can be true. I have a fear of boredom, a real and deep fear, and that has led me to take chances that have so far resulted in fairly interesting life. I am always searching for ways to avoid boredom. This fear is my friend. Most of the time.
Perhaps however it has led me also to make foolish choices, the negative consequences of which will become clear later in life. Increasingly, as I grow older, I am afraid of that. I’d like to think I can use that fear to take steps against some bad fate. But which fear is stronger?
A mostly negative fear I have is related to money. I inherited my dad’s horror of debt. For a long time I thought this was a good fear, but now I realize it crippled my ability to think creatively about money. My overwhelming fear of losing it
caused me to make short sighted decisions that ultimately, er, caused me to lose it.
So the first question is not- how do you deal with fear? But- what are you afraid of?
I think the Sage of WFTC, Frank Wilson, might have some interesting things to say on the topic.
Daniel, great answer (which I’m printing out so I can read a couple more times on the commute home tonight). And thanks for the nice words too.
I agree about Frank — I wonder if he’d be interested in posting a blog response to the question. (Paging Frank Wilson!)
First, Thanks for all of the Audio Files. It’s been a nice counter point to the P4k-ization of my current music collection and opened me up to many new horizons in sonic enjoyment.
RE: Fear, I think that along with what Daniel K mentioned, Chris Matarazzo’s recent WFTC column on writer’s block could easily be expanded to deal with other types of fear in life as well. It was quite an eye opener for me in many aspects of my life, even though I do not regularly write.
MV
@MV
Thanks much for the kind feedback– I appreciate it. I’ll probably still do Audio Files once a month or so because it’s a lot of fun. The weekly commitment is tough though. I tried it for awhile as a disciplinary tool but between dadhood, work, commuting, exercise, dog-walking, marriage, home maintenance, NFL Sundays and the pile of books on my nightstand, there’s just never enough time.
Thanks also for your answer to the “Fear” question. I think the fear topic will eventually morph into some sort of WFTC post.