Lost Keys and Talking Heads

"You have a big smile on your face. What are you thinking about?" Marcia, my wife asked me as I walked down the driveway of our house. I told her I was looking for the keys to the Honda. The keys I was holding didn't look familiar. So I thought to myself, "These are not my keys...These are not my keys". 

This thought made me think of the lyric, "this is not my beautiful house .." from the Talking Heads song, Once in a Lifetime. It was my reaction that Marcia saw. Thinking of this song made me smile.

I remember hearing this song thirty-four years ago when I was in Hawaii. I had just finished  a tour of Japan with a performance company after my junior year in college. On the way back from Japan, we went to Honolulu. While we were there, one of the band members insisted that we see this movie. I had no idea what I was getting into. 

The movie was Stop Making Sense by Talking Heads. I remember sitting in this movie theater and being amazed at what was on the screen. It was a big screen. The images were huge.  (If you ever watch this film watch it on the biggest screen with the best sound system you can find.)  There was a mix of music, light design, energetic band members, and set design that overwhelmed me. The lighting effects of the movie reminded me of the lighting designs of Adolphe Apia, which I was studying in college. The music in the film reminded me of the electronic/synthesizer classes I had taken. The contrast of light and dark and shadow mixed with energy and dance music left an indelible impression on me. 

 I was thinking of this as I stood in my driveway, looking for the keys to my Honda CRV thinking, these are not my keys ...these are not my keys. I remember my reaction to this film so well. I remember how it made me feel, how it made me think, how it influenced my thought of what art can do.

It's that kind of reaction that I strive to create in my work. I'm one clown working in a different medium. That said, it's still the reaction I want.
I did find my keys. They were in my hand the whole time.

Same as it ever was...