POST 42: "I Made It Through The Rain"
“A life not lived for others is not a life.”Mother Teresa
Reflecting on Barry’s songs made it clear to me why his music has continued to speak to me over the years, even when I was “undercover.” For one, it mirrored my life, reality as it bit me. There’s been a lot of pain and struggle, but it turns out there has been profound love, deep inspiration and quite a bit of fun. So during those critical years, so close to loss and suffering, I got a compass that pointed me out of the horror of it all. So it was a combination of music: music that gave clear voice to pain, to struggle, then to healthy love; music that conveys we have a right to love again and have fun. The memories of meeting Barry briefly are faded, but the impact of that gesture is firmly anchored: he was kind. He was kind to a shy, impressionable 16-year-old. That, with the music, with club members, and then that powerful meeting of Mother T. to guide my spiritual sensibilities, I survived to become an overcomer. It has taken 40 years of journeying to untangle the thread of this story and bring it to light.
Barry, like many with the weight of accomplishment on their shoulders, has noted that, “Everything you say and do is having an impact on others.”
That is one of the main lessons I take away from sharing this story. Some things that were done to me still carry a negative impact: the bullying for example still cripples my ability to speak spontaneously in large groups of people. If there are any hints of conflict, I’m right back in the sixth grade hiding in the cloakroom. However, the impact of my brother’s smile, of Mother T.’s peace, of Barry’s kindness, and the Fan Club’s support at a critical juncture in my life tipped the balance for the good.
So I say that quote, “Everything you say and do is having an impact on others.” It can be as seemingly insignificant as smiling at a stranger walking by who might be having a crap day coming home from a chemo appointment. Or it can be the “showman of a generation” who reaches millions of people with music. In the end, it is Music that owns us. Our song will find us and guide us. We are but the channel of something that means to unite, comfort, educate, entertain, transform and become something that is greater than ourselves. Mother T. reminds us that, “We belong to the world living not for ourselves but for others.”
I believe people need to hear our stories. We need to listen to each other too. Just think what we can create if we put our stories together.
The great philosopher, Plato, wrote that, “Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back. Those who wish to sing always find a song. At the touch of a lover, everyone becomes a poet.”
Each of our hearts has a song. I look back and see that throughout my life, music has been a dear companion and I am fortunate that Barry’s music has been a large piece of it. Throughout this memoir Barry’s music floated easily in as if there were never any time of exile. Old songs, gracious and forgiving, reintegrated themselves. Newer pieces, patient and friendly, overlooked my 30-year snub and jumped right in. The major surprise that has come out of all of this for me is the shift in perspective. As a besotted 15-to-18 year old, I was a fanilow, a fanatilow-in-the-making if the brakes had not been applied. Since my exile has lifted, I have spent weeks and hours slogging through music, lyrics and interviews. In all the hours of research one line has leapt out: the comment Barry made in a Rolling Stone interview: “I believe in my writing.”
Here was someone new.
Not Barry the singer.
Not Barry the superstar.
Not Barry the entertainer.
Not Barry the showman of the generation.
Barry, the writer.
Here was someone I needed to know more about.
Notes:
http://www.verybestquotes.com/150-mother-teresa-quotes/#sthash.eA4ynwNZ.dpuf
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/barrymanil508948.html
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/12860-every-heart-sings-a-song-incomplete-until-another-heart-whispers
http://www.iskandar.com/waleed911/motherteresa.html
http://barrynethomepage.com/bmnet53ay.shtml
Give the gift of music to the next generation through donations to:
The Manilow Music Project
8295 South La Cienega Boulevard
Inglewood, CA 90301
info@manilowmusicproject.org
Click here to go to the next post or click here to return to the previous post.
Reflecting on Barry’s songs made it clear to me why his music has continued to speak to me over the years, even when I was “undercover.” For one, it mirrored my life, reality as it bit me. There’s been a lot of pain and struggle, but it turns out there has been profound love, deep inspiration and quite a bit of fun. So during those critical years, so close to loss and suffering, I got a compass that pointed me out of the horror of it all. So it was a combination of music: music that gave clear voice to pain, to struggle, then to healthy love; music that conveys we have a right to love again and have fun. The memories of meeting Barry briefly are faded, but the impact of that gesture is firmly anchored: he was kind. He was kind to a shy, impressionable 16-year-old. That, with the music, with club members, and then that powerful meeting of Mother T. to guide my spiritual sensibilities, I survived to become an overcomer. It has taken 40 years of journeying to untangle the thread of this story and bring it to light.
Barry, like many with the weight of accomplishment on their shoulders, has noted that, “Everything you say and do is having an impact on others.”
That is one of the main lessons I take away from sharing this story. Some things that were done to me still carry a negative impact: the bullying for example still cripples my ability to speak spontaneously in large groups of people. If there are any hints of conflict, I’m right back in the sixth grade hiding in the cloakroom. However, the impact of my brother’s smile, of Mother T.’s peace, of Barry’s kindness, and the Fan Club’s support at a critical juncture in my life tipped the balance for the good.
So I say that quote, “Everything you say and do is having an impact on others.” It can be as seemingly insignificant as smiling at a stranger walking by who might be having a crap day coming home from a chemo appointment. Or it can be the “showman of a generation” who reaches millions of people with music. In the end, it is Music that owns us. Our song will find us and guide us. We are but the channel of something that means to unite, comfort, educate, entertain, transform and become something that is greater than ourselves. Mother T. reminds us that, “We belong to the world living not for ourselves but for others.”
I believe people need to hear our stories. We need to listen to each other too. Just think what we can create if we put our stories together.
The great philosopher, Plato, wrote that, “Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back. Those who wish to sing always find a song. At the touch of a lover, everyone becomes a poet.”
Each of our hearts has a song. I look back and see that throughout my life, music has been a dear companion and I am fortunate that Barry’s music has been a large piece of it. Throughout this memoir Barry’s music floated easily in as if there were never any time of exile. Old songs, gracious and forgiving, reintegrated themselves. Newer pieces, patient and friendly, overlooked my 30-year snub and jumped right in. The major surprise that has come out of all of this for me is the shift in perspective. As a besotted 15-to-18 year old, I was a fanilow, a fanatilow-in-the-making if the brakes had not been applied. Since my exile has lifted, I have spent weeks and hours slogging through music, lyrics and interviews. In all the hours of research one line has leapt out: the comment Barry made in a Rolling Stone interview: “I believe in my writing.”
Here was someone new.
Not Barry the singer.
Not Barry the superstar.
Not Barry the entertainer.
Not Barry the showman of the generation.
Barry, the writer.
Here was someone I needed to know more about.
Notes:
http://www.verybestquotes.com/150-mother-teresa-quotes/#sthash.eA4ynwNZ.dpuf
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/barrymanil508948.html
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/12860-every-heart-sings-a-song-incomplete-until-another-heart-whispers
http://www.iskandar.com/waleed911/motherteresa.html
http://barrynethomepage.com/bmnet53ay.shtml
Give the gift of music to the next generation through donations to:
The Manilow Music Project
8295 South La Cienega Boulevard
Inglewood, CA 90301
info@manilowmusicproject.org
Click here to go to the next post or click here to return to the previous post.