#so I argue that social conditioning is now the above for creators...thinking about The Bear and is Abbott going that way too

[thelassoway]

Social Conditioned ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[emmyewesseyesee]

ema – extraordinary musical ambassador(s)

2017′s largely been a year of eclectic and fun live music for me – some 40+ gigs this year in fact – and the first week of october was particularly hectic with four in just five days. set on the middle wednesday was the mighty ema (aka erika m. anderson) rising high between the suburban grizzly bear at the start of the week and the northern litany and intrepid superorganism towards the end.

i’d last seen ema at the garage some three years ago and in the flesh she remains a truly spellbinding performer with her mesmeric presence just about managing to stave off any sense of apprehension or gawky self consciousness at having to perform her most assured and provocative manifesto of arresting noise and evocative message to the next room full of darkened strangers.

this time out, it’s a manifesto newly empowered by latest album, exile in the outer ring, a most incisive, striking and thought-provoking commentary on the politically and socially disenfranchised who find themselves not only on the fringes but also somehow vilified in a trump-electing yet rejecting america. the album is brooding, sinister, angry, staggeringly well observed and disarmingly humbling and empathetic in its stark portrayal and analysis of the people and circumstances faced in this outer ring – it rightly takes the lion’s share of the main set and will undoubtedly prove to be one of my top three albums of 2017 as it’s a truly epic and incredibly moving piece of work.

as if to highlight ema’s own triumph of temerity over timidity and her smart knack of narratively juxtaposing herself and her surroundings, the set itself opens with the woozily somber introspection of “where the darkness began” before giving way to the more transient who-care nihilism of “i wanna destroy”. in addition, both album and performance succeed in comprehensively spanning all viewpoints from me to you, them to us, the individual, the collective, the cause and the consequence, both instinct and impact and plenty in between, demonstrating an incredibly deft and attuned ability to position herself as first, second and third person subject, narrator and observer with equal aplomb. whether presenting her own demons or others’ struggles, anderson’s delivery comes across as utterly genuine, compelling and convincing, her sympathetic instrumentation and eloquent intonation allowing the listener to truly confront these observations, opinions, sentiments and sensations themselves for real.

for those open-minded and willing enough to listen and learn, this range and voracity of storytelling make for a most insightful, instructive, educational and evocative experience, with ema your generous teacher, your (very) high priestess and on-stage sage, your guide and mentor through her suburban sprawl. she takes her time, she provides succinct explanations with clarity and patience, she uses both smart metaphor and personal case study as support material, and thereby captivates her audience with consummate vigour, rigour and revelation.

aside from her sheer musical and oratory prowess, one thing you notice about anderson is how she views herself as part of the societal mainframe while challenging us all to confront our own opinions, prejudices, responsibilities and actions. it’s this precise and perceptive addition of perspective that gives such power and authority to her words. moreover, in a world where we increasingly look to define ourselves purely by the relativity of what we definitely (and defiantly) are not, and rush to castigate anyone who might dare to proffer any outspoken opinion of their own (never once pausing a moment to consider any context or circumstance which may have led to another person’s view), it’s refreshing to hear from someone who is not only confident enough to express their own innermost feelings and thoughts, but humble, compassionate and ultimately interested and invested enough to consider the reasons why others might think, feel and do the things that they do.

a case for the extraordinary musical ambassador…

it was probably a combination of ema’s erudite ability to engage her audience in such a way alongside my own general disdain for the current state of social and political debate in the world right now (plus a couple of cheeky ciders) that prompted this post and the idea of anderson and other touring musicians in the role of extraordinary musical ambassador.

as the wonderfully discerning comedian daniel kitson has previously proposed, we tend as a species to “live in our lives” yet merely to “exist in the world”, with those occasions where our lives “bump into each other” becoming evermore fleeting as we prefer instead to ignore one another via our head-down hand-helds while frequently resorting to the self-same devices to frequently lambast  and knee-jerk pronounce on each other without the slightest rhyme, reason, respect or reflection – increasingly “because i can, i will, and everyone else is doing it, so i’m clearly definitely right”. against such a backdrop of reactionary venom and pervasive outrage, it’s little surprise that our capacity for debate has atrophied to such primitive, divisive, vitriolic and downright offensive levels.

sadly faced with this combination of ignorant hostility and stubborn intransigence, our respective positions become yet more entrenched, our resolve yet steelier, our denial of any potential evidence to the contrary utterly impenetrable, as we resort to playground name-calling and abusive undermining from the relative comfort of our blinkered, fortified, self-serving echo-chambers. we function as if the world exists in spite of us, as if we’re merely its disgruntled (and no doubt delayed – yet again, dammit!) passengers, firing off our “the service on this planet is an absolute disgrace!” volleys with impunity in the vain hope that they’ll make things better. they won’t. and in the meantime, we’ve lost or simply chosen to dispense with the patience,  diplomacy, wisdom, tolerance and understanding to see things from a different point of view.

i remember barack obama’s farewell address with great fondness, not least because amidst all the wailing and gnashing of teeth at the election outcome, he rose above it with his signature statesmanship, calm, generosity and class. i also remember it for his most valuable and seemingly prescient closing warnings and calls-to-action: firstly he called for the upholding of healthy debate and positive discourse to engaging with those with different viewpoints and ideas, warning of the dangers of “corrosive political dialogue” and the “alienation” of certain portions of the country that might hold contrary beliefs; secondly, he spoke of the importance of participation, face-to-face dialogue and action in really making a difference.

“if you’re tired of arguing with strangers on the internet, try talking with one of them in real life”

yet one year on from that speech with the incoming administration having been largely built on the flimsy foundations of brash platitudes, fake-news rhetoric and late-night tweets, one might argue that the populous or democratic opposition has singularly failed to heed his advice, falling instead for this meagre bait and the seductive lure of each chance to be indignant, outraged and contemptuous anew via the same shallow, inciteful and anonymous channels, without taking the time to find out more or engage in any form of constructive or meaningful debate. this breeds stasis and increasing mistrust, whereas if we truly desire change, ultimately we have to play our part, to get involved, to listen and learn and engage – on other people’s terms – because real change demands this of us.

in the meantime, our inaugural extraordinary musical ambassador has taken it upon herself to present a thoroughly honest, engaging and affecting expression on the state of the forgotten in this suburban exile, and taken it out on tour to share with the world at large – no doubt including those more liberal hand-wringers who inhabit their own outer ring of the disunited states within their bubble of blissful ignorance, assumed superiority, and implicit disdain for those less fortunate at the beating heart of the country. she has listened to her surroundings, looked inside her heart, offered up her views, and generously shared her words and song and ideas to many people around the world.

why we need them more than ever…

in assessing this vital contribution, i’d go as far as to say that our extraordinary musical ambassadors are largely better equipped than most of our elected officials to provide this level of insight in appraising the pervading human condition and its relative health, happiness, misery or hardship.

where our politicians tend to fear and avoid ‘the great unwashed’, our emas will tend to operate at at the coal-face, down at the underbelly, amongst the misfits, the disenfranchised, the creators, the passionate, the young and importantly (and perhaps fortunately) the future shapers of our planet, even throwing  themselves directly into their arms with implicit trust in their heartfelt connection and fervent support. they enjoy a healthy and emotional dialogue with their audiences, often meeting them face-to-face before or after the gig to share stories, trade wares and touch lives. of course, the higher echelons of rockstar might look to build walls of protective entourage around them, but deep down these emas and their followers thrive on human connection and the vital intersection of people, ideas, creativity, emotion and exchange.

but perhaps the most telling credentials that our extraordinary musical ambassadors possess are actually the ambassadorial requirements of frequent travel and non-judgemental tolerance to go with this innate approachability and exchange. on tour, they will often arrive in a town overnight, spend the next day fast-experiencing it (often via the social network suggestions of its residents), give themselves and their ideas over to its people that evening, before late-night / early-morning disembarkation for the next far-flung destination. they land, they assimilate, they propagate daily, soaking each new experience up like a sponge to inform their wider perspectives and incorporate into their future art and exchange. indeed, they witness such diversity and warmth from such a wide range of people (admittedly connected through their love of the artist) and locations that it gives them an unprecedented view of the state of society at large and an unrivalled ability to understand the populous’s pervading themes, assess the relative mood and circumstances of countries and individual towns within those countries, and share ideas and inspiration quickly and emotionally around the globe – in person.

in a world where we are increasingly and immediately connected to this rich tapestry of interrelated experience, we somehow find ourselves strangely lacking in empathy towards those elements of it that we simply cannot abide. it seems counter-intuitive: to be better connected and yet lesser connected than ever before. perhaps then it is time for these extraordinary musical ambassadors to set the example not only to the populous but to the powers-that-be for a progressive culture that is far more humble, inspiring, empowering, embracing, connected, exchanging and conversing rather than one based on bluster, fear, rhetoric, difference, control, division and greed. and if music can teach us anything, it must surely be to listen, to accept, to enjoy, to share, to get involved, to see things from a different point-of-view and try to understand. so get amongst it, listen to something new, and reach out to other people, because they might like what you hear. after all, true progress can only be achieved by improving our connections, expanding our horizons, and better understanding and appreciating each other. we all need to take responsibility for that.

if you’ve made it this far, thank you for your patience in reading these rather expansive words. as a reward, i’ll leave you with a couple of tracks from exile in the outer ring below: the delicately moving elemental dismantling of “blood and chalk” and the disturbingly pounding menace of “breathalyzer”. as a bonus, should you wish to listen to a track from each of the artists whose gigs i’ve attended this year, you can do so courtesy of emm-yew-ess-eye-see's 2017 live playlist here. enjoy!

ps thank you and credits to andré haberman for the ema gig photos for neølyd (münchen, sep. 2017)