Words can't express how much I loved hearing Brian Eno on NPR this week offer his "This I Believe" essay about a capella singing. Eno is one of my heroes. I found his classic Music For Airports on vinyl at a yard sale this summer, and it's frequently made my studio sound better than any airport I've ever been in. But it turns out this pioneer of electronic music is at least as passionate about the oldest analog instrument we have. Money quotes:
I believe that singing is the key to long life, a good figure, a stable temperament, increased intelligence, new friends, super self-confidence, heightened sexual attractiveness and a better sense of humor.
AND
When you sing with a group of people, you learn how to subsume yourself into a group consciousness because a capella singing is all about the immersion of the self into the community. That's one of the great feelings — to stop being me for a little while and to become us. That way lies empathy, the great social virtue.
Listen to the entire essay HERE.
Comments