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Re: all this stuff
In a message dated 8/26/98 9:17:08 AM Central Daylight Time,
eschumacher at kconline_com writes:
> Kendrickjd at aol_com wrote:
>
> > i just wish that in all of the people who insist on calling over the
rhine
> a
> > christian band, ONE of them would find a quote to back themselves up.
>
> not trying to play 'devil's advocate' here or anything, but i did dig up
> this
> quote from Linford, which kind of relates...
>
> "We were thinking of calling "Happy To Be So" Psalm 151 for awhile because
> to me
> it's very psalm-like lyrically. The psalmist often bemoans his inability to
> break
> through the walls of heaven, fearing that God is ignoring him, feeling
> alone and
> abandoned, and then often ends a piece rather abruptly with a few simple
> statements of hope. Praying grandiose prayers isn't as important as simply
> telling the truth.
good quote, but (as you mention later in the post) it doesn't say "hi! we're
otr and we are a christian band!" i don't think anyone is denying that karin
and linford (at least) are (at some level) believers, but that doesn't mean
the *band* has "lifting up christ" as their goal...
> and again, this quote...
>
> "I still wrestle with how best to express my faith and whether it should
fit
> in
> to the creative process on a conscious level. I feel like I have a lot to
> learn.
> I'm very much a student and I don't think of myself as a teacher. But by
> being a
> student, maybe I occasionally show others how to explore, go deeper. My
> songwriting is an expression of my journey, my search for truth, and a
> reflection
> of my world view, which usually operates mostly on a subconscious level.
It'
> s not
> something that I constantly brandish about or announce, it's naturally a
> part of
> me."
and again, i don't think anyone is denying that a part of the artist can come
out in his or her work, but to say that it has to be evident in *every* piece
of his or her work or that just because one of my co-workers has a bible verse
on the wall of her office means that she is trying to turn her office into a
church or evangelism center is silly.
> and one more time, this one from Karin...
>
> "I started over with nothing and said, "Okay, this is it, and you are all
> have.
> Let's start here. All I need is everything." That was the beginning of a
> reworking in me and a good chapter in my life filled with grace and
blessing.
> I
> never realized the significance of words like 'grace' and 'blessing' before
> I had
> a lot taken away from me."
and i am glad that over the rhine has the ability to be real and deal with all
kinds of issues (of faith and sex and god (yeah, the counting crows)) in their
music, but i think a wonderful way of summing up this whole thing is the quote
mark mentioned earlier,
"When an Over The Rhine song works, it generally means different things
to different people. (We've learned a lot about our songs from our
listeners.)"---OTR
jan