The renowned writer and philosopher Henry David Thoreau had a famous quote.  "Simplify, simplify, simplify," he said.  For the sake of simplicity, you could've made the argument that one "simplify" would have sufficed.  I think that simplicity is definitely a virtue in most situations.  Ironically, simplicity can often be one of the hardest qualities to achieve in anything, especially today.  I will try to write simply and to the point here.

As the month of April arrives, I find myself ready to open up the windows at home and breathe in the fresh air.  Spring traditionally represents a season of re-birth.  It is a time of shedding the bulky clothes of winter, and working off the pounds gained from hibernating during the cold months.  My mind wants to be sharp, and my body wants to be fast on its feet.  There is an energy in the air that makes me want to get rid of the unnecessary things in my life.  I want to throw out the material things I don't use, I want to sell the music gear that sits on my shelves, and I want to eliminate the notes in my playing that clutter up my music.  I want my articles here to be devoid of unnecessary words.  Everything is fair game to be discarded in the process of simplification.

In a world that preaches "More is better," it is becoming harder to be simple.  Dropping the unwanted baggage in everything from relationships to playing the guitar can be a big challenge.  It seems as if people don't make the time to just stop and "breathe."  We've got so many deadlines to meet and deals to seal.  Heck, people can't go anywhere without carrying a cell phone or pager these days, including yours truly.  Vacations and leisure time are interrupted by the constant intrusion of mobile technology.  On top of that, how many times have you seen people talking on cell phones while eating dinner in a restaurant?

Where I live, the rural landscape is being chewed up by the constant construction of cookie-cutter apartment complexes and homes spaced so closely together that you couldn't fit a slide rule in between them.  Traffic is more intense with more cars and more road rage present.

Even the Internet is becoming more and more complicated, with rude pop-up advertising soliciting people at every turn to get a "low-interest" credit card.  Television is ruled by Psychic Hotlines scamming people for money, and by conflict-encouraging shows such as Jerry Springer and Jenny Jones which sensationalize extremely dysfunctional people and actually make it seem as if they represent the norm.  Everything is screaming at people to buy something, listen to this and do that.

Commercialism has made things very hectic.  The never-ending pursuit of acquiring and striving for something has done nothing to promote simplicity.   Music is not immune to this.  While you could argue that the lyrics in many popular bands' songs are simple in nature, listening to much of the music today is anything but a simple experience.  If it's not an interminable loop of jackhammer drums beating you upside the head or the mindlessly-used word "baby" showing up in every other sentence of a song, then it's some formulated "band of the day" crooning sound-alike tunes accompanied by cliched choreography.   The legal side of music has been affected as well.  The dispute between artists, record companies, and Napster has distorted what we should all be focusing on:  simply making and listening to good music.

I am not against making money or progress in general.  I do think that the pursuit of money often compromises the simple essence of what good art and music should be.  The quintessential dilemma for artistic types has long been the reconciliation of making money to pay the bills and achieve success while staying true to one's desires without compromising integrity, thus the term "starving artist".

Spring cleaning is an activity many Americans engage in this time of year.  As I sit here writing this entry, I am looking around at a bunch of guitars, magazines, and other objects cluttering my living space.  My problem is that I always find a way to attach a degree of sentimentality to everything I have.  I also justify hanging on to things that I don't use much by rationalizing a future need for them.

It is very hard to simplify!  Yet when I do, I find that I feel a whole lot better and that I really didn't need those things anyway.  I feel more alive and unencumbered by the responsibilities of managing the unnecessary items that take up valuable time and energy.

My favorite things in life are really simple pleasures.  From the direct experience of playing a note onstage and having an audience react instantaneously with approval, to driving around in my freshly-washed car that doesn't have junk accumulating on the back seat, simplicity is an enjoyable virtue.

I have my oft-used cheeseburger and caviar analogy.  Caviar is very expensive and "cerebral", representing complexity and status.  Cheeseburgers are simple, inexpensive and easy to make, representing the other end of the spectrum.  Eating caviar can be an enjoyable and special experience, but sometimes you just want to have a big ol' greasy cheeseburger!

Could someone please pass the ketchup?
 

Jason