Pearce might have blasted the dude's second band's album, but I've been listening to quite a bit of Michael Franti lately and he's pretty awesome.
I'm real curious to see his movie. Here's an interview with him where he talks about it. It's a documentary about travelling through the Middle East, singing and playing and activist-ing.
I love how the guy manages to write very politically relevant music and come across as sweet and caring and kind, rather than didactic and angry and self-righteous. I've long felt that preaching from on high is a good way to alienate people from your message, and Franti seems to have learned this a long time ago.
I know a lot of well-meaning people who could learn from this. Shit, I'm one of them. So are you, probably. It's hard not to preach, it's hard not to feel like you know better than anyone else. But most people I know (including myself) have difficulty maintaining civil relationships with the people we know and love, so what the fuck makes us think we know the way the world "should" work?
It's Franti's vulnerability - and his willingness to expose and express it - that makes him so beautiful. I'm not one for role models, but this guy is pretty awesome. Don't you think?
Posted by joey at May 24, 2006 4:59 PMRe: the film - Awesome. I'm glad to hear it's done and out. He was heading to Palestine not long after Cal and I were there - I remember because I emailed him contact details for everyone I could think of.
He's a good hugger.
Posted by: morgue at May 24, 2006 11:19 PM“It's hard not to preach, it's hard not to feel like you know better than anyone else. But most people I know (including myself) have difficulty maintaining civil relationships with the people we know and love, so what the fuck makes us think we know the way the world "should" work?”
Picking up on your point here, do you want to do a Friendly Bakery run this weekend? Text me if you do.
I was going to go into a rant here about your point, but I realised that I was and stopped myself, deciding to actually pick up on your point and focus on maintaining relationships by inviting you for lunch, rather than embarking upon the act of ranting, which is (I guess) a form of preaching, albeit somewhat self focused.
Janet: I would have, if I'd read this before today!
Posted by: Pearce at May 29, 2006 9:53 AMNe'er mind. Perhaps I should have texted you! I can't do anything this weekend because I have a 2 day improv workshop on Sat and Sun, but maybe I text you after that.
Posted by: Janet at May 30, 2006 1:06 PM