Art & Activism Lessons with André Cymone
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Transcript of Art & Activism Lessons with André Cymone
[email protected] +1 (917) 727-1610
Art & Activism Lessons with André Cymone !By Lee-Sean Huang !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Originally published in the Huffington Post, Oct 22, 2014
Introduction
Last week, I had a chance to talk about the
intersections of music and activism with
André Cymone. André is Prince's childhood
friend and original bass player. He later
went on to build a musical career as a
songwriter and producer.
!In his recent work, André is working to
revive a rich American tradition of socially
conscious music.
!We discussed ways we could all could use
our creativity and talents to improve our
communities and country.
[email protected] +1 (917) 727-1610
Start with your own story
Talking about "art and activism" in the context of civil rights and social justice can be a big and abstract topic, but André grounded things in his own l ived experience. He grew up in Minneapolis in a family of six children at a time when the black community was mobilizing for equal civil rights. His brother fought in Vietnam. His mother was a housekeeper who put herself through school, became a social worker, and was able to move the family to a better neighborhood. For André, music became a way of finding a voice and strengthening social connection.
[email protected] +1 (917) 727-1610
I learned from our conversation that biographical details matter. As artists or activists trying inspire action and incite action, our own personal stories explains the "why" behind what we do. It helps to situate the abstractly political into the concretely personal. It helps us relate with others in our communities, and others that we are trying to reach. !A movement starts with a personal story. !
When I asked André why he does what he does as an artist and activist, he turned to his life history and that of his family. !
Be an 'Artist' that challenges people (rather than just an 'Entertainer') !
"Maybe it started with Elvis. He
started out as being Elvis the artist
and being kind of daring and risky,
but when he put on that rhinestone
suit, he became Elvis entertainer.
That changed the way people looked
at music, artist, and all of that.
!People started just going after the
entertainment factor. People don't
want to hear songs about trouble
and strife, they just want to drive to
work and be happy."
[email protected] +1 (917) 727-1610
Some people want to be challenged. !They want to hear the truth. They want to hear 'art' as opposed to 'entertainment.' We also talked about artists like John Lennon, who started out an entertainer (a good one at that) in the original boyband, the Beatles, and later transformed himself into an "artist" and an activist to speak out for peace and against the Vietnam War.
!The world still needs artists to step up to the plate, now more than ever.
Use your gift and be a conduit
"The hope is in people like you. We
all have a role in making the world
we want to pass on to the next
generation. My gift is storytelling and
songwriting. It's up to people like me
to step up and do what you were put
here for. Music is a healing thing.
Music is a spiritual thing."
!Sometimes, realizing one's role in the world means being a conduit for something greater than ourselves. !It means surrendering to some higher force and inspiration, reinterpreting somebody else's story and struggle, and just letting go of the ego.
[email protected] +1 (917) 727-1610
"If you are an artist and you have a
gift, you will write songs that you
didn't really write, because you are
just the conduit. This happens to me
and to other artists that I know all the
time. You will write a song and then
say, 'I never meant to write that song,
but before I noticed it was done,
music, words, everything. Take the
pain and suffering from the world and
turn it into music or art. Take other
people's stories and struggles and
elevate those stories." !We all have an individual gift that we can put forth. What is yours?
[email protected] +1 (917) 727-1610
VOTE!
!!!!André has been devoting his time to encouraging eligible voters to register and vote. I got to preview his upbeat new track called "Vote," which sounds like a cross between early Prince and School House Rock. !While art and technology has opened up many new channels to organize, to participate, and to make change, there are still some old-school forms of political power that we must not forget about. So if you are eligible, register to vote, and show up on election day.
!!!!!Here are some online resources to
help you register and vote: !
• turbovote.org
• CanIVote.org
• voteraide.com !!!!Also check out André Cymone's interview with
Mike Ragogna on HuffPost Entertainment ( just
after Barry Manilow)
"Vote. Make a difference. If you don't vote, you don't count."