Letting the Face's Rant

Imagine, if instead of having one face, we all just had mask, each of which we had sculpted to resemble one side of us? To some people we'd show one face, then just switch it off to another as we slipped into another social group. Life would be so simple. We would just act the part of the mask, and all the people who liked that side of you would love you for that, and then you could move onto the next group with a new mask. Life would be good, and no one would fight. That is, we would love this new set up, until we got home, and lined all our faces up on the table, each and every one of them. And we stare at them all alone, thinking "which one shall I wear tonight?" With no one to try and please, you don't have a mask to wear. Then you look at yourself in the mirror, and realize the worst kind of thing; "I don't have a face of my own." Some days, I feel I live like this.

The Oldies!

Recently, I've been incessantly listing to the music of Billy Joel. At first, I was one of those tentative fans. Say "Piano Man," I say "Oh yeah, I think that's by Billy Joel!" and that was the extent of my knowledge. Then, my dear friends hands me a stack a mile high of old music, most of which is from the eighties (honestly, I just can't stand the eighties!) Yet deep in the blastphemous coal of that wretched time period, I found a true diamond; disk one of Billy Joel's greatest hits. So I poped it in. Listened to it. Listened again. And again. Before you knew it, i didn't stop listening! I got disk two and fell head over heals for "She's Got a Way About Her", then "River of Dreams", "2000 years", "It's Still Rock and Role to me". I'm still on the greatest hits, I can't wait to find what gems are in his actual albulms!

Something about his songs just draws me in. The music is truly brilliant, his piano and guitar, every thing just flows. Then his voice! He changes it so well and can encapsulate so many different genres. Yet Its his lyrics that get me. Such frankness and honesty he packs, yet at the same time, beauty and truth. His lyrics tell stories of pain and pride, love and hate, rebellion and loyalty, taking situations and not changing them or distorting them, but just putting raw thought onto the page. I can't lie, its inspiring. So thank you Billy, for the music.