When I am getting ready for work in the mornings, I like to listen to videos on various subjects. A while back I was on a physics kick, and I often listen to film criticism. But lately, I’ve ventured into music commentary.
This morning, I happened upon a gem that really got me thinking.
It’s in this video below, about the work that bassist Tony Levin did on the groundbreaking Peter Gabriel album, So.
Readers of the Late World will recall that I think a lot about the creative process employed by Gabriel in making his records. Most of the time I’m doing that to try and get into Gabriel’s head.
But the example I found in the video actually gave me some insight—not just into the creative process of a single individual—but into the culture of creativity that is fostered by this process for everyone involved.
I’ve got the video set up at the spot that got me thinking. Take a look:
So the commentator, Scott Devine, is marveling at the lengths that Levin would go to in order to achieve the percussive bass sound he wanted. First, Levin had a drummer hit the strings of his bass with drum sticks to get the sound, but it was hard to reproduce that in live performance.
So eventually, Levin wound up taping sawed-off drum sticks to his fingers, so he could play live and get the same effect. A completely unique approach to a problem, I’m sure you will agree.
But what I love most is the spin Scott Devine puts on it:
“Think about this: Tony Levin was in a creative environment that allowed him to experiment … Are the creative environments you are in ones that would foster that?”
There are two things that Devine points out here that I think are important and often overlooked.
Support. Peter Gabriel calls the shots in the session, and it’s his money (ultimately) that is paying for the session. Even though Tony Levin is one of Gabriel’s longest collaborators, he’s still a hired musician. It speaks well of their relationship that Gabriel (as well as the producer of the album, Daniel Lanois) was willing to give support to what—at least on the surface—must have seemed like a crazy idea. It certainly achieved a singular sound, but a lot of creators are so fixed on doing things a certain way, they are unable to let go of the control necessary to allow this kind of experimentation to happen.
Time. One thing Scott Devine points out is that even as accomplished a bassist as Tony Levin must have had a learning curve on this new technique. He did not start out of the gate being excellent with these funk fingers, and getting the sound he wanted. It must have taken time (as well as the experimentation noted above) to get things right. Remember, in the studio, time costs money, so it’s pretty clear that Gabriel is willing to support a space where experimentation and learning curves are treated as investments, rather than liabilities.
This is the challenge we often face in our creativity: we feel like it has to be perfect the first time we try a new idea, because we are concentrating on the sunk costs rather than the possible returns.
I know this has been true in my life. It’s been true when I have been in the recording studio (because time is money) but it is also true in my writing, and often in my teaching. I get so set in my ideas about things that I lose sight of the ability to play and discover new ideas and new techniques.
So my hopework for this week—and maybe yours, too—is to try and find ways to give myself and others around me the creative support and time we need to discover a new thing or two here in the universe. Maybe a new idea, a new character for a story, or some funky new sounds
Courage!
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