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for August, 2008.
By rascal
notingDavid member Inspired by David alerted me to an emotive and heartfelt post by Jenny at fansofdavid.com. If you haven’t read it, please do yourself the favor, then come back and finish reading here.
Josie and I have talked privately about the notion of “losing” David to the wider world as his musical accomplishments mount, his fame grows, and the rest of the planet begins to appreciate what a truly unique and magnificent talent he is. I agree with Jenny that these times, this year, will soon be thought of by the Original Archies Coalition as a precious and even quaint period, a moment when David’s enormous appeal was appreciated by a kind of extended family, one built by virtual alliances through digital communications and powered by sensitive hearts that were opened by one remarkable young man. I have written early and often of my belief in David’s potential to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with the most revered and influential performers in American history; to be one of the true greats. We will, in a sense, and to a degree, sacrifice him to the multitudes as this becomes a reality. He will no longer be ours alone. But I’m not so sure that this will feel like a loss.
Since the end of the competition, the nature of the OAC has been to evangelize, to proselytize, to act as an extended organization of Team David in order to leverage his chances for success in the marketplace. Activities and initiatives ranging from gifting and downloads to radio station requests and reviewer responses are undertaken to champion David to those poor souls who haven’t yet felt the connection. They will. But why do we do it? Aren’t these the very efforts that will result in our losing that special association with David and with each other as his renown inevitably grows?
I think there are three main reasons why the OAC is so determined to act on David’s behalf and bring him the wider audience he so richly deserves. First, we obviously want to share in David’s accomplishments, to feel the vicarious thrill of success and achievement, and to know that we may in some small way be part of helping it happen. Second, it is natural to want to share with others the joy of discovery and the depth of feeling we experience from David. It’s a gregarious impulse, one that cannot help but generate good in the world. But I think the most important reason the OAC is so determined to work and sacrifice for David is a fundamental knowledge and understanding that no matter what we do, we will never be able to return to David what he has given to us.
With his voice, in his song, through his music, and by his very presence, David touches a profound and universal chord of love in each and every one of us. The beauty of this gift is that it is, by its very nature, eternal, limitless. That’s why it is so powerful and sublime, why it causes people to weep spontaneously. Greater numbers of souls being touched by David’s heart will not diminish his availability or his proximity to us but will, on the contrary, magnify it. A world with more David Archuleta will be a better world.
The advantage that the OAC has will be the one that it will always have: the privilege of having seen the star at the birth, of having been in the presence of the light and bestowing blessings when the adoration was intimate. We will all have private memories and stories, and they will be forever ours; early, original threads woven into the fabric of what will almost certainly be a large, rich tapestry of a life and career. Giving David over to the masses will not lessen our relationship with him, it will strengthen his relationship to all.
By rascal
Life is nothing if not a process of self discovery. It sometimes feels as if we’ve been given these miraculously complex biological machines, a mixed-up jumble of skills and challenges, good impulses and bad, set inside a box we call reality along with others both like and unlike ourselves, and left to spend our brief lives figuring out exactly what it is we’ve really got here. Oh, and lest we think we’ve actually figured anything out at any point along the way, everything is also subject to change at any moment.
Buddhism teaches that separateness is the central illusion, that all is essentially one, and that there really is no such thing as “the other.” All experience is universal, what happens to one happens to all, and there is nothing we can do to, or for, another that we do not also do to ourselves. The primal imperatives of self preservation and perpetuation compel most of us to adopt a perspective of essential selfishness, tempered with varying degrees of accommodation for the rest of the people that seem to be here (I say seem because the only reality of which we may be relatively certain is our own). But some appear to have a natural inclination for an inclusiveness that feels both surprising and profoundly right.
Like parents who take both joy and comfort in the observation of growth, David’s older fans enjoy both recognition and wonder at watching him undertake his own process of self discovery with every step along his now very public path. David seems to take these steps with a certain measure; he’s not tentative, exactly, there is a definite sense of commitment, but it’s clear that he likes to get his bearings before he relaxes entirely. I venture to think that David has been relaxing lately.
It’s a kick to see the exuberance now on display on stage, where he has been indulging with relish in the frat-boy shenanigans of Alpha-Delta-Mavid, and in his interviews, where his effervescence is undoubtedly motivated as much by the undeniable accomplishments already accumulating as by an increased comfort level with the demands of celebrity. Through all the haranguing about his demeanor during the competition, I never doubted for a minute that David would blossom in these realms; perhaps I’m only a little surprised that it is happening so quickly and to such an enjoyable extent.
But more than the delights of sharing in David’s new-found comfort and exhilaration is the joy of seeing his continued emphasis on the collective energy that is associated with both his work and his success. He never fails to to acknowledge his audience. Although the notion that one’s life is an entity unto itself–a coordinated trajectory combining the individual and the group dynamic–may be somewhat more obvious to, say, an entertainer, it still conveys a fairly sophisticated spiritual sense. Note that David doesn’t say, in some common and even slightly pandering manner something like, “it’s all because of them that I’m here.” He says of his fans instead that “they’re as much a part of it as I am” (heard during a recent radio co-hosting segment). This to me conveys an unusually subtle understanding.
David knows full well that “it”–the phenomenon of David Archuleta–is a fundamentally shared experience (he has even started referring to himself on occasion in the third person), an experience for which David is the blessed and grateful conduit of love and light and power and promise, and we are the blessed and grateful recipients and participants. If the rest of the ride is gonna be anything like these first few minutes, we had all better buckle up.
By rascal
From the very beginning of this journey, those who responded to David’s unique talents have been rewarded time and time again–and it hasn’t even been a year. I dare say David is probably as happy to be able to deliver the shared excitement to his fans as he is for his own accomplishments. With many artists of David’s caliber, we see them rise to heights of achievement and acknowledge their success because, well, of course they are where they are because look at what they can do; it makes perfect sense, it doesn’t register as a surprise. But even though we recognize a distinct and captivating power in David’s artistry–from the nuances of his voice to his impeccable musicality to his shrewd song selections–his successes will, I predict, continue to feel like those of an underdog.
Several factors contribute to this fortunate state of affairs, including that he did not win the dubious American Idol crown–a fact I continue to characterize as a major blessing. One of the consequences of David’s meteoric rise to prominence on the the nation’s popular music charts is that those in the public and in the music industry who may have written him off will undoubtedly believe that they now need to take a second look. Had he been the king instead of the prince, the expectation would have been greater and the reaction to success diminished.
But much of why we feel such a kinship with David, why it seems as though we are celebrating the astounding success of someone from our own home and hearth, is due not only to the fact that we have been accompanying him since the start but to the nature of David himself; in particular the remarkable combination of emotional proximity in his music and his grateful, humble nature. It makes for a heart connection between him and his fans that is unlike anything else (the fact that David has the most fanatical fans has very little to do with the fans). Through his work and with his character, David creates a sense of union among the human family that is both wondrously familiar and all-too rare.
Let’s all celebrate.
By rascal
An emerging theory has been advanced by a renowned mental health professional, and coincidentally the spouse of one of our very own members. The idea is one which offers intriguing implications for further research, but rather than provide hope for management of symptoms, instead appears to suggest that certain individuals–and perhaps even large portions of the population–may contain a genetic predisposition.
In new clinical trials completed just this week, compelling evidence indicates that ODD may not be a disorder at all; that the behavioral changes experienced by so many are not symptomatic of a disease, but are in fact encoded into the genetic makeup. These dormant tendencies for giddiness, perpetual smiling, increased feelings of euphoria, and extreme sensitivity to certain images which may or may not contain what researchers have termed “smolderosity,” are very possibly activated by the exact wavelength of David’s voice.
Research suggests that the recessive chromosomal gene sequence that is activated can now be identified as David Nucleic Acid (DNA), and its chromosomal match is David’s auditory output, which, for those whose genes have been triggered, needs to be heard on a daily basis. Researchers are convinced that we are not experiencing a “disorder” but rather a genetically-encoded human need.
The level of dormancy is the likely explanation for individuals who experience late-stage symptoms. Certain reviewers who were thought to represent portions of the population without the gene have recently been shown to posess it after all. Researchers are now investigating whether the gene may actually be species-wide, lending credibility to the global phenomenon of ODD.
By rascal
Although the type treatment is still way too Photoshoppy (what kind of design school dropouts do they get to do this stuff, anyway?), the overall tonality is much improved and the photograph, well… Clearly, the photograph speaks for itself. Dare I say David is getting almost as good at this as he is at crafting a song? Okay, maybe not quite, but my goodness.
Click the pic for a larger view.
By rascal
This has to be one of my favorite photographs from the entire tour, taken last night in Charlotte. At the risk of reading too much into it (Mamma Josie insists, “he’s just being seventeen;” I remind her that she’s not a guy and couldn’t possibly understand the importance of such frat-boy style mischievousness), there is so much here I don’t even know where to begin.
First and perhaps foremost, I don’t think David would have been caught dead doing this even two months ago. The fact that he his feeling his oats, as it were, expressing his new-found freedoms and power, especially in blatant disregard for the uptight pronouncements of the tour producers against any “unauthorized choreography or stage shenanigans,” is to me extremely amusing and very encouraging. David always shows so much deference, so much humility, that I confess I privately worry now and then whether he’ll be able to, well, do what he’s doing in the picture and take some names if necessary. I read this as a pretty hilarious indication that it’s well within his grasp.
Judging by the spate of fan videos that have been posted over the past week or so, David is undoubtedly revealing a more rogueish side of himself, and I for one couldn’t be happier to see it. It’s not just the revelation of his comfort level in public settings that I find so appealing, but the indications of a more faceted personality. I’ve had a number of indications of this from private sources, so it’s not that it’s a surprise, but seeng him express it more openly is a dang lot of fun.
Finally, I think it’s hilarious to think about how this photograph might be used in, say, oh, I don’t know… late November…?
By rascal
This photograph from the Worcester show inspires me to imagine how exciting it will be when David can really carry a concert on his own. It’s hard to know when that will be.
Some of you got very annoyed with me because I had issues with David’s performance at the concert I attended. I felt that there was a substantial gap between the degree of care and discrimination he puts into his songs and the almost complete lack of same in his non-singing moments. It’s not that I felt that there was any significant amount of discomfort in his patter, his presence, or in his audience rapport–he was entirely competent–it’s just that he has not yet gotten to a place where his skill in that dimension is anywhere near where his skills are in the musical portions. But the cha-ruth of the matter is that the whole thing is a performance, and David will eventually learn that.
Don’t get me wrong–it’s not “professionalism” per se that I’m looking for in the non-musical dimension, the last thing I would ever want to see is David Archuleta somehow becoming “slick” like Cook or Cook; I’ll be the first to mourn if he ever relinquishes the aw-gosh laughs or even the slight physical awkwardness that betrays such an appealing vulnerability. What I am looking for, and which will eventually happen (I have no doubt), is the same level of conscious command of the stage and the audience as he so brilliantly displays in his songs: A great concert is not a series of disconnected musical moments but a total experience.
I’ve always been reluctant to bring up this analogy, despite the fact that I’ve thought of it often in regards to David, because it’s such an old-school reference, but here goes. Seeing Judy Garland live in concert was reputed to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. People who were not even big fans of hers would apparently emerge from her shows with tears and laughter and drained of every ounce of emotional energy. Garland had a unique ability to juxtapose incredible skill, unparalleled professionalism, and immense vulnerability. You never knew what to expect from her, yet at the same time you knew you were in extremely capable hands. It was a thrilling combination of suspense and trust. David’s potential for emotional impact across an entire show is no less than Garland’s, in my opinion. The nature of the impact would obviously not be the same (Garland was as much a cynic as a wide-eyed child, making for both hilarity and pathos), but the degree to which an audience can be moved by an artist in an evening’s performance is as potentially significant in the case of David Archuleta.
For the sake of peace, I also want to make a couple of things clear about these observations. First, I think that one of the challenges with a talent like David is that because his skill in certain areas is so remarkable, that it sets up expectations in other areas where he is not as prodigal and where he lacks experience. These gaps won’t last. He is a fast learner. And, I want to make it clear that although no one expects him to be anywhere other than where he is right now (and goodness knows, that’s enough — I’m not sure my heart could take any more), that it doesn’t obviate the opportunity to offer thoughtful, constructive criticism.
Finally, on a personal note, I’d like to make it clear that although I welcome dissenting opinions and support healthy debates, there are two things I will not support here on notingDavid, so take note: (1) I will not tolerate personal attacks of even the most benign nature, in other words, criticize the idea, not the person; and (2) I will not respond well to suggestions or implications that I do not support David one-hundred percent, one-hundred percent of the time. If for whatever reason such a thing occurs to you, then you are laboring under a misapprehension. In any case, if that’s the way you feel, keep it to yourself.
By rascal
David veritably bursts with happiness at the astonishing one-day rise of “Crush” to the number-one spot on iTunes. Naturally, he bestows the entirety of his heartfelt gratitude to his fans.
Your joy is our joy, David.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWAELcemU_U]
