Let’s burn this village down

I crave gentle. I wasn’t always this way, but I’ve been spending more time seeking out quiet, and avoiding chaos (I don’t always win at this… but it’s not for want of trying). Maybe it’s my age, but I also don’t think I believe that totally - I might have always been this way. I seek out kind words, even though I find sarcasm hilarious (especially when I’m the one doling it out! - hello, I’m Northern Irish!). I find myself more and more keeping the (obviously hilarious) sarcastic retort in my head, and choosing instead to say something positive, or hopefully up lifting. I try to make sure I smile more than I frown and I avoid being offended that smile isn’t reciprocated. I try to find moments in my day where my breathing is louder than my surroundings. I mostly avoid the explosive drama on TV in favor of quiet (mostly British) humor. I most certainly avoid the news - especially from people that so readily want their opinion known over the facts.

It’s kinda punk. It’s bucking the norm. It’s certainly rebellious in a world where the drama and gossip, opinions and self righteousness, and the desire to win at the expense of others is somehow championed.

The village I threatened to burn down? It happens to be a little paper village I created out of brown craft paper for a diorama I built for a video shoot. I sat in my garage on warm summer evenings and created little miniature things. It was gentle and quiet and inspiring. I found my thoughts leading me down paths I didn’t normally have the the time for. The fire was built from airbrushed cotton wool wrapped around LED lights, and instead of being devastating, it was fun and so far, has brought smiles to everyone that has seen it. There hasn’t been anything traumatic about it in the slightest.

The video is for the February release of a song I wrote in 2020, called REVOLT. It’s about the cyclical nature of world politics, and leadership. It’s our version of the Who’s, “Won’t get Fooled Again”. Promises get made that seem like solutions to problems too big for the population to handle themselves, and so we vote in the next guy. The next guy, hindered by bureaucracy (if they’re decent), or blinded by power (if they’re not), turns out to just be the same as the last. And they’re always of a certain age. Like age can qualify your ability to make good choices. I’m 52 and I make pretty rough choices sometimes. I also know for a fact that my 84 year old dad still thinks of himself, and acts like, eighteen. The song almost begs for someone younger, for new ideas, and for a new direction.

For now, I’ll seek out the quiet and make the best impact I can by helping, advising, or simply smiling at, one person at a time.

REVOLT is out on your favorite digital, or streaming platform, on February 17th, 2023.