The Importance of What I Do

Greetings,

It's been an eye-opening morning! I love these...

I've been emailing with the host of a local community radio show for the last few days, and I am reminded that not everyone thinks that what I advocate is important in a community sense. The Audience Inclusion thing I mean.

Most of you know that Audience Inclusion means that I encourage acoustic musicians to go beyond traditional public venues and perform at what I call Community Venues. These are senior homes, nursing homes, hospitals and facilities for developmentally disabled children and adults.

The radio show host does not know this, although the program has existed in his community for many years - informally since 1995, formally since 1998. The radio show host thinks the program is about Greg Allen and his music. The radio show host thinks that I want to pledge $100 to his station so that I can get on air and promote my latest CD.

Of course the CD will be promoted. I understand this, and even find it desirable. It's rather how media works in our society. I was born yesterday, in the dark, but it was 51 years ago, give or take...

The CD stands for some very important things that I stand for, and have dedicated my Life and my art to. The songs on the CD, and the overall concept, speak directly to some very important ideas for our Times.

Ultimately though the CD itself has little to do with why I offered to sponsor a show about Life's Community topics on a "community" radio station (note: they call themselves "community", I don't... I rather think it alludes more to the fact that twice a year the community donates money to keep them on air.)

I originally offered to sponsor the show because the community radio station has steadfastly ignored any truth about the SongSharing effort since it's inception. They have steadfastly ignored every opportunity to look into what wedo, and every invitation to attend a performance or special event. They waited nearly a year to preview our organization's first CD, which features many local musicians, and was a direct fundraiser for our non-profit. They ignored and refused to support our 2007 RadioSharing effort, designed to help sell the SongSharing CD by donating profits to them. They never acknowledged the monetary gift that we raised for them in this effort.

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And so I am reminded that perhaps I should wonder about the value of what I do.

Or... perhaps I should wonder why I get tricked into thinking that I want to support efforts such as theirs, while distracting myself from my vision.

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Yes, Gregory, you should wonder about how you value what you do.

You should value it more highly than to think that you need to pay these people to take interest in this very Now musical idea. The need to pay them, and to be required to spell out for them precisely what might be interesting about it, says something about their idea of "community", not yours... It speaks to their values, not yours.

Let's get back on the road.

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We wish you peace, and the Best of Now, always,

Greg and Alice the Canine Messiah

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UPDATE: That Was Funny

So I have been typing this blog and missing this week's edition of the particular "community interest" show. About 45 minutes into it I began paying attention. The guest is a local spiritual growth psychic who is on the show several times a year! The topic seemed to be sort of personal, as callers were asking for personal advice and the guest was giving it to them - like on-air readings maybe. ?? I don't know, as I said.

But the jist of the show was growth for 2009, and so I called in. By coincidence I was the final question of the show.

I asked: I am curious what you might say about sharing one’s Time and Talent and the role this sort of might play in spirits evolving – even the community spirit perhaps?

Well of course she loved the question and jumped all over the importance of sharing one's self and one's Time and Talents, and the community strengthening connection. She has no idea who I am, or what I do - but I am pretty sure the host knew who I was. I meant to make up a name, but the truth came blurting out... ;^)

She even went so far as to put forth the idea of a sense of duty - that we really "should" get involved beyond ourselves and our little self-ish world.

She said all of the things that SongSharing, and Audience Inclusion, and Time Overthrown stand for - and have stood for over a decade. And Greg Allen, and Alice.

It was kind of funny too, that Alice barked when I was asking the question, and so I had to repeat it. The host mentioned the dog bark when he asked me to repeat it...

It's funny because he had been asking in emails about Alice's "studio manners" when we were considering a show. I had warned him that she likes to speak every now and again. Today she was saying "Hi!"...

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Peace y'all...