Paul D. Miller records and performs under the nom de musique DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid. He may quite possibly be the only DJ with not one, but two books published by MIT Press (Rhythm Science in 2004, and Sound Unbound in 2008). He engages in collaborations with a vast galaxy of individuals and ensembles. I call him a musical version of Anansi, the west African trickster spider, possessor of countless stories.
I dream a life not lost in time
I’m telling you this to tell you that two weekends ago, I purchased a used copy of the CD Songs of a Dead Dreamer, recorded in 1996. This CD has been called electronica, but it contains occasional acoustic instruments. This CD has been called ambient, but it’s not as ambient as other ambient music, in that it has some beats and rhythms wandering in and out. I consider the spirit of this CD to be ambient, a little bit like Minnesotans who talk to you without looking at you.
I’m telling you this to tell you that last weekend, I felt an inclination (as in Step 72, “I will trust my deepest inclinations today”) to create something. I have added music to poems I have liked before, like this poem by Antonio Machado. This time I started with the track “Thoughts Like Rain” from Songs of a Dead Dreamer, and added some lines from the 1982 science fiction classic movie Blade Runner. Why Blade Runner? Because the exclamation point of the movie is the line where an almost-human android is facing the end of his artificial(?) life, and regretting that the amazing moments of his life will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
I’m telling you this because I feel a connection between this creation and the Steps to Knowledge sidebar “Why Am I Doing This Anyway?” between Step 9 and Step 10. It says “Without Knowledge, you are unaware of your purpose. You are unaware of your origin and your destiny, and you will pass through this life as if it were a troubled dream and no more.” It is as if Steps to Knowledge is saying “Why are you doing this? Because you want a life that is more than a collection of moments that will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Because you want a life that is more than a troubled dream.”
I’m telling you this to share with you this combination, this mashup, which I call “I Dream A Life Not Lost In Time.” It is a valentine of sorts to DJ Spooky, to everyone involved in the movie Blade Runner, and to Steps to Knowledge.
Welcome to Mystery of Ascension! We are students and advocates of the the New Message from God. We are members of a worldwide community. We seek to assist the world in successfully navigating difficult times ahead. We seek to assist the world in successfully emerging into a greater community of intelligent life. You will also find some poetry. Find out more about us here. Contact us here.