Waaaaaaay back in
2000 a man name Ovidiu from Romania had heard my stuff
on listen.com and responded to one of my entries
(Entry
#13).
It was so amazing to me that from the other side of
the world I could get feedback and reactions from
people. Especially fellow musicians. We're Facebook
friends now and it still blows my mind how the
internet can make lasting connections. A few days ago,
I connected with one Marten Aluste from Estonia and he
wanted to cover "I
Cannot
Wait". I
gave him the chords and look at what
I received...
Wow. I cannot
believe English isn't his native tongue. If
I tried to sing a song in Estonian it would be
disastrous. And he threw in background vocals?!!? So
cool. And... (I know Gordon is sitting at home reading
this really disappointed) but the man can sing really
well. I love you Gordon, but your grasp on staying in
key was not your strongsuit (Gordon covered a couple
songs of mine a few years ago). Marten however is
really good and I think could become a great
singer/songwriter. He keeps asking for advice and I
keep telling him: "SING, RECORD, LISTEN" repeat
x143590872. :-) He's got a helluva
foundation.
For me of course,
it's quite an honor to have someone cover your song...
but moreso? To connect with people on opposite ends of
the globe. You simply have to step back and realize
how far we've come as members of this planet. We
really are one global community. It's why when Ron
Paul says to end all foreign aid I think to
myself: "That generation will die soon..." because
that is 19th Century thinking. Having travelled all
over the globe, with friendships spanning the world...
we are all one. Foreign stops feeling foreign. You
think Marten has different wants/needs because he's in
Estonia? Distance no longer separates us and honestly?
Religion is now the only divisive topic left. Citizens
are clearly no longer defined by their governments (as
the Arab spring has shown) and the last roadblock
seems to be religion. And by religion, I most
definitely mean fundamentalist religions. Those
that define a "right way" and a "wrong way" for
you to live - it's divisive. It makes us think those
crazy people in Iran are "different". Or Estonia.
Where the fuck is Estonia? What must
THOSE BASTARDS be like? They're human first, and
they're taught to love or hate their neighbor second.
If you hate something you don't know? That's a YOU
problem. If your "religion" highlights the
differences in others? Again, the problem is right in
front of you... not thousands of miles away. In 500
years will we be closer as a human race or obliterated
from the planet? And if we are obliterated from the
planet... what do you think the cause of that will be?
People spreading their way of life. Live and Let
Die.
So Marten, let's
do our part to bridge the gap and find all of our
similarities. Keep singing, keep writing - you've got
a fan and a friend in me.
