I want to be a better writer, musician, friend, husband, and servant of Jesus. If I am at the same point ten years from now in any of those categories I will be disappointed.
We all make decisions about how good we want to be at something. Natural ability is generally a farce. It's true, some people just pick up a guitar and make it sing like a sixty year marriage, but most of my guitar students are a lot more like awkward newlyweds. Up until that first lesson they're excited about the possibilities while simultaneously having no clue what they're doing. About lesson three they realize that mastery of the axe is a 10,000 hour road.
I recently heard a story on NPR about the Mona Lisa. They had found a copy of Leonardo's work. Apparently he made various versions of the painting, but they think that this particular painting was in the studio beside the version that hangs in the Louvre. They know that this painting was probably the twin because when they placed it under some sort of sonographic examination they found that over the years it underwent the same sorts of changes that the original did.
Changes?
It turns out that Leonardo kept making changes to the work, long after the original sitting by the lovely Lisa. It turns out that the world's most recognizable work of art was not made in a day. Nor will you. Long after his moment of inspiration, Leo kept criticizing his own work.
Christians are not all that good at constructive criticism. While we know how to complain about everything, but don't seem to know how to do it in a way that is helpful. I spent three and a half years playing guitar and keys for a band called Escaping Yesterday. After most of our 130 shows I asked people for feedback, "Be brutally honest" I would say. I remember 3 instances when the request was granted. Nate Butler, Luke Mills, and Grant Beachy... thank you for your services.
One of those 130 shows was a side stage at a Music Festival in Ft. Wayne. An hour before our set I was chatting with a friend who owns a recording studio. We were listening (not by choice) to the daughter of a local "Christian" radio station owner who had obviously received a spot on the stage because of her Father. Backed by a rather poor to mediocre band, she did a rendition of Revelation Song that would bring you to tears, which has more to do with the fact that your ear drums had ruptured. In a passionate manner she sang the chorus a consistant 1/4 step flat. At the end of the song, as the small group of listeners actually clapped, my friend leaned over and whispered through the perfunctory noise, ""Christian" music is the only genre that allows you to suck and get away with it." I think he's right.
The rather successful band Green Day, whether you like them or not, was booed off the stage during their first performance. Billie Joe Armstrong (the band's front man) cited this as one of the keys to their success. Had they not been applauded, they would have never realized there was any need for improvement. That applause would have cost the band millions of dollars.
I'm not suggesting that I should have booed the cat in the blender at Icthus. I do think that I'm called to be gracious to people. I think one of my tasks as a follower of Jesus is to give space for people to make mistakes, a whole lot of them. But I'm also called to love people long term, which I think means making suggestions for improvement.
If I want to be a better husband, writer, whatever, I need to know what should be improved. I'll never play like Hendrix if all I get is applause and a pat on the back. I need that, but frankly if it's all I ever hear I stop believing it. If I can't trust you to tell me what's wrong, how am I supposed to believe you when you say something is right?
I want "Christian" art to be good, really good. I want it to say profound things in profound ways, like C.S. Lewis. But Lewis didn't just up and decide to write great stories that everyone would like. He was a literary critic who spent years writing articles about what he thought was well or poorly done art. He was surrounded by some of the greatest literary minds of England, who analyzed every word he wrote, looking for a hole in his logic and style. The man was in a pressure cooker. I'm grateful that men like Lewis were criticized, it made them into the writers that they were.
So back to Blue Like Jazz.
I've spent the last couple of years verbally criticizing "Christian" art, because I care. If I didn't care I would crank Muse or Coldplay and forget that genre ever existed. I think Christians have the best source material for stories, but we're terrible storytellers. I criticize because I think we can do better. I am by no means the only one who has spoken up, and people are starting to listen, changes are coming.
This past year Gungor entered my life; a fusion of Jazz, Rock, Spanish Guitar, Classical Music, and a whole slew of spices. If you haven't heard their album Ghosts Upon the Earth you probably should, the entire album is available on YouTube. They are evidence that there is a demand for something thoughtful.
Another game changer is coming up this Friday. I find myself as adamantly pushing for attention for Blue Like Jazz the Movie as I have criticized the mediocrity of "Christian" art. I fully expect this movie to make mistakes, to do certain things 'wrong' as any work of art does. But this movie represents the fruit of constructive criticism, and it is taking risks to answer that call.
So I'll continue my shameless (and genuine) promotion of BLJ the movie. If you share my desire to see something different out of "Christian" art, you can vote with your wallet this Friday. Go to bluelikejazzthemovie.com, find a theater, and go see it. According to Steve Taylor (the producer), at one of the movie screenings their distribution company was surprised to find thoughtful young viewers of faith with significant questions about content. But they still aren't convinced that there is a significant number of Christ followers to warrant future production of such movies.... I would like to see them proved wrong. This Friday is one way to do that.
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