Soul Music Only

Those who know me will tell you I probably don't have a lot of religious experiences. I had one tonight. I saw the movie Crazy Heart. It is simply one of the best movies I have ever seen. First, the movie part. Jeff Bridges has given us the Dude and Bad Blake, two iconic roles that people will talk about and study for years. Whether he gets the Oscar or not really doesn't matter that much. Icons don't need Oscars. Now, to the religious part.

I know, how can I consider seeing a movie about a washed up country singer a religious experience? Simple, because it's more than music to me. I found this definition of religious: "appropriate to religion or to sacred rites or observances." Those who know me will tell you I consider music one of the most sacred things on Earth. And the music of Crazy Heart speaks to my spirit. It reminds me of why I discovered country music in the first place. See I grew up on rock and metal. That is the music of my youth. It's also my father's music. It's part of why we are close. But as I went through college, I also began to discover country music. That's my grandfather's music. It made me feel close to him after he died. In the movie, when I saw those denim button up shirts with the pearl snaps, I thought of him and nearly cried.

The movie made me think of 1997. I sat in an efficiency apartment at 44th and Ave A in Austin Texas. I put a CD in the player that would change my life. It was "Juarez" by Terry Allen, a wonderful musical gift. It opened up a world that let me know there was a connection between my grandfather's music and what would become mine. There was a line in the country music sand that ran from Bill Monroe to Merle Haggard to Randy Travis to Bruce Robison. And it all had one thing in common, soul. I found a plastic sign in a ditch when I was in Jr. High that read simply "Soul Music Only". I kept it. That's my only requirement for music. It has to have soul. Crazy Heart has soul.

So if you're a little like me, you might like this movie. I love a good song. I love a good album. I still call them albums. I have to listen to the songs in order the first time because that's what the musician intended. I listen to the song. The words, not just the tune. They become part of me. I want to know who wrote the song. I want to know why. I remember the first time I saw Billy Jo Shaver live. When I hear Willie Nelson's voice, I stop no matter where I am. I have spent nights at the Cactus Cafe in Austin watching one musician and one instrument stir more inside me than a 20 piece band ever could. And when I talk about my favorite Johnny Cash songs, sometimes I have to choke back tears. It's not just music. It's my soul. Crazy Heart is a movie about my soul.