One of my best friends is a huge David Bowie fan.  In 2005, Bowie played during the Fashion Rocks event at New York Radio City Music Hall and introduced a new band called Arcade Fire.  The video this week is taken from that appearance with the band doing their song “Wake Up”;

I was originally going to feature the band’s song “No Car Go” since the title fit so well with the theme of this blog, but this performance is just so strong it deserves more attention.  If you have never seen or heard it, spend a few minutes and I think you will become a fan too.

The lyrics of this song are very appropriate since we need to wake up and alter our current habits.  We definitely have to make changes:

Children, wake up
Hold your mistake up
Before they turn the summer into dust

If the children don’t grow up
Our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up
We’re just a million little gods causing rainstorms
Turning every good thing to rust

I guess we’ll just have to adjust

I have never attended an Arcade Fire concert, but they are on my wish list.  The band has such a powerful energy that is very evident in this performance.  Most of their songs start slowly and then build to very soaring climax.  Pay4Rides is just an idea now, but with your help, we can grow this into something much bigger.

Last week I featured Joe Strummer covering a Bob Marley song.  So this week, I figured I should give Mr. Marley his due.  Here is the video for “Could You Be Loved”:

Don’t let them fool ya,
Or even try to school ya! Oh, no!
We’ve got a mind of our own,
So go to hell if what you’re thinking is not right!
Love would never leave us alone,
Against the darkness there must come out the light.

I recently watched the movie “I am Legend” staring Will Smith.  Bob Marley’s compilation of hits is called “Legend” and his music is featured very prominently in the movie.  Here is a quote from IMDB:

Neville: [talking to Anna about Bob Marley] He had this idea. It was kind of a virologist idea. He believed that you could cure racism and hate… literally cure it, by injecting music and love into people’s lives. When he was scheduled to perform at a peace rally, a gunman came to his house and shot him down. Two days later he walked out on that stage and sang. When they asked him why - He said, “The people, who were trying to make this world worse… are not taking a day off. How can I? Light up the darkness.”

His music and message still remain vital today.  So even if we are not trying to make the wolrd worse, we are each responsible for our own contributions to the problems of traffic and pollution in our daily lives.   Take a day off from driving to reduce your impact on the environment while helping better the lives of others.

This past week marked the 6th anniversary of the death of Joe Strummer.  I was fortunate enough to see The Clash in 1979 before the album London Calling was released.  I did not know a lot about the band at the time, but a friend talked me into going and for that I am forever thankful.  We had lodge level seats in a NYC concert hall called the Palladium.  They opened with London Calling and it felt like the entire theater was bouncing to the pounding beat.  The band had an amazing energy that night.

After his death, the album Streetcore was released featuring a cover of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song”.  At the beginning of the video, you can hear Joe Strummer say “People can change anything they want to”.  Listen to the incredible passion in his voice.  I think this is very true, with the key being, we have to want to.  Take a few minutes to watch this inspiring video to see for yourself.  Unfortunately the video has recently been removed from YouTube, but you can watch it here.

Joe Strummer’s music had a profound effect on many people.  He was also a driving force behind setting up Future Forests, an organization that combats global warming by planting trees in various parts of the world.  The organization has since been renamed The Carbon Neutral Company and does some excellent work in carbon offsetting.

At the end of the video, you can see the words “The Future is Unwritten” on the wall.  What a powerful statement.  We all have a hand in writing our future, what will your contribution be?

Photo Credit: David Shankbone

As the year winds down, we are seeing top 10 lists of 2008 all over the place.  Top movies, top cd’s, top books, etc.  Well I just read this story about the Top 10 quotes of 2008.  The quote that jumps out at me is:

3. “We have sort of become a nation of whiners.” — former Sen. Phil Gramm, an economic adviser to Sen. John McCain, quoted in The Washington Times, July 10

I remember hearing this quote in the summer and being upset by Senator’s Gramm’s comments.  At the time of this quote, gas prices were at their highest ever and people were very concerned.  Since then we have seen incredible loses on Wall Street, rising unemployment and a real lack of confidence in our economy.

Is it whining to look to our government leaders for answers and relief for our families?

What do you think, is it true that we are becoming a nation of whiners?  Do we complain or do we act?  You decide.

photo credit: lumaxart

This week’s song is “Handlebars” by Flobots.  I can not embed the video here, but click on the link if you would like to hear it.

This is an interesting song that is very open to interpretation, which is how music should be.  The music and lyrics start very simple.  As the song progresses, it grows in sound and thought.  I think it supports the idea that people can do anything, both good and bad.  That a small group of individuals can determine the future of the planet.

Here is a sampling of the lyrics:

I can tie a knot in a cherry stem
I can tell you about Leif Ericson
I know all the words to De Colores
And I’m proud to be an American

Me and my friends saw a platypus
Me and my friends made a comic book
And guess how long it took
I can do anything that I want
‘Cause look

While researching this song, I also found another Flobots song called “Rise” that I like, but had not heard before.  In the chorus, they repeat the line:

Rise – Together We

Great message!  If you take the time to listen to either song, let me know what they mean to you.

When I first try to explain this idea to someone, the reaction I receive the most is “I wouldn’t feel comfortable picking up a stranger”.  I fully understand this and I think that is the main obstacle to Pay4Rides actually being implemented.

For inspiration, I offer the Free Hugs video:

This video has had almost 35 million views on YouTube.  If you have not seen this before, please take a few minutes and watch how cautious most people are at first.  I love the way this video builds and builds on its’ own energy.  If you have seen it before, go ahead and watch it again, you know you want to.

This one video has grown into a movement and you can visit the Official Home of the Free Hugs Campaign or the The Illustrated Guide to Free Hugs.  All it takes is a trust and belief in others to make great things happen.

The more I research this idea, the more I am amazed that this can not be easily implemented.  Look at all the technological advances we have made in Science, Medicine, Electronics and Computers.  I am humbled by the human spirit.

So why is it so difficult to share rides?  We are currently:

• Investing billions of dollars in new research
• Risking further damage to our fragile ecosystems
• Facing increased Global Warming and Climate Crisis
• Suffering quality of life while stuck in traffic
• Ignoring crumbling bridges & highways

But we can NOT figure out how to get several people to ride together?

Be a hero, save the earth!

Me with Keith Haring's Father

For the last 9 years I have volunteered as a balloon handler in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  It has become an annual tradition that I share with my brother-in-law and best friend Brian.  We gladly get up at 4am to drive into Manhattan with 2 other good friends and spend the morning smiling and waving to the more than 3 million people that line the parade route.

This year we were assigned to a new balloon created in the memory of graffiti artist Keith Haring who passed away in 1990.  I really did not know much about him prior to the parade, but a quick browse of the web revealed many images I was very familiar with.  For me, the most recognizable was the cover art for “A Very Special Christmas”.

When we arrived at the balloon, I was surprised to learn that Keith’s family had been invited to join us as balloon handlers.  It was a real pleasure to meet Keith’s father, sisters, nieces and nephew.  They said that it was one of Keith’s dreams to be in the Macy’s Parade and they were thrilled to be there.  Having them with us made an already wonderful day even more special.

Whenever you volunteer, I think you always get more back than you give.  Do you agree?

If you are looking for inspiration, listen to this song by Patty Smith.  Yes, I believe we do have the power!

I awakened to the cry
that the people / have the power
to redeem / the work of fools
upon the meek / the graces shower
it’s decreed / the people rule

The people have the power
The people have the power
The people have the power
The people have the power

What would happen if you close a city to car traffic? Take a look at this video to see the positive results:

This is a great example of how to solve the problems of traffic congestion with the use of bicycles. I believe this further proves that any reduction of car usage can have a profound impact on quality of life for all us. What do you think?