Being alone with your music

I suppose it’s a generational thing-- listening to music as a kid in bed with a radio.

It seemed so magical at the time. And I guess it still is, otherwise why would we spend the effort, time and expense on this "hobby". I put it in quotes because I’ve never felt it adequately encompasses what we are involved in, here.

Garcia said without psychedelics, life would seem very "gray" and I certainly feel the same about music. I can't imagine life without it.

For some of us, the act of listening is deeply personal and perhaps even therapeutic. Others enjoy sharing music with others, which is just as great.

During the 70’s , when I, like so many other young people, were experimenting with "substances", experiencing nature and music-listening were our two favorite activities to engage in while high. We’d turn out the lights and everyone would allow themselves to be carried away. I recall the first time I heard "Peace 1" and "Peace 2" off "My Goals Beyond" under the influence of San Pedro. This sort of "communal immersion" can be very enjoyable if all the participants are similarly intentioned.

Group meditation can be another form of "communal immersion".

Although I’m most definitely an introvert (and it’s been decades since I’ve partaken), I still enjoy the rare occasion of listening with someone else who enjoys music as much as I do -- someone, as others have mentioned, who won’t feel the need to talk-- which automatically eliminates most people! 

I can't help but wonder whether this lack of interest/sensitivity is not limited to music but to Art in all forms. Most people just don't seem to be at all interested in opening themselves to art, period. Perhaps this can be explained by Maslow's Pyramid -- too many are just struggling to survive. It seemed to me that this was not so much the case back in the Sixties, but I may be mistaken. I may be simply another old guy bemoaning that "Things ain't what they used to be". 

Different strokes...

If live music hadn't consistently provided transcendent moments, I doubt I would've bothered to continue spending the money. I use the past tense because, at present, there are no venues within easy driving distance that offer music that appeals to me. But I've had many experiences of being "taken over by the music" while attending live performances.

Of course, one listener's "transcendent" may be another's "nothing special", for any given performance