Apr 7 2019
What does it mean to play to the room? Is it always about pandering to that room and catering to the lowest common denominator, or can we as leaders and citizens think about this differently? I used news stories from the week to explore and uncover some answers.
(Too busy to read and click through all the article links? Listen to this podcast episode, for highlights on the go.)
As The World Turns
Biden his time, or not matching the times?
Former US Vice President Joe Biden has consistently led the polls of 2020 presidential hopefuls in the Democratic party, and all before officially jumping in the race. This makes him a prime target for scrutiny and, this week, allegations of his inappropriate behavior with women led to this apology video from him. Things seemed to be on the mend, until he chose to crack jokes about his controversy to a room of predominantly male electrical workers, jokes that contradicted the “I’m listening and I understand” tone of his apology video.
As I shared in Episode 14 of my Peace Matters podcast this week, Laura Miller wrote in a 2017 piece for Slate Magazine that:
“Every joke is meant for one room or another, some group of people with a particular set of values whose approval the joker hopes to gain. But once that joke gets out of the room, all bets are off. The problem with rooms, after all, is all the people they exclude.”
Laura Miller
Books and culture columnist, Slate If you do want to court an increasingly diverse electorate, or fan base for that matter, insulting them – when you think they’re not looking or listening to you – may not always be a wise move.
There are ways to play to a (political) room, though, that carry well outside that room while advancing the cause and the conversation you champion. Today’s speech by (also as yet undeclared) presidential hopeful, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, to a room of LGBTQ supporters, is noteworthy in this regard.
Om Is Where The Heart Is
How and why artists play to their rooms
This week’s “playing to the room” theme was directly inspired by this PBS Newshour story about musician Andrew Bird. His rooms are the natural spaces in Mother Nature – trickling streams, majestic stone arches, bewitching forests – and he “plays” to them by listening for the keys and melodies that would capture the essence of what it’s like to be in those spaces. When he lands on something that resonates, he records it in that natural room, then fashions it into a song for us. In this way he connects us, through his work, to the rooms our prehistoric ancestors used to call home.
Meeting the readiness of a room
Two of my musical memories speak to this week’s theme too. The first – masterful Prince in his acoustic element at a 2004 performance in New York’s Webster Hall. Instead of leading with one of his songs, he plays to the room’s desire for nostalgia with a popular song from their youth.
And yes, as we inch toward the third anniversary of his passing on Apr 21, Prince has been on my mind a lot. He’s one my Muses now, and his life inspired me to write several tributes – one to his spectacular life, one to his grieving bandmates, and two to the experience of watching The Revolution perform in his memory.
Click on the images below to read these tributes.
The second musical memory was born tonight. My heart leapt for joy when superstar country band Little Big Town debuted their latest single at the ACM Awards. At a time when women are ready to step into their own skin, and to move the world with their own voice, Little Big Town found a gentle yet rousing way to bring the audience to revelatory tears:
News and Views
In the next issue:
Next week, I’m attending events about celebrated writers, and the importance of finding and using one’s voice. It’s gonna be good. 🙂 Will share what speaks to me in the next issue of Peace Matters.
Till then…
Live well and lead large – Maya
(featured image of Little Big Town by Eitmluvr at English Wikipedia)
