I want to help people..they all say that, don’t they?

I don’t know what it is about popular musicians, that they imagine they can change the world, make it a perfect place..it’s a bit of a forlorn hope, after all, when all the great Philosophies and Religions, who’s job it is, arguably, to do so, have failed, are failing, so dismally, after thousands of years of endeavour… but, a lot of musicians seem to think they can do it in a year or two.. 

A little while back, I was asked to contribute to a charity CD by a pretty well established and popular OMD, (Online Music Distributor) , which, from my point of view, was very flattering, and, would, in all probability, have done me considerable good in publicity, and, possibly, popularity terms. My musician friends told me I’d be crazy to say no, but, say no, I did. It wasn’t an easy decision. It would cost me nothing but a little of my time and a dedicated song, and it was to help needy children, in a number of countries, world wide. I’m a Dad, and I can pretty well imagine how desperate for help the parents of those children are.. so, why did I say no? 

I’ve said on numerous occasions, I want to help people. It’s part of the aspiration of my InZaneCountry project to do so. So, in the face of such an obvious opportunity, why did I say no? Well, the answer is very simple. I didn’t, (and still don’t), think that, realistically, a ‘charity CD’ was going to make much, if any difference, even if it became a best seller, which I regarded as highly unlikely..I also thought that others with more belief and committment to it would do a better job. It’s probably fair to say that if the amateur and semi professional music community was organised and commited, as a whole, to help aid charities throughout the world, that there is little doubt that considerable revenue could be raised, but, first, that is highly unlikely to happen, unrealistic; And, second, I find it very difficult to have faith in the idea that a small scale amateur or semi professional collective, on a one off basis, would achieve anything of consequence on a world scale.  So, reluctantly, I declined the offer. If I’m going to do anything to reduce unhappiness in the world, to help people less fortunate than myself, I want my time and trouble to count.. in short, I want to help those people I actually can help… I also believe, very strongly, the best way to help people is to empower them, give them the tools, the knowledge and know how, and the encouragement to change their lives, by helping themselves to do so. I feel that’s where my effort is best placed. 

So, who are the people I want to help, and how do I propose going  about it? Well, I’ll provide a little more detail on that in my next post, in a few days, but, first, a little background. What makes me think I have something to offer?

There are so many ways a human being can suffer, that it is, quite literally, impossible to enumerate them here. There are some people I might be able to help, and some I simply can’t. I can’t help those people who’s problems I don’t understand, or who’s problems are those of which I have no knowledge, experience or expertise, so, I think only in terms of those people I can reach, and where it is practicable for someone like me to help, reasonably quickly and directly.. that, is where I can make a difference, and begin to restore some hope, right from the get go…

I started InZaneCountry to help a seriously ill friend, who’s husband was taken from her, suddenly, and traumatically, just as she began to recover from her illness.. It so happened, at that time, that a little bad luck was dogging me, too.. the combination of unfortunate events in both our lives took me into a deep depression, a depression from which I thought I’d never recover. Depression is a very odd experience, especially if you are an upbeat, optimistic, ‘never say die’ kind of person, as I had been all my life. I found it very difficult to handle; my life began falling apart.  While I was trying to hold myself together, I had the idea of creating a band, InZaneCountry, to try to help my friend through her troubles..She loved Country Music, and I can play a country lick or two.. so, I decided, the idea was, an eccentric English guy writes a CD full of love songs for someone he’s never actually met,  from four thousand miles away, about somewhere he’s never been.  Quite a challenge. I’d never written a song in my life, let alone a love song, and now, I was going to write an album!  The plan was to create, for her, a fantasy world, to ease the pain of her real one..  Something else, though, I later realised, was going on. In the course of writing and recording the album, ‘FairyTale’, I discovered it was working on a completely unexpected level..it was functioning as a kind of self help therapy for me too..

In the process of completing the work on ‘FairyTale’, I discovered a great deal about my life, about myself, and about Creativity.. and, a huge bonus; I discovered a creativity I never knew I possessed, and realised what a positive and therapeutic force Creativity is.. perhaps, my most important, most powerfull realisation, was that we are all more creative than we believe we are, and that, no matter at what level we begin, and,  no matter what our discipline is, we can become better and better at what we do.. we may have to adapt our art to suit the limitations of our ability to translate it, but that doesn’t matter..it can still work for us, and for our audience.. and, so, slowly, while I was working at my songwriting, over time, I also formed the realisation that the idea’s I found myself contemplating could be put to use to help other people do similar things to me, and, hopefully, with similar benefits to them..

Musicians.. they want to help people, they want save the world. They all say that, don’t they? I doubt if music, or musicians, either, can save the world, but I do believe that those of us who care enough can make a bit of a difference..  I can’t save the world, and I’m not going to say I can..but I am going to say I want to help people.  The next time we meet, a few days from now, I’ll tell you who, and how..

George Bolam

http://inzanecountry.co.uk