Communicating, Bon Iver, Hurricane Dorian
What’s Good?
I thought I would try writing twice a week instead of just once because I usually have so much that I need to get out of my system. I really need to schedule them to come out on certain days but I just get so busy that I forget.
How are some people born with the gift of gab?
I honestly struggle with being able to talk and verbalize whatever I am thinking and usually just find it easier to remain in silence. Some people seem to communicate so effortlessly and show emotion that wasn’t allowed in my house growing up. Not that we were Catholics or anything crazy like that, my dad just never showed anything but seriousness and my mom was energetic at her job, but exhausted and in bed by 8pm. I didn’t have any siblings, so I just assumed that keeping things to yourself was the norm. My parents were old fashioned too and told me often to be “seen but not heard” so I think I took that a little too literally and just never learned how to communicate effectively. I still love them though and all they do for me, and the decision to not learn to be a better talker is entirely on my shoulders.
Admittedly, I used to be better at it until about Sophomore year in high school when I just chose to stop speaking for almost a whole year. This wasn’t my greatest idea and set me so far back that it was as if I never knew how to speak at all.
Lately I have been trying to return to form and be better at communicating and just carrying a meaningful conversation. My current job has helped a lot with this, as I have to sell leases and then work with prospective leads in order to solve any problems they may have.
The only way is forward, so I just have to keep practicing. Comedians often have to bomb for years before they actually go somewhere (with the exception of Dave Chappelle, who was good since birth), so I have to use this principle when communicating and just go out there and stumble around until I finally find my footing. That would likely be my advice to anyone in the same situation as me; go out there and embarrass yourself until you aren’t scared of looking silly anymore, at which point you will probably find yourself a much better conversationalist.
Anyway(s), like I said on Saturday, I have been listening to Bon Iver nonstop the past week and I think it’s been one of my longest breaks from hip-hop in a long time because I just can’t get enough. I saw somewhere the other day that his albums represent the 4 seasons and it makes so much sense that I can’t believe I didn’t think of that before.
For Emma, Forever Ago– Winter; this seems pretty cut and dry. The minimalist production, the sparse vocals and even the “frozen” album cover represent the loneliness and silence of winter so well and fits perfectly.
Bon Iver– Spring; the songs on this album really feel as though they are coming alive. The opening track “Perth” starts with a quiet guitar slowly building up into a crescendo until it finally takes a life of its own and transitions into a grand production, the likes of which hadn’t been really seen from Bon Iver before. This is similar to the transition of the dead of Winter into the new life of Spring.
22, A Million– Summer; it took me a longer time to get into this album but once I listened enough, it finally clicked and I realized how truly brilliant it is. It would likely be more a summer night album, but it seemed to me to be a realization of everything Justin Vernon had been searching for. The production was rough and gritty, which eventually is what sold the album for me and has some of the most creative ideas in an album that I’ve ever heard. The album remains upbeat and carries positive lyrics throughout most of the runtime, giving me the impression that, like Summer, everything is going right and it is representative of the happy memories he carries from this time in his life. The album closes with 00000 Million, one of the best closers I could imagine. It features a sole piano playing a slow, pensive progression and shows Justin at his most nostalgic (similar to themes from Blond about nostalgia and summertime), while still looking forward for what is to come. He has accepted his past and is now looking to the future with his newfound self-acceptance.
i,i– Fall; this album is his newest and I am still digesting it, but it does seem to fit with the pattern. This album is more withdrawn while still building on the ideas and themes from 22, A Million. The production is more refined in this project, with wistful synths conveying a sense of the need to slow down and self-reflect, something that is often associated with Autumn. I am still going through this album, but I have come to really appreciate everything the group was attempting on this record and, like all Iver albums, can really convey feelings and put me in a mindset in which words could never do justice.
If I don’t write again, it is probably because hurricane Dorian has swallowed me up. As of the time of writing this, it is headed directly for us and shows no signs of stopping. But I have a serious issue with taking this seriously, as I can’t stop thinking about JD from Scrubs. Zach Braff’s twitter is full of memes of him coming to Florida and it makes me laugh too much to be afraid this storm. If you haven’t seen them, I highly recommend you go to his twitter and check them out.
This turned out way longer than I intended, but I just get so wrapped up in these thoughts. The only way for me to get them out of my head is to get them onto this blog. This isn’t really a self-help or informational blog, it is more just my thoughts on life and it’s not meant to become big or helpful, just to keep me writing. If you stuck through this blog, I honestly give you props and I’m glad to have you here. I know it wasn’t easy. Maybe contact me and tell me what you want to hear me write about and I’ll see if I know enough to say something.
Alright, later.
Chipper Dreher 
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