I recently posted an article about Robert Darden on the A Life’s Work Facebook page. (There you will find news that is relevant to the subjects of the film but are not inspiration for blog posts. If you haven’t “Liked” A Life’s Work yet, why not consider Liking it now?) Anywhoozle, in the article Darden mentions the Hero’s Journey, an archetypal story Joseph Campbell went on about and when I posted it to the Facebook page, one of A Life’s Work’s biggest supporters asked this:
Filmmaker, has a hero’s journey story inspired or influenced you?
I thought long and hard about this one and I’m going to go with …
Don’t laugh, it’s a great song. According to Wikipedia there are 220 recorded versions of it in seven languages.
A big part of the hero’s journey is overcoming self-doubt, getting to that place where you believe you have something valuable to say or do and then getting to that place a little further on where you find the courage to say or do it. This is a journey I’ve been on my whole life.
Come they told me,
A new born King to see,
Our finest gifts we bring,
To lay before the King,…
Little Baby,
I am a poor boy too,
I have no gift to bring,
That’s fit to give the King,
As a child I related to this song on another level — the gift doesn’t matter, it’s about giving what you have and giving it with your heart. As an adult who is not materialistic, and doesn’t really have the money to buy things, I find I often express my affection for people by giving my time, by making them laugh, and/or by playing music for them. Not too long ago I offered a friend a choice of housewarming presents: an inexpensive bottle of wine or me playing some music in her new home. She said, “Do you even have to ask?” I was thrilled to play twenty minutes of music from my repertoire.
Shall I play for you,
On my drum?Mary nodded,
The ox and lamb kept time,
I played my drum for Him,
I played my best for Him,Then He smiled at me,
Me and my drum.
Here’s a few seconds of Jimi Hendrix playing the song. There’s your proof that it’s a rockin’ song.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLwYAzNAndI[/youtube]
Jane Rashdan
This song takes me back to my childhood (although I never heard the awesome Hendrix version before). We didn’t have a lot, but I think that made us really appreciate what we did have and kept our family close.
As a person who has been in conflict for years with someone who is too focused on material things and too concerned with “appearances”, I am striving to simplify my life and teach my teenage son to appreciate simple things and the importance of doing something to make someone’s life better. He’s already on the right track and much more thoughtful and aware than I was at that age. I will consider myself a success if I can accomplish my goal of simplicity and peace of mind and show my son that this is what really counts.
David Licata
Jane, thank you for leaving such a beautiful comment. It is very much in keeping not only with the theme of the song, but with film as well. The follow up to my elevator pitch for the film (“it’s about four people who are engaged with projects they may not see completed”), is to suggest that this is everyone’s story, that none of us truly see our goals accomplished, and I suggest that if you’re a parent, you won’t see your work as parent–that is, your child–completed, if all goes as it should. Your son sounds like he’s growing into a fine man, and it sounds like he will have learned that the work of doing something to make someone else’s life better is never completed as well.
Thanks again for taking the time to leave a comment. It’s very much appreciated.
Best,
David
David Licata
Thank you, Jane. I’m glad you enjoyed it. As I listen to it now, I think I should have played it a little faster, but that’s probably just the perfectionist speaking.