Homework for Wednesday, Oct. 12

Sorry to miss you guys today, and great job on the blog here so far.

In case you missed the email, your homework for Wednesday is to read the first three stories (chapters) in The Things They Carried.  In other words, to the end of "Spin".

See you on Wednesday!

Mike Lohre

Keith Urban

Like I stated before, Keith Urban is my absoulte favorite musician. I believe he is one of the most talented singers, song writers and guitar players in country music. He has been through a lot in his life and he, like most musicians, express those emotions through song writing. His songs appeal to a wide audience, not just country.

Keith was born in New Zealand and raised in Australia. He started playing the guitar when he was six years old. Keith struggled severely with alcoholism in his younger years. When he moved to Nashville, TN to become a country singer, his life started to turn around. After reading and hearing about the struggles he has been through, it made me like him even more. One main reason was because he could openly talk about his problem. That is a big, and hard step for a lot of people. Especially being in the public eye 24/7.

This past summer I went to my very first concert. The lovely person that my mother is, surprised me with Keith Urban concert tickets for my birthday. Being in the arena and seeing him go from being so upbeat and bubbly and entertaining the crowd like no other, to switching the mood and pouring his heart out while singing "Stupid Boy", "You'll Think of Me" and "Nobody Drinks Alone". It was unbelievable. You could feel his emotions like none other, when he sang those songs. Yeah all the other songs were amazing, but these three songs must mean so much to him. You could obviously tell they were about someone he truly cared about. It gave my goosebumps. I feel like i can relate to a lot of his songs. Whether I can personally, or be reminded of a person that i care a lot about. His music makes me appreciate him as a successful artist and very more importantly, as a person. Because at the end of the day, he is human and experiences and goes through the same things as everyone else.

Pop Culture

Music is abundant in today's society. Many things in society and media are centered around music. Because music has such a following, it is easier for musicians to raise awareness on troubling issues. Farm Aid is a non profit organization started in 1985. Founders Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, and Neil Young had one goal when starting Farm Aid. They wanted to raise awareness about family farms being lost or taken away as larger farms moved in and were farming larger areas for cheaper prices.

Farm Aid is the longest running "benefit concert." This fact alone shows what power is present when music is used to raise awareness on important issues in society. People were able to learn about families losing their farms and what they could do to help. Through the combined effort of the music followers, more than $39 million has been raised in the past 26 years to help families keep their farms.

The founders and supporters of Farm Aid keep me believing that with the right amount of effort, anyone can make a difference in the lives of many. The first time I heard about Farm Aid I was amazed at the goals of everyone involved and their courtesy.

More information about the history and current concert locations for Farm Aid can be found at: www.farmaid.org

Music is my life. Without it I’m sure I couldn’t have gotten through some of the stuff I have gone through in my life. Country is my favorite. Music has always been my escape from my troubles. No matter what I throw in my ear buds, turn on my iPod and sit outside. With music to me is something so personal; especially if I’m listening to my iPod instead of my speakers. I feel as if I am in my own world when I am listening to music, like the “real world” can’t impact how I feel anymore.

I love all country artists but Rascal Flatts is one of my all time favorites! Within the last week I found out that Rascal Flatts had been inducted into the grand ole opry. Thanks to Rascal Flatts I have many songs to listen to no matter what mood I’m in. Their music relates to anything and everything somebody could be going though. If it’s a break up, a death, trying to get back together, falling in love, missing someone, fighting they have a song that fits perfectly. No matter what mood I want to be in I can find a Rascal Flatts song to listen to.

Although I like to listen to country music, I like to listen to hip hop too. I found that there aren't any country singers, or of any other genre, that are interesting as Eminem. His real name is Marshall Mathers, and his alter ego is Slim Shady. He is the best selling artist of the 2000's, according to wikipedia. He was born in Saint Joseph, Missouri and was an only child. At the age of 18 months his dad left, and they ended up moving to two other cities in Missouri and eventually to Detroit, Michigan.

I started listening to Eminem early on, mostly because my older brother did. Although most of his lyrics are pretty far out there, it is apparent that he has put loads of thought into them. They can be considered creepy but he is still one of the best lyricists there is. In his music videos he is always very animated. My favorite music video to watch is "Without Me".

There have been a few points in his career where Marshall almost stopped making his songs. In 2005 he released an album called Curtain Call because he wasn't sure if he could continue. In the same year, Bernard Goldberg published a book called "100 People Who Are Screwing Up America" in which he was rated at No. 58. Then in December of 2008 he and Dr. Dre let out a new album called Relapse, which contains the songs I referred to as creepy. His next album, Recovery, was much lighter in nature and it kind of made a bigger audience for him. With all of his ups and downs, Eminem remains one of the greatest artists today.

J. K. Rowling.

I’m sure by now almost everyone has heard of the name J. K. Rowling. She is the famous author of the Harry Potter series. I grew up reading this series with my father and her work has influenced me in so many ways. Her writing is what showed me how much fun reading really can be. Even at a young age, the idea of reading became one of great interest to me thanks to her books. Her work also taught me life lessons. People make mistakes and what it means to overcome challenges, whether it’s about dealing with an unpleasant teacher or a major life event.

I admire JK Rowling for many reasons. Firstly, I admire that she was able to finish the first Harry Potter while going through a divorce, her mother’s death, and teaching. Even with all these big events and instances going on in her life, she was able to finish one the most important ideas in her life. She also incorporated those events into her books, adding depth and real meaning to her stories. After finishing the first book, many publishers turned her down thinking it wouldn’t sell. But, Rowling didn’t give up and between her and her agent, whom she was able to receive the help of, they were finally to get it published. It inspires me to work through the rough times and not to let certain trials hold me down.

Pop Culture Dissusion 2

I have always been a huge action movie buff so its no surprise that I am a Quientin Tarantion fan. I personally do not think that I have never not liked one of his movies. I have seen all his films from his early stuff like Reservoir Dogs all the way to his latest movie Inglourious Basterds.The things that I admire most about Tarantino are that he does not just conform to any main stream type of directing. Instead he films every one of his movies in his own style making them unique. For example in the Kill bill Volumes Quientin splits scenes up into chapters instead of just changing scenes. This Tarantion style makes the movie much more than an entertaining blockbuster, but instead a kind of art equal only in literature. This is why I love his movies because each one is just like a good book, and like a good book you can read it thousands of times and still find something new or a different perspective, it never gets dull and that is why i love his movies.