Music As Inspiration
An essay by Marcus Amaker.
Hi Folks,
I am SO excited today to have guest author Marcus Amaker in the newsletter today. Marcus is the Poet Laureate of Charleston (the city’s first!), a 2021 Academy of American Poets fellow, a musician, creator of the Free Verse Poetry Festival, and an all-around amazing human and mentor. His poetry has been recognized by The Kennedy Center, American Poets Magazine, The Washington National Opera, The Portland Opera, Button Poetry, NPR, The Chicago Tribune, Edutopia, Washington Post, Departures Magazine, People’s World, PBS Newshour, SC Public Radio, Charleston Magazine, Charleston City Paper, North Dakota Quarterly, Post and Courier, Charleston Scene and several other publications. In 2019, Marcus won a Governor’s Arts award in South Carolina, and was named the artist-in-residence of the Gaillard Center. You can find his ninth book, Black Music Is, here.
I spoke to Marcus recently about the role of teaching and mentorship in creative careers, and asked him if he would be willing to contribute a share of his wisdom to Good Folk readers. The result is this wonderful essay about the intersections of art forms, and some personal recommendations from Marcus, and I hope it brings you some inspiration.
— Spencer
To be inside the brain of a creative can be a weird, colorful, comforting, and scary place. As artists, we find inspiration from many random things.
As a restless creative, I am constantly open to the sparks that will ignite another poem or song. And thankfully, inspiration always comes at the perfect time. Often inconvenient, but always perfect.
A recent example:
The other day, a spark came while I was on my bike: “What if biking is a metaphor for running away from grief? We all hold on to keep our balance, but it always catches up with us because we have to eventually stop and sit still. What are we avoiding by being constantly on the move?” Those questions came to me as I peddled back home. As soon as I got home, I write some notes and started a new poem using the bicycle / grief theme.
Everyone’s brains work this way, right? Right?
The one thing that has inspired me the most is music. Music was the reason I became an artist. It’s the foundation for all of the poetry and songs that I come up with. An epic lyric or an unconventional chord change turns me on.
Here are some songs that have been an endless source of inspiration.
Jefre-Cantu Ledesma: “Palace of Time”
This song has changed my life. Whenever I need a place for peace, a moment to breathe, or a break from chaos, I go to this track. The musicians take time. You can hear them finding their way inside the melody, and experimenting along the way. Everything about this song is subtle: The piano and the way it’s sprinkled throughout the track, the drummer taking their turn to bless us with a snare, the drone that surrounds and weaves through every sound. I honestly think “Palace of Time” is the perfect song.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor: “A Military Alphabet (five eyes all blind) (4521.0kHz 6730.0kHz 4109.09kHz) / Job’s Lament / First of the Last Glaciers / where we break how we shine (ROCKETS FOR MARY)”
Can you tell I like long, instrumental songs? There’s something about the structure of them that allows me to get lost in the rhythm. “A Military Alphabet …” is the ultimate meditation for those who love rock music.
Alice Coltrane: “Ptah, the El Daoud”
Hey look! Another instrumental. No one can touch Alice Coltrane. She is, for me, the blueprint of “spiritual jazz” (whatever that means). She’s also the definition of a genius. Take a listen to her whole body of work, especially the recent-ish release “World Spirituality Classics 1: The Ecstatic Music of Turiya Alice Coltrane.”
Ani DiFranco: “Simultaneously”
Ani is a lyrical Jedi. Every line in “Simultaneously” could be a poem. Or, the spark of one.
i live in two different worlds
simultaneously.
the one i seem to live in
and the one that lives in me.
and one is full of violence
oppression and disrespect,
and one is full of longing
to breathe and to connect.
Yep.
These are four of many, many, many songs that have inspired me to create something new. I am an old school music fan - I listen to songs all the way through, on headphones, without any distractions.
My question for you is: What inspires you to create? What are the things that spark you?