Guest post, Urthboy. Many of you will already know Urthboy (website, Twitter). As part of The Herd and one of the key brains behind record label Elefant Traks, his lyrics and music have been heard around Australia for close to a decade. Often socially aware, sometimes political and frequently self-reflective, I’ve always enjoyed his perspective on things… and am very proud to have him share some of his thoughts directly with you here.
In primary school I used to write poetry – not soul searching poetry but crass nursery rhymes that upset my relatives. I recall my aunt shutting me down as I read out a colourful reimagining of ‘Mary had a Little Lamb’. Strangely enough my talents never spilt over into other forms of literary expression (or anywhere for that matter).
In my late teens I picked the pen up and started writing again. They were sporadic half-arsed ditties that I felt compelled to create, rather than deluding myself that it’d be part of my future. I’m good at not grasping things initially, but I’m also good at not being so disappointed that I give up.
The more I wrote the more people listened, and slowly an audience grew. I’ve often marvelled at why anyone would listen to my songs and their lyrics – but I understand that people get caught up in; or relate to; or just like the sound of the songs. In music, a story doesn’t have to be a narrative; it can be a collection of thoughts, phrases or even, ahem, a vibe.
My mum has just completed a brief story of her life for a book that involves the mini-biographies of a number of women. Mum has undergone some serious obstacles including blindness and deafness; single parent; fulltime worker; yada yada – she rocks. Reading her history solidified vague childhood memories I knew only small details about, and it fascinated the shit out of me! I was awestruck by her joys and sadness, yet much of the interest lay in the small scraps of info: the places she visited and the events she experienced. I found out she saved someone’s life for god’s sake!
It got me thinking about how fortunate I am that I’m documenting my life in my music cos my kids will hear the exact thoughts I had when I was their age. I also reflected on how glad I was to ask my grandma questions about what life was like when she was young; how wartime felt in the 40s; and what her hometown of Lakemba was like. There is a massive amount of information about these times but none of it from my grandma’s perspective and her history forms part of my identity. The value is not in her status, it’s in her experience – so even if it’s never published I want to know about it. She’s dead now and we have fading letters and fond memories – if only she could have understood then, how priceless her story is to us now.
There should be more encouragement to write summaries of our lives. The writing doesn’t need style and finesse, but it should be true. Convince your grandparents to do it. Tell your parents to write it down. It’s impossible to underestimate its value.
Say hi to him on Twitter or listen to his music on Last.FM.
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