Ive been struck by a number of comments circulating online in response to Aretha Franklins appearance on David Letterman the other night. Some are humorous, referencing Franklins fashion--which since I can remember has been a topic of great debate (macrame dresses, the tutu on her tv special, etc.); others are pointed or concerned regarding Cissy Houstons demeanor. But what really hit me was the venom directed at Franklin for not being who she used to be, for not sounding how she used to sound, for, essentially, aging. The clear message from many was - she should go away. What I saw, and heard, was a 72 year old woman, an elder who was not nipped and tucked who dared to express her desire from and through a body and a voice marked by not only time but experience. Was it the spine-tingling beauty of a thirty-something Aretha wailing out Amazing Grace? No. Were there wrinkles, gaps, cellulite? Yes. Just as there will be for anyone who lives long enough and chooses not to hide or cut them away. Were there breaks and weaknesses in her voice? Yes. Just as there might be for any singer who ages, and also recently recovers from a life-threatening illness and surgery. I thought about this pottery tradition from Japan, kintsugi, which rebuilds broken shards with molten gold. The belief is that there is a greater beauty revealed through the cracks, the faults and that there is evidence of the grace that comes after the falling apart. What I saw and heard was a testimony about the falling apart and the binding together. I thought about the old men and women who would sing on the street in my youth, their voices rough and sometimes weak but who conveyed more of the truth of living and loving in their sound than the most pure, ostensibly beautiful voices ever could. The lifeforce is the gold. Rather than point out the faults, what would happen if attention was paid to the patterns, the evidence, the example of tenacity, will, honesty and presence? None of us gets younger, none of us gets out alive, unmarked by the experiences of life. I, for one, am grateful to those who risk sharing what theyve known by being truly vulnerable in public, whether or not they meet the ever-more-impossible standards/strictures of our society.
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 19:28:55 +0000
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