The Table is Going to Graceland

At some point in my mid-teens it donned on me that I was, in fact, a music nerd. It was probably during my freshman year of high school that I was struck by the realization that not everyone took any money they earned directly to the nearest record store and handed it over in exchange for as many CDs as possible; I was shocked to discover that not everyone’s idea of a fun Saturday afternoon was catching a bus downtown to peruse the (now long absent) mega music stores of Portage Avenue; and I was probably close to despondent to learn that it is odd to be kept up at night by the lingering fear that your favourite classic rock band was now just a bunch of sellouts because you heard one of their songs being used as the theme to some boilerplate police procedural show.

Over the years some things have come close to eclipsing my passion for music (movies, for one, oh and being married and raising a child, I suppose); but I keep coming back to my desire to discover, dissect and discuss any song, genre, artist or performance that captures my attention.

For those of you still with me, here is the point: This week at the table I’m going spend some time in conversation with two of my favourite people to talk to about both music and spirituality: Tim Plett and my friend Tim Dyck. (Yes, I’m aware that we’re all named Tim, it’s a coincidence, not a conspiracy.) We’re going to be discussing one of the seminal records of the 1980s, Paul Simon’s Graceland, an album that moves with virtuosity through diverging realms of culture, spirituality, faith and doubt all while providing infectious rhythms, catchy melodies, and the most brilliantly realized blend of jubilance and melancholy every found on a record that sold over 14 millions copies. It is my hope that we will come away with a better understanding of how art that is not overtly spiritual, and music in particular, can reveal truths about who God is and how we are connected to him.

If you want to read ahead (so to speak) someone on the Youtubes has compiled Graceland into a playlist, so you can know what you’re getting into.

Here’s the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiJxFvd65QU&list=PL8EEB33B6C1214854

Looking forward to seeing you all there this Sunday morning at 10:30 above Independent Jewelers on Notre Dame

Tim (Penner)