– Depeche Mode

As another birthday rolled by several weeks ago, I was asked by a colleague at work for some words of wisdom or a life motto that I ascribe to. For the life of a 54-year-old man, I had no reply. I had no words to impart. No immediate wisdom to instill into future generations. Nothing. Not even a clever or sarcastic remark. All I had was a half-hearted stupid smile, a shaking of the head, a shrugging of shoulders, and an air uncomfortable silence.

Uncomfortable silence. Which begs the question or questions – should we all have something to contribute to this question? Does it even matter? Should I regurgitate a common phrase or motto I’ve heard a hundred times elsewhere? Am I possibly just overthinking an innocuous question? Maybe. But if so, why does it keep perpetually popping into my head at random times like a song that plays on repeat in your brain at 2 a.m.? As Dave Gahan’s recitative singing suggests in today’s post, are words simply trivial, unnecessary, truly meaningless, and forgettable? Maybe it is simply context related – the theme applies to situational relationships as today’s song seems to imply.

While I could have easily reached into my 80’s bag and suggested that “life moves pretty fast…” or “stay gold,” or “always do the right thing,” I guess by now, I’ve apparently taken a more contemplative, thoughtful approach much like I’m writing my own obituary or preparing a speech for a high school or college graduating class. Surely the question is not worth nearly that amount of reflection, my mind says. Yet, here I am, some 270 plus words into a post that has gone nowhere to this point except maybe to one of great philosophers of the 80’s and early 90’s – Beer Professor Norm Peterson with one of his most profound statements on the final episode of “Cheers”…

Surely love is a beautiful and worthy answer. But we obviously know and inherently understand that words are not meaningless and forgettable, because we have endless amounts of data supporting this. Some of us have more to say than others, but as a society, we rely on words… we hang onto words for generations. Jesus even stated some 2000+ years ago that “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.” Proof that words will never be forgotten.

But sometimes the problem with words is that they produce noise. And there can be a lot of noise when you open yourself up to it. The noise can be perpetually endless, and it can be aggravating and messy and ugly and toxic and yet the noise can also produce a beauty you never saw coming, but getting there can be the difficult part. It should be the goal, but as I read recently in an article about Paul Skenes, the pitching phenom for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Skenes said that a coach of his reminded him that “You can’t master the noise until you master the silence.” Is his secret pitching coach Dave Gahan? Unknown at this point, but the statement made me pause for thought. Master the silence.

Maybe I’ve succumbed to Proverbs 17:28 which says “Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.” Skenes finds solace and meaning and sometimes answers to his art in the silence, which is interesting to me. Silence, stillness, both often perceived as passive laziness or indifference are often, in my opinion, misconstrued conclusions. Silence and stillness can be active signs of strength and even as a powerful act of surrender, of letting go. Maybe we all can’t let go a 100 mph fastball like Skenes can do, but we can let go of the problems, of the difficulties, and yes even of the noise.

And so we carry on through the ages with words that may be remembered and many which will be forgotten. Yet for most of us, we may constantly find ourselves challenged to produce more of… and sometimes only at a moments’ notice. So, as I prepare to fulfill the request of my coworker and address her harmless question from weeks ago, I will steel my resolve and prepare to relay a monumental, surely life-altering unforgettable moment, one that she will surely never forget as I walk the 10 steps, stop by the office door, peer in, and ironically utter noise from my mouth about being still and about mastering and yes, even enjoying the silence.

“All I ever wanted, all I ever needed
Is here in my arms ”

Depeche Mode began recording their “Violator” album in 1989 which included today’s featured song. When the song and video hit mainstream in 1990, the band suddenly became a spark of interest in my musical journey that had (up until that point) been comprised largely of top 40, rap, R&B, and hard rock genres. Considering this song peaked at #8 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in July of 1990 and has been Depeche Mode’s highest charting single to date, one could argue I was still stuck in top 40 music, but it did unleash a certain curiosity into the older catalog of Depeche Mode which in turn led to my purchase of the Depeche Mode 101 live double cd, which had been released in 1989. I also purchased DM’s follow up cd/album “Songs of Faith and Devotion.” And honestly after that, my Depeche Mode “phase” had run its’ course as I stuck to pre-1993 Depeche Mode anytime I was in the appropriate mood.

I’ve forgotten how much I actually enjoy the video featuring “King” Dave cloaked in a royal robe, wearing a crown and carrying a foldable deck chair marching through the Scottish Highlands, along the coast of the Algarve and finally into the Swiss Alps in search of a suitable place to “Enjoy the Silence”…  

Words are definitely necessary to prolong the life of a writer, so carry on my writing friends.

sincerely,

the80s