TEDxPortland 2011 - Storm Large - Performance
The speaker connects the folklore concept of making a deal at the crossroads to the modern struggle between the "performer" and the "artist" within musicianship. The central claim is that while the easy route promises fame, true art requires embracing flaws, mistakes, and the difficult, unglamorous work. This is demonstrated through the acknowledgment that genuine art emerges from the struggle, exemplified by the dualistic nature of the performer versus the artist. ## Speakers & Context - Speaker's primary context: Presenting on the theme of *the crossroads in American music and folklore*. - Backstage situation: Speaker was initially concerned about a planned performance, joking that a "large thing" was going to happen. - Early Career Struggles: Faced early criticism regarding artistic aspirations, with people asking, *"how did you do that?"* or suggesting a more tangible career path. - Performance struggles: Experienced falling hair, emaciation, and severe anemia after working intensely for five months, indicating that *"there is no easy way in the Arts."* - Later Complications: Mentions that Tipper Gore "seems to think that all of us are somehow in League with the devil but she just has a bunch of sand in her vagina about everything." - Performance collaboration: The segment concluded with the speaker performing a duet representing the duality of performance, featuring James Beaton. - Support: Received thanks from "Dear Terror," "dear courage," "dear happen St coincidence and fatal mistakes," and "dear love" for enduring the journey. ## Theses & Positions - The folklore belief involves going to a crossroads at midnight to make a deal with the devil for fame or fortune. - The "devil in modern times" offers easy paths to desire (fame, fortune, love, acceptance). - Artists are cautioned against believing that superficial success is easy; the pursuit of art is difficult and requires sacrifice. - The artistic life is fundamentally dualistic, involving two aspects: the **performer** and the **artist**. - The **performer** aims to get strangers to love the artist from an outside viewing angle (e.g., *"look at my boobs"*). - The **artist**'s true job is to find and convey the commonalities between disparate things (e.g., *"the banker and the politician and the policeman and the criminal and the dog and the cat and the universe"*). - The core message is that life (and art) is about accepting flaws and mistakes, because *"unless it kills you you keep walking forward."* - The song performed is a "love song to the flaws in all of us," suggesting gratitude for missteps. ## Concepts & Definitions - **Crossroads in American Music and Folklore:** The setting/theme involving the devil where one might make a deal for musical success. - **Performer vs. Artist:** A dualistic concept where the Performer draws attention externally while the Artist explores deep, abstract concepts internally. - **Dualistic Natures:** The inherent flaw in humanity and art, characterized by both wonderful magical things and terrible mistakes. - **The Easy Way:** The path offered by the devil, promising superficial desires without true struggle. ## Mechanisms & Processes - **The Act of Creation:** Requires enduring difficult, physically taxing work (e.g., five months/eight shows a week in a basement). - **Artistic Communication:** The artist mediates abstract concepts, finding common ground between opposing elements (banker vs. criminal; dog vs. universe). - **Personal Resilience:** The process of surviving through failure and struggle, described by the sentiment: *"being afraid and falling apart over and over again isn't it part of every beginning."* - **Performance Pairing:** Collaboration with James Beaton on a song themed around accepting flaws. ## Named Entities - **Robert Johnson:** Musician whose life and story are referenced in relation to the crossroads legend. - **James Beaton:** Collaborator on the song performed near the end. - **Tipper Gore:** Mentioned in connection with having "a bunch of sand in her vagina about everything." ## Tools, Tech & Products - **Guitar:** The instrument associated with the legend (mentioning Robert Johnson). - **P martini:** The band name for the speaker and Thomas Lauderdale. - **N/A** ## References Cited - **Robert Johnson:** Originator of the crossroads legend. - **Judy Garland and Barbara Streisand:** Mentioned in the context of a perfect duet performance. ## Numbers & Data - Time commitment for struggling: **five months** with **eight shows a week**. - Show/gig duration: Lasted for **five months**. - Time limit for conclusion: **4 minutes and 15 seconds**. ## Examples & Cases - **Robert Johnson:** Example of a musician whose legend did not result in comfort, as he died *"pretty poor."* - **The initial rejection:** Friends and family did not enthusiastically support artistic careers, often suggesting alternative jobs. - **The physical toll:** Resulted in falling hair, emaciation, and being *"severely anemic and exhausted and adrenally completely compromised."* - **The Performer/Artist dynamic:** The performer gets wild at a party, while the artist apologizes and later reveals deeper conceptual meaning. ## Counterarguments & Caveats - The modern devil does not necessarily enforce literal deals but rather presents *choices* concerning desire (fame, fortune, love). - The romantic notion of the crossroads deal is contrasted with the messy reality of artistic poverty and struggle. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - The ultimate lesson is to accept imperfection and struggle, as *"unless it kills you you keep walking forward."* - Always be grateful for the inevitable mistakes made. - Celebrate the dual nature of oneself (performer/artist) and the messy reality of life. ## Implications & Consequences - The struggle for an artistic career, while difficult and potentially debilitating, is necessary for profound, shared understanding of the human condition. - Art's greatest value lies in its ability to connect abstract, universal flaws into something relatable. ## Verbatim Moments - *"I'm running with the devil yeah running with the running with her"* - *"The crossroads is guarded by the devil and supposedly you're supposed to go to the crossroads around midnight make a deal with the devil and he will make you a famous musician"* - *"there is no easy way in the Arts"* - *"the performer walks out into a room a dark room full of strangers and tries to get every one of those strangers to love the artist that is housed within"* - *"the artist is to find the commonalities between the banker and the politician and the policeman and the criminal and the dog and the cat and the universe"* - *"we all have dualistic natures and we all have flaws and we all have terrible things about us and wonderful magical things about us"* - *"dear Terror thank you for sticking around... dear courage thank you for skipping town..."* - *"being afraid and falling apart over and over again isn't it part of every beginning"* - *"I loved all my mistakes because being afraid and falling apart over and over again isn't it part of every beginning"* - *"Come on get happy"*