"Lose Yourself"

 

Dear Friends and Family,

This is for ours and your grandchildren, who are faced with life choices and divine opportunities, and yet, sometimes, in some ways, they (and we) are fearful of stepping out and working hard enough to go after and embrace that opportunity... because they could fail, or because they fear the hard work that it will require. 

WHERE I COME FROM

There are times when, as much as I appreciate my Christian upbringing and the Church, I recognize that I’ve lived a sheltered life. For the most part, that’s a good thing, a necessary thing, a salvation thing. 

But as Lew Wallace writes in Ben Hur, in the voice of Miriam, mother of the titular character Judah Ben Hur, Jews have no artists, poets, or warriors like the Romans. But they have something better, the artist of creation, God, as exemplified in the art and craftsmanship of Bezalel and Aoholiab (Wallace’s spelling) from Exodus 31 ff who created Israel’s temple and all its gold statuary, elaborate ornaments. 

I wasn’t Jewish, but growing up in Evangelicalism (that bordered the separatist of Christian Fundamentalism), there was a distinct aversion to many forms of artistic expression. The conservative Christian fellowships I grew up in might be brave enough to frame an image of Warmer Sallman’s Head of Christ, but if a real piece of art found its way into the building, there was a passionate impulse by the leaders to plaster the words of a Bible verse across the work in an effort to make it sacred, or ensure the art found its way to a waste bin, or was painted over with pale green wall paint (all true stories, see my memoir, Growing Up Christian). I always found this offensive. My favorite Psalm, which grandson Michael and Rachel asked me to read during their wedding three weeks ago, declares:

The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they reveal knowledge.

They have no speech, they use no words, 

no sound is heard from them. 

Yer their voice goes out into all the world, 

their words to the ends of the world. 

—Ps 91:1–4

God does not plaster the words of Scripture across the heavens or the bark of trees. Although a study of astronomy from the perspective of the Bible reveals that the signs of the zodiac were known to Job (38:31-32), David (above), and Moses (Genesis 1:14).  And there is  Mel Morris's 25-part series, The Bible in the Heavens and the Gospel in the Stars, which explains with clarity how the zodiac signs depict the coming of Christ and the Gospel. (e.g. Virgo—Virgin Birth, Libra—Price of Redemption, Scorpius—Conflict between the Messiah and Satan, Leo—the Tribe of Judah and Christ's victorious return). 

God does not need pat sermons or sweet devotionals to get the truth out. He often proclaims what is good, true, and beautiful in ways that are so obvious we miss them, or we take for granted, and sometimes we find them offensive. (c.f. Angel Quest)

The latest example, in my experience, is "Lose Yourself," the Eminem rap that was the theme song of his 2002 semi-autobiographical Detroit movie “8 Mile,” and which won an Oscar in 2003 for Best Song.  The song ranked in the charts for decades and was a 20+ platinum record (a platinum record is 1 million units sold). 

Last night (May 22, 2026), I felt the heavy ping of being sheltered when I came across a video on YouTube of opera singer, Maria Fiselier, covering “Lose Yourself” on a Dutch TV show...rap as opera is an ironic hook).  I listened to it several times but then only caught a smidgen of the lyrics. Later I found them (below). “Lose Yourself” is an inspirational recording for anyone afraid to step out and embrace an opportunity—articulated in the song’s refrain:

You better lose yourself in the music

The moment, you own it, you better never let it go (Go!)

You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow

This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo

In the movie (8 Mile) the story and the rap are both about rap contests in Detroit’s inner city. But broadly, they are metaphors for every obstacle and opportunity in life. There is much to learn here about working hard to embrace opportunities without fear. The heavy rhythmic beat in the song reinforces the importance of perseverance. You better lose yourself in the music of life...that is, persevere. 

Here is Maria Fiselier’s cover of "Lose Yourself (clearer lyrics but not cleaner.)

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YyuIkVSx-8

Here is Eminem's official video for the movie with subtitles.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Yhyp-_hX2s

Eighteen years after "Lose Yourself" won an Oscar, Eminem performed “Lose Yourself” live at the 2020 Oscars. Here’s the link. His segment begins at 2:53.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nhe-LJLZMHk

"Great Art From Bad People" by Nikita Mungarwadi

Patrick Fifelski (DP) & Nikita Mungarwadi (Dir) on location

Guest Essay, from Nikita Mungarwadi, writer and director whom I've had the pleasure of tutoring and working with over the past six years. Picture is of her on the set of her short film Bad Luck Bella that will premiere in Ann Arbor Dec 22, 2014.

GREAT ART FROM BAD PEOPLE

What is it about the arts that can manipulate human emotions, sending the witness into a sea of startling tears or a spiral of interminable laughter? What is it about art that inspires us, guides us, and acculturates us? Most hold true to the notion that the purpose of art is to better us and some experts claim art can “raise our moral levels”[1]. We respect the irony of art, the illusion meant to distract our attention from the real world, yet offers universal principles that can be applied to reality. We fasten ourselves so deep into art’s mirage we convince ourselves that the artists must embody and exude some kind of pure goodness. And yet contradictions are ever present. In an interview for the New York Times, Kanye West pronounced, “Great art comes from great artists.” But if we consider that Kanye West is the epitome of narcissism and controversy, it begs the question: Can great art come from bad people?

There’s no doubt that West’s brimming ego depletes his character. At the 2004 American Music Awards, West ranted to the press after country music singer Gretchen Wilson won the Best New Artist Award over him. In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, West even dubbed himself a “creative genius.” In addition to his ego, Kanye West consistently finds himself in the center of controversy, from blatantly accusing President George W. Bush on public television of being a racist, to sporting a Confederate flag on his sleeve, to humiliating Taylor Swift at the Video Music Awards.  It was reasonable for President Barack Obama to declare Kanye West a “jackass.” But when we consider all the musician’s flaws, we cannot stray from the fact that West’s music manifests considerable talent worthy of merit. With 21 Grammy awards and five platinum solo studio albums, West is immersed in accomplishment, even if his character is far from it.

West has certainly not been the only artist to contradict his art with his character. If we take a look at the 19^th century German composer, Richard Wagner, we find his opera compositions to be notably rich in their textures, harmonies, and orchestration. His concept of Gesamtkunstwerk (“total work of art”)[2] revolutionized opera and continued to influence many art forms throughout the 20^th century. Apart from distinguishing himself as a powerful composer, Wagner didn’t shy from publicly expressing his obsessive anti-Semitic views. Hitler deeply admired Wagner’s work and exercised his music in Nazi propaganda – Wagner’s music eventually becoming a symbol of fascism.  

The obvious answer is, yes, bad people, or people we consider to have socially reprehensible qualities, are undoubtedly capable of creating critically acclaimed art. But can we separate the man from the music, the art from the artist, and still appreciate the art by itself? Daniel Bareboim, a Jewish conductor who admires Wagner’s music, argues that while Wagner was a raging anti-Semite, he did not compose a single note that was anti-Semitic.[3] It can be argued that the artist and the art are two separate entities, and should be evaluated individually. The artist can be condemned from an ethical viewpoint while the art can only be judged from an aesthetic angle. Sure, Orson Scott Card does not reveal his homophobia in Enders Game[4], and Dickens continued to write about healing families long after discarding his wife[5], but some art cannot truly be fully appreciated without examining the life of the creator. A notable example is Picasso, who fueled his creative output from his countless romantic relationships of which two killed themselves and another two went mad.[6]

The inquisition between great art and ethics becomes even puzzling when we consider that great art can simultaneously glorify moral injustice. D.W. Griffith’s film Birth of A Nation, is known to have revolutionized the commercial film industry with its innovative film techniques, while at the same time presenting the Ku Klux Klan as a heroic force.

Art’s purpose goes beyond mere entertainment or bettering the spectator. Art represents the human condition with all its complexities and contradictions. We make art to be human, we witness art to feel human, and we study art to understand humanity. Humans are complex characters, and great art is an extension of that complexity. Art can be analyzed exclusively from the artist, but cannot always be fully appreciated without acknowledging the artist. At the same time, great art does not always constitute morally apt ideals. Art is complex; Humans are complex. Art is ironic; Humans are ironic. Like both good and bad humans, both good and bad art is irreducibly complex, intricate, and embodies the contradictory creations of ingenuity.

---

[1] Williams, Stan. The Moral Premise. Studio City: Michael Wiese Productions, 2006. 19. Print.

[2] Barenboim, Daniel. "Wagner and The Jews." The New York Review of Books 60.11 (2013): 1+. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.

[3] Barenboim, Daniel. "Wagner and The Jews." The New York Review of Books 60.11 (2013): 1+. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.

[4] Lorge, Lauren. "The conundrum of good art created by bad people." The Collegian . Web. 30 Nov. 2013.

[5] Schulman, Sam. "Good Writers. Bad Men. Does It Matter?" In Character, A Journal of Everyday Virtues (2010). Web. 1 Dec. 2013.

[6] McGrath, Charles. "Good Art, Bad People." The New York Times June 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2013.

Stories and Premises in Medieval Art

On August 20 the small class of classically trained teens that I teach screenwriting to, will accompany me to the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) for a lesson in visual story telling by the masters -- centuries before photography and cinema. But the stories, along with their physical and moral premises, are nonetheless poignant and relative even for today. (all photos via my iPhone, today)

For those of you outside of Detroit, the DIA is perhaps best known for Rivera's Court, where Diego Rivera's renoun frescoes tell the unblemished story of the industrial revolution, and the moral struggle involved in balancing the values of labor, capital, product, and economy. The Rivera Court is particularly attractive because of the bold, bright skylight that illuminates the work of the controversial Mexican artist.

But on the day we visit we'll not spend but a few minutes in Rivera's Court. Instead, we'll head for the galleries either side of it. To the Southwest are the European: Medieval and Renaissance galleries, and to the  Northwest is one particular room in the American collection.

The roots of Western Civilization (e.g. American civilization) came from Medieval Europe, that  culturally was dominated by Roman Catholicism. It was the Catholic institution that saved literature, fostered agriculture, established education, embraced parts of the Renaissance that didn't threaten it's teachings,  encouraged scientific discovery(*), and promoted the arts. This was during a time when the populace could not read, and if they could there were no books.  It was through the visual arts (as movies principally are) that the Church and its constituents communicated stories. Among the hundreds of artifacts on display at the DIA, we'll see how visual story telling hasn't really changed that much in hundreds of years.

TWO CLASS ASSIGNMENTS are below -- my students should keep reading.

FROM A PLACARD IN THE GALLERY:

"In much of the 15th-century Europe, saints were an integral part of everyday life. People imitated them, honored them, and called upon them in times of need. Churches, guilds, cities, and nations all had patron saints.

"At the time, believers often felt unworthy to appeal to God directly and prayed to saints to intercede with God for them.

"The Catholic church recognizes as saints virtuous people to whom miracles are attributed.

"The mother of Jesus has a special role. Many Christians hold Mary in special regard, above even the saints. Believers consider her, as the mother of Jesus, the closest to God and the most important assistance in communicating their prayers." (to Jesus and God.) 

"This room is filled with sculpted and painted images of saints and Mary that helped 15th-century Christians in prayer. A believer might have lit a candle or laid flowers in front of an image in respect and honor."

FROM ANOTHER PLACARD IN ANOTHER GALLERY: 

"In this gallery you will find works of art created in Western Europe during the latter Middle Ages. You will see some of the materials and artistic techniques prized during the period: ivory carving, enameled metalwork, tempera painting, and stained glass." (At right: Diptych with Scenes of the Lives of Christ and the Virgin, about 1320. Carved from Ivory by an unknown Parisian artist.)

"Most of these objects have religious themes, reflecting the importance of prayer and devotion in the daily life of a medieval Christian. Many objects performed a particular function, whether it was a chalice to hold during during Mass or a sculpture of a revered religious figure to adorn a church altar.

"The medieval collection of the DIA is one of the most important of the country, notable for the excellent quality of the objects."



 

THE FIRST ASSIGNMENT for my class during our visit.

Take an hour to wander through the 10 galleries of the Medieval and Renaissance collection.  Note that EACH work of art features the elements of drama that we've been studying present in motion pictures, yet at at no time are words used. (The best cinema still uses very little dialogue. SHOW don't TELL is the rule, even in contemporary novels.) Considering principally the elements of a log line  (i.e. a protagonist, a verb, an antagonist, a goal, and stakes) select TWO works of art and for each list the following:

A. Name of the work.
B. Artist's name.
C. Type of media.
D. Year of it's creation.
E. The protagonist.
F. The battling verb.
G. The antagonist.
H. The protagonist's goal.
I. The stakes.
J. The virtue at work in the story.
K. The vice at work in the story.
L. The moral premise of the work.
M. The most striking emotional element of the work. (That is, what tugs at your heart and pulls you into the work emotionally?)

You'll obviously have to use your knowledge about some stories apart from the exhibit, just as the Christians of the period listened to sermons and teachings that explained what the works were about.

Try not to select the same work that others select. Let's get a good variety.  After we're done we will let each of you take us to one of the works you selected and describe your observations to us as a class. (typically the DIA is not busy on Saturday so we don't be disturbing anyone.)

THE SECOND ASSIGNMENT is this:

As a group we will take our stools (provided by the DIA) and enter one of the American collection galleries, and sit before American Rembrandt Peale's 12-ft by 24-ft oil-on canvas painting "The Court of Death," which he completed in 1820.

It's the big screen of the 19th century, and like movies today it carries a powerful moral premise about virtue and vice and their physical consequences as one approaches death.

The painting depicts eight principal characters and a number of minor characters, not including Death who sits on a central throne...holding court. (There's a webpage dedicated to this painting. HERE.)

When my class arrives in this gallery we will cast lots and match up each of the students with one of the principal characters in the painting.  Then we will sit on our stools before the painting and write a short and dramatic life story of the character we've been assigned. The ending of our story will place them in Peale's painting. Taken altogether we will have a powerful piece of explicit story telling that the painter intended for us to imagine.

Needless to say, bring a good pad of paper (your journal will do if you have pages left) and some good writing instruments.

I will post links here to the results, after they are edited.  (Thanks WB for the suggestion.)

==============

(*) Story telling is much like scientific discovery in one respect. They are both based on the assumption that there is a natural law of rationally ordered cause and effect. In scientific discovery the cause and effect are both physical. In storytelling, while there is the same physical cause and effect relationship as in science, there is also, and more importantly, a cause and effect between the psychological (cause) and the physical (effect, or consequence) as described in my book, The Moral Premise.

The success of story telling is much the result of most religions' assumption (and science's fundamental assumption) that the universe is ordered and not random

Thus, the Church was principally (although indirectly) responsible for the scientific discoveries of the Renaissance. Catholic teaching assumes that the natural laws of the universe are ordered, structured predictable through rational investigation. The scientific method (1. observation 2. hypothesis. 3. Test. 4. Law) is dependent upon a observation that can predict cause and effect based on order that is a benefit to man's existence. If physical phenomenon were based on random events, or some set of laws that did not have mankind's survival as it's primary purpose, the scientific method would be useless -- and a box of dice might be as good as anything.  Thus, it was, that many of the great discoveries in science were made by devout Catholic men...including Galileo. And thus, it was, that almost all of the great artists of the time, who could have been movie directors if alive today, were devout Catholics as well. And, you'll discover, that not a few of Hollywood's best directors have Catholic backgrounds and understanding.

Can a "moral premise" be "art"?

A reader (John Conley) writes:

How true does the following Moral Premises seem to you?

1) "A Society that denounces Art and practices Falsehood collapses; but a society that celebrates Art and Truth flourishes."

Or simply put:

"Denouncing art and practicing falsehood leads to a collapsed society; but the celebrating art and practicing truth leads to a flourishing society."  

These have potential but (at face value) are problematic because of how people can casually interpret "art."  

Too many people interpret "art" as "whatever I like."  I had a friend that is an artist that had a show once that exhibited a number of paintings of a dark and grotesque society. They were depressing and I couldn't wait to leave the exhibit. On the other hand I have seen paintings and photography of the poor and homeless, and the artist has discovered the dignity of the person in the painting and  elevated the viewer's interpretation to one of hope.  (Bestow Hope!)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church helps us here understand why some art is popular and others are not. Where the art lifts up human dignity and truth people will flock to it:

Indeed, art is a distinctively human form of expression; beyond the search for the necessities of life which is common to all living creates ... art is a form of practical wisdom, uniting knowledge and skill, to give form to the TRUTH of REALITY in a language accessible to sight or hearing. ( CCC 2501. c.f. CCC 2500-2513)

As artists (screenwriters are artists) we seek what is good, true, AND BEAUTIFUL... not just because such works have an opportunity at box office success, but also because working on such things gives us a healthy satisfaction that our life counts for something meaningful to others. 

So, John,  in that respect, if "art" is presented in that uplifting and dignified manner, your statements ring true. I'd also be careful that the virtue and vice are true psychological values and not physical acts, and that the moral premise statement can be easily applied to an individual as well as society. So, I might  revise the statements in this way:

The demeaning of true art, leads to falsehoods, which leads to collapse;
but elevating true art, leads to truth, which leads to vitality.

J.C. also asked if this moral premise statement sounded true:

"Leaving your health in the hands of others leads to death; but taking your health into your own hands leads to life."

Yes it does. It is very similar to the moral premise statement I came up with for A BEAUTIFUL MIND:

Depending only on others for our well-being leads to impotency; but
Taking personal responsibility for our well-being leads to productivity

Thanks for the good questions, J.C.... they get me to blog.

Stan