For today’s blog post, I went back to the “What Film Music Means To Me” contest comments and pulled out this intriguing entry by Mark Ford.
My blood when viewed under a microscope reveals the presence of black blood cells which appear in the shapes of musical notes. DNA testing further reveals an extra chromosome with sequences of genetic markers labeled Goldsmith, Herrmann, etc. Film music is in my blood and integral to who I am.
I’d like to thank Mark for graciously giving me permission to use his name as well as provide me with the inspiration behind today’s post.
Music has been an integral part of my life since I was very young. From my early days playing piano through my college degrees in music and to the present, music is the thread that strings together my days. I could probably skip food (and if my waistline is any indication, it might not hurt to do so every once in a while), but I need a steady diet of new music, which often gets me into trouble.
Over the years, I’ve pretty much cut down my listening choices to the bare essentials. I seldom buy pop albums anymore and I no longer listen to showtunes. The occasional classical piece or opera will sneak in here and there. But, like Mark, film music courses through my blood.
A veritable cinematic symphony travels the highways and byways of my bloodstream. Steiner flows through my circulatory system, while zing go the Newman strings of my heart. The strands of Goldsmith and Williams twist and turn, weaving among each other to make up every fiber of my being. Who needs electrolytes and amino acids when you can be nourished by Elfman and Amfitheatrof? Some days my genetic structure is more Legrand than Lochner.
The “Rule of Three” in survival skills states that humans cannot survive more than:
- Three hours exposed to extremely high or low temperatures.
- Six days without water.
- Nine weeks without food.
With the best of film music at my side, I can survive almost anything. Without it, angiographies and ultrasounds would reveal vascular degeneration of the highest order. Film music is the temperature of my emotions, my nourishment, my sustenance. I am alive because of it.