That is so cool that you are just getting into Live. I think that one of the coolest journeys into Live's music that you can take, is to really listen to Mental Jewelry and read the lyrics. They were all inspired by the philosophy and teachings of Eastern spiritualist Jiddu Krishnamurti. You Are the World is the name of one of his books. Ed has said in interviews that it blew his mind and shifted his world view. He was a sheltered, white, Catholic boy growing up in a rural, blue collar town, and his spirituality had no meaning to him. And he read this book and it was a total paradigm shift. And that exuberant awakening is reflected on Mental Jewelry. There are literally dozens of his books and many are just transcripts of Krishnamurti's talks. There are websites where you can download free pdf's of his writings and teachings. I was curious about it when I heard that it influenced Ed so I studied it some. So when you start to dig into the philosphy of those teachings and then you go back and listen to the album again and read the lyrics, they take on a much deeper and richer meaning. I mean like genious, masterpiece-like meaning.

And the cool thing is that the music, the guitar and drums and bass on Mental Jewlry all perfectly compliment the message of the lyrics. Like that explosive moment in Good Pain. The "He said... He said" stuff is referring to Krishnamurti. Then you get to the part of the song where he exclaims his realization and awakening, and Ed yells "Hey!" and the drums and guitars all explode. And there is a shift in what the lyrics are saying. It all works together music and lyrics. There is abunch of that on Throwing Copper.

The "Aloneness" in I Alone has a lot of meaning in the Krishnamurti teachings. It is not about not physically being near anyone else. The lyric "It's easier not to be wise, and measure these things by your brains" is not some line to be dismissed lightly. He is saying that to measure things using your brain is NOT wise. It is an expression of the Krishnamurti philosophy that only a totally clear "alone" mind, that is totally free from all conditioning and bias and judging and weighing, can truly know the truth.

I am not some Eastern spiritual freak or anything. I just find it fascinating and very inspirational. And I think it is awe inspiring that 4 teenagers from York Pennsylvania came up with such masterpieces that have a depth that is not even apparent to the ordinary listener who might just hear a cool Live song on the radio.

Think of gentle Jesus
Think of the buddha underneath his tree
They taught the world about love and how we all can be
How we can all be free
Open our hearts and see
Love shines

Turns out he needed Live more than Live needs him.

The man is larger than life. He is a force of nature. I have immense respect for him.

That is so cool that you are just getting into Live. I think that one of the coolest journeys into Live's music that you can take, is to really listen to Mental Jewelry and read the lyrics. They were all inspired by the philosophy and teachings of Eastern spiritualist Jiddu Krishnamurti. You Are the World is the name of one of his books. Ed has said in interviews that it blew his mind and shifted his world view. He was a sheltered, white, Catholic boy growing up in a rural, blue collar town, and his spirituality had no meaning to him. And he read this book and it was a total paradigm shift. And that exuberant awakening is reflected on Mental Jewelry. There are literally dozens of his books and many are just transcripts of Krishnamurti's talks. There are websites where you can download free pdf's of his writings and teachings. I was curious about it when I heard that it influenced Ed so I studied it some. So when you start to dig into the philosphy of those teachings and then you go back and listen to the album again and read the lyrics, they take on a much deeper and richer meaning. I mean like genious, masterpiece-like meaning.

And the cool thing is that the music, the guitar and drums and bass on Mental Jewlry all perfectly compliment the message of the lyrics. Like that explosive moment in Good Pain. The "He said... He said" stuff is referring to Krishnamurti. Then you get to the part of the song where he exclaims his realization and awakening, and Ed yells "Hey!" and the drums and guitars all explode. And there is a shift in what the lyrics are saying. It all works together music and lyrics. There is abunch of that on Throwing Copper.

The "Aloneness" in I Alone has a lot of meaning in the Krishnamurti teachings. It is not about not physically being near anyone else. The lyric "It's easier not to be wise, and measure these things by your brains" is not some line to be dismissed lightly. He is saying that to measure things using your brain is NOT wise. It is an expression of the Krishnamurti philosophy that only a totally clear "alone" mind, that is totally free from all conditioning and bias and judging and weighing, can truly know the truth.

I am not some Eastern spiritual freak or anything. I just find it fascinating and very inspirational. And I think it is awe inspiring that 4 teenagers from York Pennsylvania came up with such masterpieces that have a depth that is not even apparent to the ordinary listener who might just hear a cool Live song on the radio.