Bien, veo que ya estamos todos por aquí; los nuevos, los viejos, "El Viejo", etc. Espero que la espera —arriba la redundancia— se os haya hecho breve y lo más llevadera posible, y es que ha sido un verano movido, bastante movido. El mundo ha enloquecido más si cabe desde que cerramos por vacaciones. Los Juegos Olímpicos, esa cumbre festiva en pro de la deportividad y de la hermandad entre culturas, se celebraron en una China tomada por policías, militares y demás lindezas. ¿Para defenderse del temido terrorismo internacional? Qué va, para mantener a raya a sus propios ciudadanos y acallar las voces disidentes propias, y ajenas, contrarias al régimen comunista y a su violación de los derechos humanos, a la situación del Tíbet... ya imagináis por dónde voy. Pues entre tanta medalla de oro y represión camuflada, estalló la guerra en occidente entre Georgia y Rusia, y con ella  nuestras retinas fueron golpeadas de nuevo por las imágenes en televisión de tanques en las calles, edificios en ruinas y gente que huía sin mirar atrás, afortunados dentro de la desgracia, ya que hay quienes jamás podrán regresar. Y luego atentados en Argelia, en Afganistán, accidentes de aviación con demasiadas interrogantes alrededor, maridos que asesinan a sangre fría a sus esposas. Muertos, muertos y más muertos... En fin, un desmadre, un verdadero desatino lo mires por donde lo mires capaz de robarte el sueño. ¿La solución? Al parecer ni las potencias mundiales ni los líderes políticos quieren dar con ella, ni siquiera la ONU. Pero yo me niego a creer que no existe una solución; que la paz sea una quimera, que la justicia —cuando hay— no sea la misma para todos, que la libertad sea para algunos tan sólo el apellido de una estatua de la ciudad de Nueva York, o que la pobreza y el hambre no se puedan erradicar. Afortunadamente todavía podemos escapar de vez en cuando de esta realidad que nos toca vivir (mejor los unos, peor los muchos) realizando un ejercicio de egoísmo necesario, gracias entre otras cosas a la música.

Después de lo anterior lo que viene a continuación os va a resultar una banalidad, una tontería más, y estaréis en lo cierto, de acuerdo, pero entre lo que me ha costado enlazar el panorama internacional con el tema musical y que  el título del post debe tener algún sentido, continuemos. El caso es que hace un tiempo anuncié a bombo y platillo que no volvería a comprar la revista Rolling Stone. Pues bien, os engañé. La carne es débil, y no me pude resistir al ver en pleno mes de agosto en la costa catalana esa portada anunciando entre otras cosas "héroes de la guitarra" o "sus 100 mejores canciones". Caí, o mejor dicho, recaí. Repleto de remordimientos, la ojeé. Primero lo bueno:  Extremoduro,  Mick Jagger, las 100 mejores canciones guitarreras del Rock 'n' Roll o  Sergio Algora. Luego lo otro: vaqueros y demás tendencias, Carla Bruni, Lil Wayne —el nuevo rapero de moda—, Obama, Michelle Braun —no sé qué del sexo—... Aunque sinceramente, en general el sabor de boca es agradable. Más música que de costumbre, empezando por el extraordinario reportaje de las guitarras, y textos más interesantes que los que recordaba. No sé si volveré a comprarla, y lo digo porque estas vacaciones descubrí una revista de verdad.  Ruta 66 no desafina y cumple con lo que promete, que es suficiente. Rock, indie, pop, soul, etc. Tanto de aquí como de allí. En fin, creo que por ser el primer día ya está bien, mañana más. Por cierto, bienvenidos.

US Weekly and OK magazine are a couple of those that I see her read with some regularity. Normally, I don’t pay much attention to the content of these trash mags until I saw the latest covers floating on a few blogs.

The latest issue of US Trashy blasted on the cover, “Babies, Lies, and Scandal”. Where are the lies? No scandal has been proven and probably never will be, and as for the babies, that has nothing to do with this election and it reaks of sexism. Do you think US Weekly may have an agenda when they publish trash like this, but when covering Obama in June the headline read “Michelle Obama, Why Barak Loves Her”. Would it surprise you to know that if the owner of US Weekly, Jann Wenner (founder of Rolling Stone magazine) is a staunch Barack Obama supporter and major donor?

In the latest OK edition, the front cover features Obama and his family and reads, “Life With My Girls”, and of course paints a perfect family picture. In unsurprising contrast, the flipside shows Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, John McCain’s new running mate, holding her baby boy Trig. The unabashed headline states, “A Mother’s Painful Choice” and alludes to the blatantly false internet rumor in which Gov. Palin allegedly faked her pregnancy and birth to her Down’s syndrome afflicted son. This apparently was meant to cover up the out of wedlock teen pregnancy of her 17 yr old daughter Bristol. The story has no legs and has been rebuffed Alaskan locals who are familiar with the young Palin and her fiancé, Levi Johnston.

The bias is unmistakable and outrageous. I don’t care is these tabloids ruffle the feathers of my favorite TV and movie stars. They get paid big bucks to put up with it. However, when you attack a public citizen’s character and minor child for political motivation it is deplorable reprehensible. Conservative and fair minded people who read these magazines should be outraged and write to the editors of this garbage. Tell them you won’t buy their junk if they keep printing this viciousness.

Unfair, lop-sided coverage of this election is unbelievable. If the “real” media would have picked up the Edwards story, as they should have, a garbage paper like the Enquirer would never have had a chance, and might have run a story about how good Britney Spears is looking these days. Everywhere you look you can’t escape the hyped up one sided stories about “the one”. Now it’s even in the checkout aisles at the supermarkets.

Entertainers should stay out of politics, and so should the tabloids that cover them. The line between Hollywood and Washington is getting blurred indeed, and frankly I am sick of it. I am tired of listening to actors and singers donating their image and time to support their “feel good” liberal candidates and causes, and I’m tired of politicians pandering to their audiences via the entertainers that I would like to enjoy.

"My parents are afraid my dick's gonna rot off," Stewart says.

Roquemore, the Home Depot girl, was a fixture for a season, until Stewart realized she wasn't the one. "Oh, we had to fire her," he says.

At a late-night fuel stop during the flight to the Phoenix race, he meets two girls, who look to be in their early 20s, working the front desk at the airport lounge in Salina, Kansas.

"Take us with you, Tony?" one of them says as he grabs a chocolate-chip cookie from a tray on the counter.

"Depends," he says, taking a bite. "You gals 18 yet?"

"Why you want to know that?" one girl asks.

"Well, we ain't just flying up there, darling," he says, winking at me. "We'll be taking pictures and hanging out and all sorts of stuff."

"Aww, Tony," singsong the girls.

It is refreshing to see a celebrity who checks first. Especially just a week after the DNC, some 20 years after Rob Lowe decided not to check in Atlanta. Wasn't his fault...16 year olds can't vote! What were they doing at the DNC?!?!

Mike Dukakis did not approve.

Por una lado, las "chicas bien", con todo un futuro por delante, en una universidad de 900 pesos el arancel mensual. En la otra carilla, Juan Bazán, víctima de la masacre de Cromañon que necesita de un remedio de 300 pesos para, "por lo menos" poder respirar. Cromañon: Masacre en la que aún estan viendo quien podría ser el culpable, en medio de un circo mediático. Diferentes realidades se tocan sólo cuando se cierra la revista.(RS de Agosto)

Anyway, here is the column

The first thing that strikes you about Watson's work is his superb understanding of light. The man is clearly a master technician when it comes to lighting his subjects. I get the sense that every minute element of the image has been predetermined, no happy accidents here. His images are so flawless that I can only imagine the preparation required to achieve this.

Scottish born and now living between New York and LA, Watson has shot covers for the most famous magazines in the world including Vogue and Rolling Stone.

Another element of Watson's work is his eye (no pun intended-he is blind in one eye) for the basics. Shape, texture pattern and form are extensively used in his images. He reminds me that when I am getting carried away with the latest strobist info or Barths' studium and punctum, to take a step back from it all and remember the building blocks of aesthetics. We must master these before we can continue any further in order to succeed in image making.

I recently listened to an interview with the man, which I found quite interesting. He disscusses a number of things and interestingly one of them is a very famous wedding. You can listen to it here.

ALBERT WATSON

Rolling Stone magazine provides a painful look back on the history of Lauryn Hill's unforgettable album, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill." A lot of fans continue to hope that she will produce new music, reappear with The Fugees, or at least publicly show some signs of normalcy. But between the long periods of silence that mark her career since "Unplugged" and the crazed public performances that serve as painful reminders of a talent squandered, it gets harder and harder to realistically hope that she will ever return to normalcy, let alone follow the incredible musical legacy she left with her stunning debut album...

A Amy melecou a banheira de um quarto com tinta preta pra cabelo e, num outro hotel, caiu na mão com o marido-problema Blake Fielder-Civil e deixou sangue pra tudo quanto é lado.

O Axl também causou distúrbios quando, às 8 horas da manhã, brigou com uma mulher e abocanhou a perna de um segurança. É mole?

Bom, já a Britta, não fez nada disso, mas está na lista porque é uma fanfarrona. Volta e meia ela se registrava nos hotéis Los Angeles, mas nunca aparecia. Então, pra que se registrava? Só pra criar tumulto. Ah, vai! Deve ser divertido...

A matéria completa está no site da Rolling Stone Brasil.

Earlier in the week while reading my beloved Techcrunch, I noticed a Dexter ad which looked shockingly similar to my also loved Wired Magazine.  Techcrunch called this out as a wrip-off of Wired and asked if this ad inspired viewers to watch Dexter.  I respond with an emphatic, hell yes.  Connecting the show to some of my favorite magazines is a fantastic way to imbibe Dexter with a universality and that everyone-is-talking-about-it mojo.

As I digged a bit deeper, I discovered a few more of these covers, each with its own magazine parody voice.  Point. Set. Match.  Showtime.  I’m sold.  Hell, I might even watch Californication (which follows Dexter) even though David Duchovny creeps me out.  Below is a run-down of each Dexter ad along with the magazine’s actual September cover art.  Pay special attention to the background text for some true copywriting talent that pulls off the fine line of wittiness meets drama seriousness.  The only way they could up the ante for me would be if they actually partnered with each magazine to issue a select few special edition covers on newsstands.

Click on each Dexter cover to head to Showtime’s site for a trailer of the new season.  Click on each magazine cover to head to the magazine’s web site.

Esquire

Rolling Stone

The New Yorker

• "The Duchess" - Travers says that he "doesn't care if you are sick of period pieces". Sorry...I am.
• "Rachel Getting Married" - This looks pretty damn good. It also scores huge points for having such a great version of "Everyday" by Rogue Wave in it.
• "Pride And Glory" - Ed Norton. Colin Farrell. Crime. I'm there.
• "The Soloist" - Robert Downey Jr. could be in a music video lip-synching to "Blame It On The Rain" & I would go see it right now.
• "The Road" - I wonder if Viggo Mortensen has a knife fight completely nude in this one?
• "Frost/Nixon" - While "W." doesn't interest me in the least, this movie does. History has been very kind to Nixon, who was hated almost as much while he was in office as our current President. Mostly, I am excited to see Frank Langella as Nixon, who is said to be incredible.

Gosto muito de ler entrevistas. "As 30 Melhores Entrevistas de Playboy" foi a primeira coletânea que adquiri. Quando soube que "As Melhores Entrevistas da Rolling Stone" estava para sair, já sabia que teria que comprar o livro, qualquer que fosse o preço. Nunca gostei de biografias. Mas era o caso do "não conheço, não gosto". Besteira. Instigado por meu primo, passei a ler e adorar histórias reais. Sempre gostei de assistir, ouvir e ler entrevistas, então era meio claro que gostaria de biografias. No caso da Rolling Stone, as entrevistas não são tão longas quanto as da Playboy. Pelo menos, não na coletânea. Mas a vontade de se aprofundar em questões pessoais e polêmicas do entrevistado, está lá. Jann Wenner, editor-chefe da RS, inclusive, diz ter se inspirado na Playboy para realizar tais entrevistas. Eles pegaram o modelo da revista de Hugh Hefner e aplicaram ao mundo do rock e dos músicos, o que não acontecia antes. Grandes sacadas não são, necessariamente, grandes invenções. Podem ser apenas a utilização de algo existente, em uma área ainda não testada.

Ainda não li todo o livro, mas uma das entrevistas mais inusitadas, até o momento, é de Andy Warhol entrevistando Truman Capote. Na verdade, Wenner havia solicitado a Capote uma matéria sobre uma turnê dos Stones, a banda. No entanto, o jornalista acabou sem entregar nada e coube a Andy Warhol chegar e perguntar "O que houve?". O interessante é o quanto os dois enrolam para chegar a esse assunto. Falam sobre animais, a infância de Capote, entre outras coisas, até que sentam para conversar e Warhol diz "OK, vamos às seis perguntas que Jann pediu que eu fizesse". Ele vai seguindo o script, mas Capote entre no jogo e as responde. Andy entra no clima e começa a fazer perguntas que ele está interessado e, na verdade, vira mais um bate-papo do que uma entrevista. Com isso, acaba-se descobrindo um pouco do universo dos Stones. Lê-la após a entrevista de John Lennon, que também figura no livro, possibilita fazer fortes analogias sobre o mundo do rock, seu glamour e todos os envolvidos.

Uma máxima do jornalismo é belamente aplicada pela RS. "Se alguém não quiser te dar uma entrevista, isso será sua matéria." Capote não entregou sua matéria. Por causa disso, entrou na seleção das melhores entrevistas da Rolling Stone.

*Já usei esse título em outra ocasião, mas aqui fica bom também.

Predictably, this year has witnessed a string of unhappy artists whose songs have been used without their permission, including John Mellencamp, Jackson Browne, and, most recently, Van Halen, whose song "Right Now" was used during the introductory rally for vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin (McCain and his family are introduced at 1:09)

Nonetheless, according to MTV News, Van Halen (the new David Lee Roth version) is not happy:

According to the band’s publicist, the members had no idea McCain was going to use their song as his entrance theme and were never approached by McCain’s camp for permission to use the track.

“Had they asked, permission would not have been granted,” Liszweski said.

Sammy Hagar, on the other hand, is fine with the use of his lyrics and is taking a bi-partisan approach:

"When I wrote the lyrics to 'Right Now', I intended them to inspire people to not sit around and wait for something they believed in but to go out and get it, to make a change however they needed to," he said in a statement. "Whether it was McCain who used the song or if Obama had chosen to use the song, with the current political climate, the lyrics still have the same meaning, and we all need to do something to make a difference, every action counts.

Back in February, Mellencamp became displeased with the McCain campaign's use of the songs "Our Country" and "Pink Houses". After Mellencamp voiced his displeasure, McCain agreed to quit using the songs. Then, in August, Jackson Browne took a stronger stance after his hit song "Running on Empty" was used in a campaign commercial. Browne sued the McCain campaign, the Republican Party, and the Ohio Republican Party alleging copyright infringement and a violation of Browne's right of publicity:

Copyright infringement aside, Browne's lawsuit also alleges that the song's usage falsely suggests that he is a McCain supporter. Browne is seeking a permanent injunction prohibiting the use of the song, as well as undisclosed damages.

According to the L.A. Times, the McCain campaign claims to have had nothing to do with the use of the song, alleging that the commercial was purely the work of an outside party and "that the ad in question is not a McCain campaign ad but one put together by the Ohio Republican Party."

Back in 1984, Ronald Reagan famously interpreted Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" as being a "message of hope," even though the song was more an attack against the treatment and prospects of Vietnam veterans upon their return to the USA. Reagan stated, "America's future rests in a thousand dreams inside our hearts. It rests in the message of hope so many young people admire: New Jersey's own Bruce Springsteen.'"

At the time, "Born in the USA" was the number one song in America, and Springsteen was clearly not in favor of his song being connected or interpreted in this manner:

"I think people have a need to feel good about the country they live in," he later told Rolling Stone. "But what's happening, I think, is that that need -- which is a good thing -- is getting manipulated and exploited. You see in the Reagan election ads on TV, you know, 'It's morning in America,' and you say, 'Well, it's not morning in Pittsburgh.' "

Ironically and, perhaps, shrewdly, this year the Democratic Party used "Born in the USA" as one of the main songs before Barack Obama's keynote speech at the Democratic Convention (Springsteen supports Obama), although analysts say this time the song was used to promote its original message:

While "Born in the USA" spoke of the effects of Vietnam, Obama's speech spoke of the effects of Iraq. While the song spoke of a man turned away from work at the town refinery, Obama bemoaned a government that he said "lets veterans sleep on our streets and families slide into poverty."

At the same time, the Obama campaign is also guilty of using songs without permission, as it did at the closing of Obama's speech last Thursday, when the Brooks & Dunn song "Only in America" was used as Obama and his family strode off the stage:

According to Entertainment Weekly, there is some irony with this selection as well:

If you’re not aware of the history of the GOP using “Only in America,” a refresher is in order: Brooks & Dunn played it at the Bush inauguration in 2000. At the 2004 GOP convention, Dick Cheney used it as his exit music after his speech. And President Bush frequently used it on the campaign trail four years ago, even asking Brooks & Dunn to come out and play it live at rallies in the final week of the race.

In this instance, as is common, there was more than one composer of the "Only in America" and each has their own political views. With "Only in America", a friend of Brooks & Dunn, Don Cook, was a co-writer of the song and has Democratic views. Meanwhile, Brooks and Dunn both lean Republican. Entertainment Weekly writer Chris Willman talked to Cook after the Democratic Convention:

Since Cook was a little taken aback when the GOP adopted it, does this feel like turnabout is fair play? “That’s exactly what Kix Brooks said to me when he called,” said Cook. “He said, ‘You had to endure George Bush using it, so it’s only fair that I would have to endure Barack Obama using it.’ But he said it in a real light-hearted way.["]

From a legal standpoint, there is no clear cut answer as to how an artist filing suit would fare. While it is clear that there is a copyright infringement, since the songs are being used publicly without the artists permission or without paying royalties to a performance rights organization, such as ASCAP or BMI; still, it is not clear whether the infringement would be protected by a Fair Use argument. In the case of a song performed at an event, by going through performance rights organizations all McCain or Obama would likely have to do to escape a copyright claim is pay a royalty (which could be very expensive, considering the number of listeners). There are also strong First Amendment concerns, and the political speech and commentary nature of the uses, as well as the non-commercial aspects, could be enough to stop a claim.

In an article from the Indianapolis Business Journal, Indiana lawyer Jonathan Polak noted that right of publicity would the claim to succeed:

"We're not concerned here about an artist's objections to someone playing a song for the sake of the song; what we're really talking about is some type of potential for false endorsement," said Jonathan Polak, chair of the intellectual property group at Indianapolis firm Sommer Barnard. "This isn't about the law; it's about embarrassing candidates on policies they don't agree with. But yes, they have a legal leg to stand on."

Jackson Browne may have a strong case (although how effective it would be against McCain would depend on his campaign's knowledge or acceptance of its use) because his song was adapted and used in a commercial, which is an "adaptive use", which Indianapolis attorney and Indiana University School of Law-Bloomington adjunct professor Robert Meitus discussed:

"That implicates a whole different realm of rights," Meitus said, noting that the use is called adaptation and involves getting permission from copyright holders for a specific use.

"Technically, it may be infringement and there's no exceptions. But practically speaking, [a candidate] could play a song for an entire campaign without songwriters really being able to do much. The key is if they're doing anything more than just publicly playing it."

In other words, those claims that might stand the greatest chance of success would involve an artist's song that had been used more as a theme for the campaign, rather than just being played at a few rallies; or a song that was adapted and synchronized with video. Candidates could also hire a cover band to play the songs, since there is a statutory right to have another band cover the song, although a fee would still need to be paid to one of the performance rights organizations for the public performance (although it would likely be a lesser fee since the original recording is not used).

Nonetheless, there is still the question of whether the use of the song implies an endorsement by the artist, and whether the general public would make this connection. Indianapolis attorney Charles Meyer addressed this in the Indianapolis Business Journal:

"I have difficulty believing that someone would expect that a musical artist is endorsing a candidate merely if that music is played once in the background at an event," he said. "But if it's a well-known piece of music by a famous artist and that song is played so often it becomes a theme song for the candidate, people might start asking if there's a connection"

To further this, many popular artists have not been shy about expressing their own political views, which may or may not diminish the public perception of whether an artist is endorsing a candidate when their song is used. Of course, past history seems to put the GOP at a disadvantage in terms of finding acceptable songs by supportive artists. AOL News writer Brandon Barker:

So, when it comes to choosing songs for rallies, ads and conventions, what's a Republican to do? According to Harmony Central, the short-list of right-leaning musicians includes Donny Osmond, Ted Nugent, Gene Simmons, Kid Rock and Wayne Newton.

And, finally, just for fun:

"Berbahagialah mereka yang menikmati pekerjaannya. Berbahagialah mereka yang sudah mencapai taraf bekerja adalah berekreasi. Sebab mereka sudah menemukan lentera jiwa mereka."

Quote dari praktisi media senior - Andy Noya ini menyadarkan saya, bahwa ternyata saya termasuk dari mereka yang belum layak dikatakan BAHAGIA, karena belum mencapai taraf bekerja adalah berekreasi...

Dalam posting kali ini, saya mencoba membagikan tulisan inspirasional Andy Noya. Semoga bisa mendatangkan manfaat dan menyemangati kita untuk terus maju, berkaya dan berani mengikuti lentera jiwa kita.

Lentera Jiwa

ditulis oleh Andy Noya

Banyak yang bertanya mengapa saya mengundurkan diri sebagai pemimpin redaksi Metro TV. Memang sulit bagi saya untuk meyakinkan setiap orang yang bertanya bahwa saya keluar bukan karena ‘pecah kongsi’ dengan Surya Paloh, bukan karena sedang marah atau bukan dalam situasi yang tidak menyenangkan. Mungkin terasa aneh pada posisi yang tinggi, dengan ‘power’ yang luar biasa sebagai pimpinan sebuah stasiun televisi berita, tiba-tiba saya mengundurkan diri.

Dalam perjalanan hidup dan karir, dua kali saya mengambil keputusan sulit. Pertama, ketika saya tamat STM. Saya tidak mengambil peluang beasiswa ke IKIP Padang. Saya lebih memilih untuk melanjutkan ke Sekolah Tinggi Publisistik di Jakarta walau harus menanggung sendiri beban uang kuliah. Kedua, ya itu tadi, ketika saya memutuskan untuk mengundurkan diri dari Metro TV.

Dalam satu seminar, Rhenald Khasali, penulis buku Change yang saya kagumi, sembari bergurau di depan ratusan hadirin mencoba menganalisa mengapa saya keluar dari Metro TV. ‘’Andy ibarat ikan di dalam kolam. Ikannya terus membesar sehingga kolamnya menjadi kekecilan. Ikan tersebut terpaksa harus mencari kolam yang lebih besar.’’

Saya tidak tahu apakah pandangan Rhenald benar. Tapi, jujur saja, sejak lama saya memang sudah ingin mengundurkan diri dari Metro TV. Persisnya ketika saya membaca sebuah buku kecil berjudul Who Move My Cheese.Bagi Anda yang belum baca, buku ini bercerita tentang dua kurcaci. Mereka hidup dalam sebuah labirin yang sarat dengan keju. Kurcaci yang satu selalu berpikiran suatu hari kelak keju di tempat mereka tinggal akan habis. Karena itu, dia selalu menjaga stamina dan kesadarannya agar jika keju di situ habis, dia dalam kondisi siap mencari keju di tempat lain. Sebaliknya, kurcaci yang kedua, begitu yakin sampai kiamat pun persediaan keju tidak akan pernah habis.

Singkat cerita, suatu hari keju habis. Kurcaci pertama mengajak sahabatnya untuk meninggalkan tempat itu guna mencari keju di tempat lain. Sang sahabat menolak. Dia yakin keju itu hanya ‘dipindahkan’ oleh seseorang dan nanti suatu hari pasti akan dikembalikan. Karena itu tidak perlu mencari keju di tempat lain. Dia sudah merasa nyaman. Maka dia memutuskan menunggu terus di tempat itu sampai suatu hari keju yang hilang akan kembali. Apa yang terjadi, kurcaci itu menunggu dan menunggu sampai kemudian mati kelaparan. Sedangkan kurcaci yang selalu siap tadi sudah menemukan labirin lain yang penuh keju. Bahkan jauh lebih banyak dibandingkan di tempat lama.

Pesan moral buku sederhana itu jelas: jangan sekali-kali kita merasa nyaman di suatu tempat sehingga lupa mengembangkan diri guna menghadapi perubahan dan tantangan yang lebih besar. Mereka yang tidak mau berubah, dan merasa sudah nyaman di suatu posisi, biasanya akan mati digilas waktu.

Setelah membaca buku itu, entah mengapa ada dorongan luar biasa yang menghentak-hentak di dalam dada. Ada gairah yang luar biasa yang mendorong saya untuk keluar dari Metro TV. Keluar dari labirin yang selama ini membuat saya sangat nyaman karena setiap hari ‘keju’ itu sudah tersedia di depan mata. Saya juga ingin mengikuti ‘lentera jiwa’ saya. Memilih arah sesuai panggilan hati. Saya ingin berdiri sendiri.

Maka ketika mendengar sebuah lagu berjudul ‘Lentera Jiwa’ yang dinyanyikan Nugie, hati saya melonjak-lonjak. Selain syair dan pesan yang ingin disampaikan Nugie dalam lagunya itu sesuai dengan kata hati saya, sudah sejak lama saya ingin membagi kerisauan saya kepada banyak orang.

Dalam perjalanan hidup saya, banyak saya jumpai orang-orang yang merasa tidak bahagia dengan pekerjaan mereka. Bahkan seorang kenalan saya, yang sudah menduduki posisi puncak di suatu perusahaan asuransi asing, mengaku tidak bahagia dengan pekerjaannya. Uang dan jabatan ternyata tidak membuatnya bahagia. Dia merasa ‘lentera jiwanya’ ada di ajang pertunjukkan musik. Tetapi dia takut untuk melompat. Takut untuk memulai dari bawah. Dia merasa tidak siap jika kehidupan ekonominya yang sudah mapan berantakan. Maka dia menjalani sisa hidupnya dalam dilema itu. Dia tidak bahagia.

Ketika diminta untuk menjadi pembicara di kampus-kampus, saya juga menemukan banyak mahasiswa yang tidak happy dengan jurusan yang mereka tekuni sekarang. Ada yang mengaku waktu itu belum tahu ingin menjadi apa, ada yang jujur bilang ikut-ikutan pacar (yang belakangan ternyata putus juga) atau ada yang karena solider pada teman. Tetapi yang paling banyak mengaku jurusan yang mereka tekuni sekarang -- dan membuat mereka tidak bahagia -- adalah karena mengikuti keinginan orangtua.

Dalam episode Lentera Jiwa (tayang Jumat 29 dan Minggu 31 Agustus 2008), kita dapat melihat orang-orang yang berani mengambil keputusan besar dalam hidup mereka. Ada Bara Patirajawane, anak diplomat dan lulusan Hubungan Internasional, yang pada satu titik mengambil keputusan drastis untuk berbelok arah dan menekuni dunia masak memasak. Dia memilih menjadi koki. Pekerjaan yang sangat dia sukai dan menghantarkannya sebagai salah satu pemandu acara masak-memasak di televisi dan kini memiliki restoran sendiri. ‘’Saya sangat bahagia dengan apa yang saya kerjakan saat ini,’’ ujarnya. Padahal, orangtuanya menghendaki Bara mengikuti jejak sang ayah sebagai dpilomat.

Juga ada Wahyu Aditya yang sangat bahagia dengan pilihan hatinya untuk menggeluti bidang animasi. Bidang yang menghantarkannya mendapat beasiswa dari British Council. Kini Adit bahkan membuka sekolah animasi. Padahal, ayah dan ibunya lebih menghendaki anak tercinta mereka mengikuti jejak sang ayah sebagai dokter.

Simak juga bagaimana Gde Prama memutuskan meninggalkan posisi puncak sebuah perusahaan jamu dan jabatan komisaris di beberapa perusahaan. Konsultan manajemen dan penulis buku ini memilih tinggal di Bali dan bekerja untuk dirinya sendiri sebagai public speaker.

Pertanyaan yang paling hakiki adalah apa yang kita cari dalam kehidupan yang singkat ini? Semua orang ingin bahagia. Tetapi banyak yang tidak tahu bagaimana cara mencapainya.

Karena itu, beruntunglah mereka yang saat ini bekerja di bidang yang dicintainya. Bidang yang membuat mereka begitu bersemangat, begitu gembira dalam menikmati hidup. ‘’Bagi saya, bekerja itu seperti rekreasi. Gembira terus. Nggak ada capeknya,’’ ujar Yon Koeswoyo, salah satu personal Koes Plus, saat bertemu saya di kantor majalah Rolling Stone. Dalam usianya menjelang 68 tahun, Yon tampak penuh enerji. Dinamis. Tak heran jika malam itu, saat pementasan Earthfest2008, Yon mampu melantunkan sepuluh lagu tanpa henti. Sungguh luar biasa. ‘’Semua karena saya mencintai pekerjaan saya. Musik adalah dunia saya. Cinta saya. Hidup saya,’’ katanya.

Berbahagialah mereka yang menikmati pekerjaannya. Berbahagialah mereka yang sudah mencapai taraf bekerja adalah berekreasi. Sebab mereka sudah menemukan lentera jiwa mereka.

Recent Gluekit illustration for Rolling Stone magazine, referencing the sudden flood of vampire imagery in popular culture. It's a blood bath!

Come passa il tempo: ma lo sapete che sono già trascorsi dieci anni dall’uscita nelle sale cinematografiche di quel film meraviglioso che è Il Grande Lebowski? Rolling Stone USA celebra l’anniversario degnamente, con un ricco servizio e una video intervista al grande Jeff “Lebowski” Bridges.

So here comes a blog about pretty much everything -- politics, music, sports, pop culture, travel, you name it. Think about it as a blog version of Rolling Stone but with Jason Stone.

In the coming weeks and months look for my opinions about the 2008 election; my lists for the best music, movies and TV shows; my thoughts on the upcoming NFL season; a discussion about my girlfriend Jennifer's sense of humor; and a travelogue of some of the places we've traveled to.

I will also highlight the current selection of music, video or podcast that is playing during the writing of each post.

<Currently: Latest episode of "The Colbert Report.">

Lester Bangs: Oh, man, you made friends with them. See, friendship is the booze they feed you. They want you to get drunk on feeling like you belong.

William Miller: Well, it was fun.

Lester Bangs: Because they make you feel cool... And hey, I met you. YOU ARE NOT COOL.

William Miller: I know. Even when I thought I was, I knew I wasn't.

Lester Bangs: Because we are uncool. Women will always be a problem for guys like us. Most of the great art in the world is about that very problem...

...

William Miller: I'm glad you were home.

Lester Bangs: I'm always home. I'm uncool.

William Miller: Me too.

Lester Bangs: You're doing great, man. The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool. Listen, my advice to you, and I know you think these guys are your friends, if you want to be a true friend to them, be honest. And unmerciful.