You know what? I’m gonna keep it real with you guys. The coolest musician to ever grace us with any inkling of cool that any musician could ever attempt to give us was Mr. Thelonious Monk.
Like, seriously. Have you ever seen this guy? No one, and I mean not a single fucking soul in the entire world that has ever lived before or after him, has ever been close to as cool as him; sitting behind a fucking piano playing panty dropping music, with ridiculous names, like Straight, No Chaser, Crepuscule with Nellie, or Just a Gigolo before the 80s really started even happening. This guy was born in 1917. You know what that means? It means that he lived through the roaring Jim Crow 20s, The Great Depression, and World War II.
Lets take a step back and really look at this guy. He was on the cover of Time. A piano player was on the cover of time. You know who else has been on the cover of time? Presidents.The man pretty much made bebop. It’s not just his music though, which I really don’t think can be appreciated by any generation beyond Y. Millennials will never be able to appreciate this man for what he really was- and that’s depressing. I’m not going to let him be forgotten. If he’s not going to be known for his triumphancy, or his music, then I’m at least going to shine the light on him for what these kids care about.
Thelonious Monk was a stylish guy. I mean, guys can wane about suits, and tailoring, and all of that crap all they want to. At the end of the day, your clothes are just clothes- and they either make you look good, or they don’t. Monk seemed to make his attire a representation of himself. He was an artist, and aside from his insane piano ability, his skill became alive in the clothing he wore. If you know anything about him, then seeing him with a hat wouldn’t surprise you. Monks attitude, music, and style all seem to vortex in an articulate, yet confusing array of melody and soul that inspires and complicates. We see truth in this man, and his vision. We see the future in his vision. He is frustrating as he is inspiring, and we as artists, or creative individuals can only either grasp or fight his influence. There is no middle ground for us. Once you know about him, you can’t unknow.
Before there was extravagance in the music industry, there was passion. Before there was complacency, there was revolution. Monk comes from the golden era before gold was an era. I’m not sure if you’ve heard Lorde’s breakaway classic (and if you haven’t, you must be living under a rock), but I think that sh describes a place that many of us want to be. When we finally find it- Monk will be there waiting for us.
