Observations and inanities by a second-shift assistant supervisor in the Puppy-Grinding division of the Evil Atheist Conspiracy® (our motto: "Sure it's cruel, but think of the jobs!"), your host, Brent Rasmussen.
Where Does Inspiration Come From?
How many times have you watched an award show like the Grammys, and during an acceptance speech the winner thanks god? When people say that, I wonder. Many artists claim that their works are derived from divine inspiration. I've also heard people say that divine inspiration is the only reason that we have the arts at all.
So, what if the artist is an atheist? Are atheists incapable of artistic expression? What IS funny about this whole topic is how many musicians you know that are atheists. I found this link which provides a list of musicians who are known atheists and I was very surprised at some of the names that I saw:
Johannes Brahms
Peter Buck, the guitarist for REM
Micky Dolenz, from the band The Monkees
Brian Eno
Ludwig van Beethoven
Niccolo Paganini
Neil Peart, drummer for the band Rush
Sir Bob Geldof (an atheist was knighted!)
Billy Joel
John Lennon
Barry Manilow
Dave Matthews
Sarah McLachlan
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Roger Waters
And a host of others……
Now why would god channel his art through people who do not believe in him? It seems that, if this were true, that only the devout would be blessed with these creative gifts.
Now I am not saying that theists cannot make music (many make great music), but it is obvious that belief in god is not a prerequisite. It is also safe to say that there are many musicians who opt not to make public their beliefs for fear of losing their fans.
And why do I bring this up? Because I hear many musicians thank God in interviews and acceptance speeches for their talent and for what they have gained. What bothers me about this is the fact that most of these artists are not making music that would not be condoned by the god they claim to worship. I doubt that Beyoncé's inspiration for the song ‘Bootylicious’ came from prayer.
Another issue is if you are merely a channel for god, then you have no creative talent at all - you are just writing down what god tells you. I like to think that I am responsible for my own music, good or bad.
Perhaps one of the more science-focused members of this blog could post something on brain activity during periods of intense creativity. That would be an interesting read.
I will close this with one of my favorite quotes (and it is relevant too):
"Dear god; we bought all this food ourselves, so thanks for nothin'."
-Bart Simpson saying grace
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Well...
I know that one theory is that modern songs and dances evolved from mating/communicating songs of our ancestors. I do not know if it is true for everybody, but on a message board about songs from series the female board members seemed to prefer songs that were from series they liked rather than songs by any particular musician/group (sort of like the whole "they're playing our song" thing), whereas boys tended more to like songs based on musical qualities. One explanation is that although early in the evolutionary process females would judge males based on the quality of their songs (and males would judge rivals based on the quality of their songs) as time progressed females tried to find males that would have a beneficial relationship with them (like helping care for the kids instead of just running off) rather than simply looking for good genes. So they would listen for songs that they knew were associated with potential mates that they already liked.
As for where inspiration comes from, musically it seems to come from listening to others perform and playing around with sounds (same for poetry, although it could be argued that poetry and lyrics are basically the same thing). With writing I know sometimes you can just see the world/person you're writing about and just have this itch to get it all down on paper (I've heard that it's similar with visual art). Why? Hell if I know, but it might be akin to how some people like watching the same movie over and over again, just to continue experiencing the story for as long as possible.
atheist inspiration
... comes from the atheist's imagination. As an atheist, that's my conclusion and probably yours also.
But, what if we are wrong and their actually is a god. Maybe this hypothetical god does not discriminate, based on belief, who he/she/it chooses to inspire. The theist will tell you, "Just because you don't believe in Him, doesn't mean that He doesn't inspire you."
Adding to streamline's thoughts about sports, why do you never hear a player blame God for the bad stuff that happens on the field - "Thanks a lot God. If You hadn't made that ground ball go between my legs, we would have won the World Series." When they hit homeruns, God gets the credit. When they muff it, it's their own damn fault.
Similarly, people who survived the World Trade Center collapse are probably thanking god, but nobody is blaming him for the fatalities.
Thanking some god
I don't notice it among musicians more than any other group, but maybe its because I don't pay a whole lot of attention to other than the music itself. As a long time baseball fan and former player, I sure notice it there though. All the kissing crucifixes, pointing to the sky, and thanking "my lord and savior" is enough to drive me away from the game.
Just once I want to hear a player say, "I owe it all to the good genes I got from mom and dad, the good coaching I've received, the hundreds of hours of practice, a couple of lucky breaks, and my own perseverance."