1976

The following is an excerpt of an email sent from Art to Will on 26 February 2015.



More thoughts.

What is this "turbulent reversals" thing?

Bear with me. Your idea has sparked an earlier idea in me. At one point we talked about the "universal destination of music." That conversation opened the door to putting our un-copyrighted music out there gratuitously for anyone to listen to or steal.

 "Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give" (Mt. 10:8).

What about this idea: "Arthur White says he will play with anyone." I see it as an open letter to our fans (mostly imagined ones, of course). If a group of people down in Akron wants to put together a backing band and learn all the songs, I will travel there and maybe take the kids to a children's museum during the day. Now Akron is probably not going to be happening for a long time, but I can see Detroit, what with my uncle's interest in these songs. Not to mention that you have lots of friends all around the country. Instead of coordinating some kind of grueling cross-country collaboration, why not this? Put a band together, find us a place to crash, and we'll come visit. I've got my cousins in Bradenton, Florida, who I haven't seen in years.

I feel that a backing band needs to be able to practice. So it makes sense that they are close geographically. You, of course, remain co-writer, manager, bandleader, etc. Whatever money is made--even from gigs where you aren't playing--we'd figure out some kind of algorithm to split it. This may be totally crazy, but this is the sketchbook, right?

Is this what happens in 1976?

A concert becomes dislodged in time, in place, in personnel, etc. Music, with its primordial origin, finds its universal destination. Letting music be music. Letting water be water. "Hotel California," the subject of Henley's litigious wrath, came out in February 1977. He probably was recording it in 1976.

If you look at all the philosophical principles we've been hammering out for the last 3 years, this makes total sense. Ultimately, we've said that this music is the property of the community. It still has a long way to go to live up to that declaration.

Could this be a way forward that accords with our philosophical principles?