Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical - Inspiration Thursday

I had a rather life changing experience at Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical when I first saw it several years back.   It sounds almost absurdly cliche when I talk about it, actually.  It was epic.  Affirming.  Altering.  Magnificent.  My boss at the time, Bill, bought me tickets for my birthday as he suspected it would be right up my alley.

And it was!  I was reading Phil Lesh's memoir Searching for the Sound at the time, which was a tremendous bit of companion reading.  Pieces fell into place in my heart and are locked in to the beat of it now.  If that makes sense.

The Hair soundtrack is the only music I keep on my iPod, a fact which Matt likes to razz me about with some regularity.  98% of the time I just use my iPod to play audiobooks, but Hair is there for when I need to rock out.

This past weekend I scored the original cast recording on album while perusing an antique/consignment shop with my dad.

It is such a tragic, moving, passionate, and inspiring story.  The plot covers so many thought-provoking subjects, as well as ideas and values I hold dear and features the immense span of human emotion.  The intersection of freedom, peace and war.  Personal expression and exploration.  Music.  Environmentalism.  Religion.  Implications of race and gender on life experience.  Diversity.  Activism.  Love.  Economic disparity and social justice.  The power of friendship and trust.

I've been able to see two live theatrical productions of Hair.  I sure hope there are more in my future.  The music, the message...they just fill me up with their emotive power.

Below are a random smattering of lyrics which stop me and make me think, in one way or another.

"Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derision"

"I believe that now is a time
For all men to come
To the aid of love
I believe in love!"

"My soul is in orbit
With God face to face"

"There ain't no words
For the beauty, the splendor, the wonder
Of my...
Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it"

"There is a peculiar notion that elegant plumage
And fine feathers are not proper for the male
When actually
That is the way things are
In most species"

"How dare they try to end this beauty?"

"Welcome sulfur dioxide,
Hello carbon monoxide
The air, the air is everywhere
Breathe deep, while you sleep, breathe deep"

"We stop-look
At one another
Short of breath
Walking proudly in our winter coats
Wearing smells from laboratories
Facing a dying nation
Of moving paper fantasies
Listening for the new told lies
With supreme visions of lonely tunes"

"Good morning starshine, the earth says hello
You twinkle above us, we twinkle below"

"Walking in space
We find the purpose of peace
The beauty of life
You can no longer hide
Our eyes are open"

"It's a dirty little war"

"How can people be so heartless
How can people be so cruel
Easy to be hard
Easy to be cold
How can people have no feelings
How can they ignore their friends
Easy to be proud
Easy to say no
Especially people who care about strangers
Who care about evil and social injustice
Do you only care about the bleeding crowd
How about a needing friend
I need a friend"

"President of
The United States of Love"

"My hair like Jesus wore it
Hallelujah I adore it
Hallelujah Mary loved her son
Why don't my mother love me?"

All photos from Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Fall 2017