You are the Music

By terryhershey | January 24th, 2010

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The painting is the work of Ra Ra Schlitt — an artist,
Sabbath Moment reader, and lover of life


To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best day and night to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight and never stop fighting.

ee cummings

Last night I watched the movie Taking Woodstock. It is based on the memoir of Elliot Tiber (played by Demetri Martin), “Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert, and a Life.” Elliot is a mild-mannered, semicloseted gay interior decorator who had been living in New York, Greenwich Village. Elliot returns to the Catskills in order to help his parents (Jake and Sonia, immigrated Jews from Russia) keep afloat their financially failing, and badly degraded, motel. As the head of Bethel’s Chamber of Commerce, Elliot offers the motel as a home base for the promoters of Woodstock Ventures, after the company loses its permit for an arts festival, in the nearby town of Wallkill. The rest is history.

Elliot also takes inspiration from Vilma (Liev Schreiber), a ferociously masculine, kindhearted, cross-dressing, former Marine, who appears at the motel and provides its security. He wears a long blonde wig, and heels. In one exchange between Elliot and Vilma;

“Does my Dad know what you are?”

“Elliot,” Vilma tells him, “I know what I am. That does make it easier for everyone else doesn’t it?”


For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same; there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.

Benjamin Button (Movie voice over—letter to his daughter)

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3 Comments

  1. Melinda Patton
    Posted January 27, 2010 at 5:55 am | Permalink

    >Love the painting! And the words…your words and the quotes you find to go with them are always so inspiring. What must it be like to be who we are.

  2. Paula
    Posted January 27, 2010 at 5:37 pm | Permalink

    >What a great blog this morning…..and a great reminder..when you feel less than to remember that…you are enough…and if you don't like what you see…you can always change it up!!

  3. Suchin
    Posted January 27, 2010 at 7:30 pm | Permalink

    >Amazing! My email signature is that quote of Eliot's. "You are the music while the music lasts."

    I totally love Eliot. Love the painting as well, so perfect for the quote.

    I'm feeling rather blessed here reading this post and seeing the painting in the sunshine of sympatico souls.

    Am so glad you started this blog.

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