A book editor's Most Important Sound

On the outside, she has short brown 20s bob, and walks with a little bend. Her glasses have a strong, trendy look, and she dresses in clothes that can only be described as always absolutely appropriate. Her words have a metaphysical flavor, and they roll off her tongue with precise, elaborate diction and creative metaphors. She looks and talks exactly how I expect a book editor ought--and well she might, for she works at one of the oldest political publication agencies in the country.

She told me, as she leaned on the wall separating my doorless office from the general hallway, that she categorizes the world in colors. Decades have colors--dark brown is always a bad thing, and light blue is a good thing. The 20s and 60s have dark browns. The 1780s have a sky-blue.

I asked her what color F sharp was. She said a brown or grey. But see, for things other than decades, that is not a bad thing.

Then I asked what she thought was the most important sound in the world.

"Waves on a beach," she said immediately. "That is just the most beautiful sound in the world."

To her, important means beautiful, and important means dreams.

She told me she would like to have a home on a bluff overlooking the sea, and hear those waves all day long.

"Oh, yes, I know exactly what you mean!" I said. "I can see like fields of heather on top!"

"And sitting all alone, can you see my little cottage?"

"Oh yes I can!"

Can you?

89.9 Positive Hits Radio Show Host weighs in on Most Important Sound

Theresa speaks very much for herself. Clearly, God is the most important thing in the world to her, but in a very particular way, a way that has to do with children, hope, and music, speaking to her as a mother, a Christian, and a radio host. I think it's very pretty.

Sent by Ravens (hard rock) and their Most Important Sounds

So yeah, it took me a little while to get this last one up finally, but here it is! I'll have two more in the "AwakeningFest" series coming this week, so do stay tuned.  After that, I have another sound project set from a sheep festival (weird, huh)!

I think the security guard who helped me get these said it best.  "It's that instant reaction," Kate C. said, and went on to explain that the interest in the question comes for her from seeing people's momentary reaction.  An alarm, a siren--these are things that people instantly react to, things that stir people's blood and let them know danger stalks, or awaits in a business suit, or approaches in the form of a missed school-bus. These sounds become the Most Important Sound because we instinctually respond, and because they save our lives.

The instant, spur-of-the-moment hypothesis Kate offered also fits nicely with the other answers. To musicians, music is like your alarm. It's the thing that keeps you alive. It's the sound that protects you, or with which you warn the world. I think, anyway. Not being much of a musician myself, I'm not sure I know. The sound of the wind follows nicely from music, because it's a sound that culturally we associate with music and poetry. If Kate's theory is correct, the first answer, aside from being funny, highlights what pops out into Zach's head when he hears "important"--his wife. (cue d'aaaaaaawww)

So if you had to go on a gunshot gut reaction, what do you think when you hear "important"? How would that change your MIP answer?

Hawk Nelson and their Most Important Sounds (AwakeningFest 3)

Every time I say "the sound of music" I begin to sing my favorite things parody in my head. I even made a video of that song. It's kind of awful, but I feel obligated to link to it for full disclosure of my hownottoblog failure.  Anyway, here's Hawk Nelson!

I apologize for the awful quality. They wouldn't let me take video, and the AwakeningFest bands in the back were makin' a heaven-uva lotta noise.

But again we see the relationality sound holds for people in the "my wife saying she loves me" answer, and the career/life orientation in "music." The funny thing is, in the years of asking this question, no one has ever said "music" as the MIP--except musicians.

I love, too, how everyone interprets the question differently. Perhaps this is a sign of a bad interview in normal reporting, but for an art project like this, which is meant to showcase humanity (as is all art), I think it's beautiful. Mr. Benner answered "what is the most important sound to me," I think Mr. Dunn answered "what is the most influential sound in the world," and Mr. Biro answered "what is the perfect sound." I love how this question not only shows what sounds are important, but how different people define important!
How do you define important? And have you told me yet what you think is the most important sound?

Help! Metal Band Disciple Sounds Off, But I Missed a Man

These guys are Kevin / Micah / Andrew / Israel and Trent.

Andrew is the guy who has question marks over his head in the subtitles. I am absolutely embarrassed to say I can't remember what Andrew said there. Please comment and help me solve the riddle of the 'sound that makes us all equal again.'

The point is made, however, even if I cannot solve the riddle. Some things make us equal, and the kind of music we listen to or the kind of sounds we prefer often label our socioeconomic status or inner sensibility. I don't know if that's how it should be--should we be labelled by our music? Or is it a good thing that you can often extrapolate to a person's inside based on what they like to hear? What say you?

Another interesting observation these guys bring up: the things dearest to our hearts are, quite obviously, often mothers and children. I don't believe that's biological wiring. I believe that's biological wiring meant to represent the state of human hearts. But of course, those kind of metaphors and things are not for here, but for here. What kind of sounds remind you of your mother? Are children a positive auditory experience for you? Just some stuff to think about.

And of course--who doesn't want to be poetic? Cicadas are pretty cool, Mr. Kevin, even though I know you were in a hurry to go. XD What kind of sounds do you think are the most poetic or clever, people? And the original sound, "eeeee" raises a similar question. What kind of sounds strike you, personally, as the most funny?

Hope that gave you guys some food for thought today. Again, this project is about you, thinking about life and what matters to you!

AwakeningFest: Hip-hop Group Grits Sounds off

AwakeningFest 2011. I got to ask a bunch of great musicians what they think the most important sound is! BigCof and Bonafide both agree that music is the sound that defines the world for them.

Unlike a lot of musicians, these gentlemen needed no time to think. Maybe that's because they're rappers, and quick with their mouths. Or maybe they were in a hurry. But to me, their certainty shouts that music really is important to them--it's their living after all--and it's cool to see that in the way they answered.

Not that a pensive, slower response means anything less. Simply that GRITS decided a long time ago that they would serve their world, themselves, and their God through music. For a lot of musicians like GRITS, music really is the most important sound in the world.

Check in with me tomorrow to see what the metal band Disciple said!

Common Responses, #1: Water

I remember the first time, several years ago, I asked my little question to the tall, business-like African man on his way home to Cote d'Ivoire in the bustling airport terminal.
"Water," he said.
Did he have a particular preference?  Raindrops, rivers, oceans?  What was really the most important sound, and why?
Over the past three years, all kinds of people have answered water.  Water makes up most of our planet, they say--of course it's the sound that defines the world.  Others say that a particular water sound, like raindrops, comforts them.  Water sustains life, some point out, so of course its sounds matter the most.
The different answers often come from varying understandings of the question.  Is it, "what is the most important sound in the world to you?"  Or, as I often clarify, "what is the sound that defines the world and breaks it down in a nutshell?"  Or simply, the most important sound?  I prefer to let respondents choose which question to answer, to let them choose kind of information they divulge through this intimate query.
To anyone out there who thinks water is the most important sound--what kind of water sound matters most to you?  What kind of memories does water bring back?
Read my water memory (and this photo's background) here.
Have a lovely day.

P.S. Tomorrow is my first celebrity interview for this site.  Get psyched!