Diggin' For Inspiration...

[Paranoia]

Good afternoon all!

 

So, I've been working on this concept album off and on for a long time now, and it's changed a bit over time as I've defined it, as you'd expect. It's called Delusion, and it's going to deal with two major themes-

 

* the dangers of pride, and

* karmic retribution and reincarnation.

 

The idea being that for every 'bad' action the protagonist of the concept album does, borne out of his pride, something bad happens to him in turn- karmic debt. I ended up doing a bit of research on Hinduism and Buddhism, and what I got out of that was, there's a belief that if you die with karmic debt, your soul is reborn into another life and you go another round. So there is the reincarnation theme of the album- it is cyclical, the end of the album and the beginning should match up and the story gets retold.

 

Now, my issue... I have a (tentative) beginning to the story. I have a well-defined end to the song. But I don't have the major event- the fall from grace. And believe me, I've spent quite some time now looking for inspiration. Here was a particularly good one. Apologies for the TvTropes link; see you in a week when you manage to break out.

 

They say pride always comes before a fall.

 

Do you have any stories of a particularly spectacular fall from grace? Right now, I'm running short of things to spark my imagination... though I am thinking it would have to be some sort of 'challenge' that the protagonist fails.

 

Any help you can provide here would be much appreciated... and believe me, I'm fully aware you can't write my thing for me, and that is just the way I like it too. But if you have inspiration to share, I'd gladly look it over.

[Paranoia]

I can see how you earned the 'Sage' part of your name =P

 

You are right about the TvTropes link, and now that you've mentioned it I can see that this is what's been bothering me about it, and some of the many other sources I've looked at. What the TvTropes link did have going for it, though, was such a wide variety of sources. I was planning on going through the list with a fine-tooth comb for ideas, but I do believe I'll skip that now.

 

The 'fall from grace', as I'd described it, did have a profound impact on the way the protagonist thought- but rather than fighting to make it up, I had him retreat into his own world, pushing his friends away and becoming a recluse, effectively. Everyone deals with things differently, I suppose =P

 

You have given me much to think over, however, so my thanks. I will say, only a few hours after I posted this last night, that I decided to try the angle that my protagonist would be a rising rock prodigy, incredibly dedicated to his craft... but to what expense? We will have to see =P

[Beatles4ever]

Hi P

 

    I have kind of a strange take on this subject that might be ironic in its own way. This would be a story of someone who actually had everything going for him or a certain gift or talent but never got to the top and loathed everyone and everything he thought inferior to his own existence that got ahead of him in life. I think everyone to a point can to relate to that angle...lol Mine being that I think my songs are far better than anything being played on the radio these days...I digress.

 

    Anyways...a person that I know who will remain nameless was a very good guitarist. Even went out to California back in the 80s to see if he could get in with your hair metal bands of the day, kind of a gun for hire. He ended up being a stage guitar tech hand, yep, stringed guitars tested cables etc. Probably thought he was better than the dude who was on stage but never got the chance. He was good, but then again, many good to great guitar players headed out there to do the same thing. His plan of making it big didnt pan out and moved back to the midwest....but I give him credit for trying.

 

  Anyways....years later he still occasionally plays in a bar band and for him that's his spotlight or rose coloured glasses moment. But you know in his voice that he realizes that his time had come and gone. 

 

    I asked him why he never gave lessons at the guitar shop. I said, "Wouldn't it be cool if someone you tutored down the road would make it big or semi-big?'  And his answer was,"No, I dont want to feed the competition." I was awe struck by his answer. Competition? Who was he competing with? It was funny, though knowing full well he wasnt going anywhere that he still had this territorial aspiration still going on in his mind.

   I mean If I had something to do with inspiring another novice artist like myself and they got lucky and got a recording deal, I would at least have the pleasure of telling people I knew so and so when he/she was just starting to write songs.

  Again, this guy can play circles around me in guitar playing ability(which isnt hard to do with me..lol) but strangely enough lacked a certain signature style or the ability to be creative in his own right. So, I think the pride angle I was getting at here is irony of being good in your own mind and not being able to see why others dont think so as much. Kinda twilight zone-ish.

 

just my two cents worth

Beatle Jim

Edited December 6, 2013 by Beatles4ever