Last night, I saw pianist Tim Minchin play at the Wilbur Theater in Boston with two of my friends, Dave and Matt. I never heard of the guy before a few weeks ago when Dave asked if I wanted to go.
Not having many expectations going into it, I have to say I was absolutely blown away. This guy is a genius. For one thing, he’s incredibly talented musically. But more even than that, he has an impeccable sense of word choice that evokes the perfect mix of both intellectual and aesthetic stimulation. Perhaps the best example of that was his nine-minute beat poem, “Storm,” which is the story of a party conversation about homeopathy and mysticism:
One of the things I like about Minchin’s attitude toward mysticism (including religion) is that, as gruff and in your face as it can be, it’s playful and not intentionally offensive. Don’t get me wrong: He undoubtedly offends a lot of people (if you doubt, google his “Pope Song”). However, compared with someone like Richard Dawkins, who holds many similar views and makes many similar arguments, I have to say I much prefer Tim’s approach to topics like religion and mysticism.
I also like that Minchin is not a one-topic man. He has a fair number of songs that have nothing to do with the irrationality of mysticism and religion, and they are just as great. The song “Dark Side” is a sometimes angsty reflection on his apparent lack of angst. In “Prejudice” he gingerly addresses the oft-ignored issue of bigotry, and he provides us with keen insight into the ubiquitous problem of myopia in the initially uncomfortable song “Context.”
But where Minchin really shines is in his attitude on love. Of course there’s the quintessential song about a blow-up doll called “Inflatable You” (which reminded me vaguely of Jonathan Coulton’s “A Laptop Like You”). And then there’s the gentle reminder in “If I Didn’t Have You” that, without the special love of his wife, Minchin would probably be with somebody else, since it’s statistically impossible that she is the only one for him:
All in all, I am definitely now a fan of Minchin. You should check him out.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.