Bliss: A musical exploration of the Hero’s Journey
It’s easy to understand how the various measures taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19 from early 2020 to present day was incredibly life-altering for so many people. Most of us are still working through the wreckage of the last three years and I think many of us have gained a new understanding of the value of life.
I’m embarrassed to say that the pandemic was one of the most productive periods of my life because it spurred me into action AND my family was around the house on a regular basis.
I used the time to reflect on our perilous relationship with time and our surroundings and tapped into the wisdom of Joseph Campbell and many others to explore various themes related to the Hero’s Journey, or monomyth.
The monomyth tracks twelve stages of a person’s life as they live with purpose. In the early days of youth, people may not be fully aware of what their purpose is, but friends, family and the fates have a funny way of pushing us into action.
Here’s a snapshot of the monomyth:
Once we realized that the lockdowns and other drastic measures might be here to stay for a while, I got the gear I needed to record music at home and finished putting together twelve demo songs that I plan on re-recording over the summer of 2023.
In the process, I compiled lyrics for these songs that track the hero from early days to decisions and turning points to dealing with depression and other anxieties associated with time and what we’re here for.
I also challenged myself to write in different keys, used colours as guides for each song, abided by the tenets of Alcoholics Anonymous, dabbled with some astrology and much more.
What follows is my lyrical interpretation of the monomyth as described by Joseph Campbell. Each song is presented as a new chapter and includes a summary of the ideas and themes in the song followed by the lyrics that I wrote over the last two years.
I hope you gain some insights into my take on life.