hill with a view

http://www.larrynorman.com/multimedia.html

perhaps lingering too long on Norman

"The light of hope, however, that lifts my spirit is the knowledge that Larry's profound contribution to the work of God's Kingdom is eternal and that his struggles with his own demons is over."
-Randy Stonehill
February 25, 2008

The past few posts have been on Larry Norman. I've had Larry on my mind this week for some strange reason. I haven't had time to dig up his CD's and listen to them. A movie was released a few months ago about the man - Fallen Angel: The Outlaw Larry Norman. I doubt if it will ever play in my neck of the woods, but maybe it'll end up online one of these days. Fallen Angel is produced by the same people that recently made the one about Lonnie Frisbee. Frisbee's story has been compared to that of Samson - and Norman to King David. Both movies tell the stories of two very flawed leaders of the Jesus Movement. I have such mixed feelings about these talented men who allowed themselves to be bested by their personal demons. Norman broke Stonehill's heart with his indiscretions - causing a divide between their friendships.

Stonehill did the soundtrack for the movie, and was also interviewed in it. The trailer can be seen on youtube. I don't know what good such a movie does. Does the producer of this film revel in these Christian's failures? Maybe we need to see these lives honestly, not just what we want to see or remember.

I respect Norman's talent and his great contribution to the Jesus Movement. What do you do with evangelists that fall from grace amid the whole world watching? It's all so bittersweet. Frisbee died of AIDS and Norman's heart eventually gave way. The enemy so wants to take out those servants with such great influence. It's heartbreaking. We can not truly serve God and think we can cohabitate with our sins. We truly need to always be pursuing holiness unto the Lord. Yes, there is grace and forgiveness - but our sin - will always taint our offering. God be on all saints living. Keep us true to your calling. Keep us close and help us keep close to you. I don't want to miss your mark with my meager offering.

2004 interview

Norman gives a great interview. There's a lot of background noise, but his voice is very clear. Good stuff.

a small circle of friends

I'd never heard nor seen this version of Norman's 'Song For A Small Circle of Friends'. Here Norman really delivers a lot more than lyric in this lighthearted love song for his friends. I really like this version because its playfulness. I've never seen Larry Norman in concert. This video gives me a closer look at the man I've only known through vinyl recordings all these years. The version of 'Song For A Small Circle of Friends' that I am acquainted with was from his 'Bootleg' LP release in 1972. The lyrics are slightly altered, but the names were not changed to protect the innocent. If you love Norman - you'll appreciate this.

forced to sing good news

My pastor, Jim Bentley, unintentionally unleashed an old repressed memory of mine. It wasn't a painful memory - just a crappy experience I had as a young teenager. Jim had mentioned Ralph Carmichael's 'Good News' during the service yesterday. His youth group sang it back in the late sixties.  The kids at Bellevue United Methodist Church sang it in the mid-seventies.

Our choir director/youth pastor was all about pulling the kids together and hitting the road. My mother talked me into by using Brooky as bait. She said that I would like being part of this because Brook was going to be playing guitar with the youth choir. Everyone would go on a tour and sing - then all go to Disney World afterward. Now, like any red blooded American kid, I liked the idea of Disney World. The reason I signed on was because Brooky was going to be going too. No way did I like the idea of having all my Sunday nights taken up with choir practice. Brook was there for some of the practices, but pulled out of the choir just prior to the purchase of the choir's matching polyester outfits.

Talk about adding insult to injury. The outfits were not only tacky, but terribly uncomfortable. White and cobalt blue checkered pants, purchased from Owens Men's Wear in East Gadsden. The pants felt like you were wearing Slinky's on each leg. Touring around in those blue pants in the middle of Summer made me aware of every drop of sweat beading out of my poor body. The inseam of at polyester nightmare wore a kid's crotch raw. I wanted to pull out like Brook did, but it was too late. The outfits were already purchased and I HAD TO GO.

We drove all around the pan-handle of Florida singing at various Methodist churches in that yellow non-air conditioned school bus that had been painted up to look like the Partridge Family 's bus. It was a miserable trip. Sing somewhere and then get back into that yellow cattle car and drive and drive down that road in that damn child broiler. Hours upon hours in that insufferable heat with no way to sleep in those upright school bus seats. I remember stretching out beneath the bench seats on the rubber mat that was the flooring. The vibration kept the naps from being very long.

The only upside to that trip was losing 25 pounds of weight in the two weeks during that trip. With the heat and the loss of appetite for fast food at virtually every stop.  By the last shows on the trip, I was bowing out. I was sick of the outfits, sick of the music, sick of the cheesy Christian faux joy. SICK I TELL YOU! I can still hear the music in my head all those long decades afterward. I swore off musicals and choirs after that venture. I wasn't going to get lured into one again.

Well...a few years later my sister and brother in-law were over the Central United Methodist youth. I wasn't going to get in their musical, 'Naphtali' by John Fisher. Like an idiot, I let Jennie persuade me to 'help them' with this musical. Well, shame on me, it was truly the last time I was suckered into a choir/musical.

Never again.