When I got to the top of Resolution trail today, which is a bit of a balancing act, I heard this wonderful guitar serenade to the sun.
So I settled in for some snacks, and asked about his influences, suggesting that I heard a more melodic and modern James Taylor. I got a fascinating story of his personal journey and the curative properties of music.
Rick Matthew has played music vigorously since he was a child, as an escape from the PTSD that he was suffering from child abuse. He could not perform for others without reverberating into a nervous breakdown. It had always been a personal and intimate exploration for him. Now 53, he plans to record his first album – a clear shift from escape to autotelic flow. He is taking the first step toward sharing his music by performing trail-side, with occasional passing mountain bikers.
I asked if he was familiar with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow, and sure enough, he had studied him for five years. When I got back to flickr, I was surprised to find a similarity to my prior reference to Flow: the suspension of time, the freedom of complete absorption in activity…
He kicked off one particularly moving song with the introduction
Here’s a little gift from the unconscious.
It has a very peculiar sequence of notes…. And a haunting opening
Sometimes, I wish the angels would protect me…
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