One very early Tuesday morning last year I was awaken by a phone call from a close friend. She told me to immediately turn on the TV and watch the news. What I was about to see that morning was to change my life. Unfolding before my eyes was the destruction of New York City and Twin Towers. I watched the panic stricken faces and the tragedy unfold but for some reason my mind was a blank. I just lay there in my bed numb from the shock and disbelief. Everything looked like a scene from a movie but the horror was that it was a reality.
Many weeks passed before I could even begin to fathom the September 11th attacks. I came to realize that this wasn’t about politics, religions or an attack on one specific country but an atrocity committed against our world and on mankind. I was deeply hurt and somehow felt that this was an attack on me personally. As I helplessly watched the news that day at home I started to ask myself what I could do to help. Yes, I could fly to New York and volunteer as a relief worker or perhaps I could make donations to the Red Cross. But what could I do as a musician and public person ? Then I remembered something I had read when I about twelve. It was the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14) and it spoke of a story of a man who gave his talents (one talent was more than a thousand dollars in those days) to three of his servants before leaving on a journey. After returning from his trip, the man asked his servants what they had done with the money he had given them. Two of them had invested the money and made twofold the profit. However, the last servant hid the talent in the ground in fear of taking a loss in any kind of investment. The wealthy man was furious when he heard this and ordered that this servant be thrown out into the streets and his talents given to the other servants.
While I’ve always known about this parable I never fully understood how it applied to me or how I could put it into practice. I realized that God has given me abilities that I need to put to work. More importantly, I need to use these talents not just to make music but to make music that celebrates light, life and love. We are all given talents and abilities by God (or whatever divine power you believe in) but are we making the best of then and how ? This is a question I frequently ask myself.
After discovering this new meaning for making this album I began to worry and question about whether people wound want to listen to what I had to say or if it was even relevant. I knew one thing for sure and that was I couldn’t just act as if nothing had happened. The world is a different place today (and so am I) than it was five years ago or even a year ago and I simply couldn’t envision myself continuing to make music only for entertainment purposes that didn’t reflect the world we live in. I’ve always seen music as a responsibility and privilege but also as a gift from the Lord. Therefore, this album holds even more meaning to me., as I believe it is a gift of love and hope. And I firmly believe that love is what we need in our world today.
I am excited to finally be able to share this album wit you. Thank for being so patient and for believing in my music. Please accept these songs as a gift from all of us to you. God Bless.
August2,2002 11:56 a.m. Taipei
这是david写在专辑扉页上的话.所有的东西都这样呈现在那里,无须我们多说什么.
And last but NOT LEAST, I would like to thank all my fans and supporters everywhere and wherever you are. I’m not one to chat with you guys online and stuff but it doesn't mean I don't care about you guys. You're in my hearts and I made this album for you. Please accept this album as a gift frome me. It is a musical picture of my feelings and life but it is also about your life. Find the lamp that lights up your path and walk it with love and compassion. God Bless.
这是daivd在专辑最后写给歌迷的话.
在随专辑发送的<David Tao-Love#1>无声音乐摄影手记中,david写道:
Knowledge is love. They say knowledge is power. However, many people confuse knowledge with a college education or perhaps what they read in books. Knowledge is what you know in your heart and not just what you store in your brain. Knowledge is being spiritually wealthy.
We Chinese people invest very little money and time in the advancement of the arts and culture. Our national budget for the Arts and Culture is among the lowest of the "advanced" countries in the world. We see the arts simply as a form of entertainment or perhaps as a hobby. The Arts are ofter overlooked in schools and universities giving way to more "important" and serious subjects. Children are ofter frowned upon if they wish to major in the Arts or if they wish to pursue a career in the Arts. A career or major in the Arts is seen as unrealistic and useless. We fail to see, however, that through the arts and culture we learn to appreciate the beauty of life. Through the arts, we see the fragility of humanity and the importance of love in this world.
The importance of art and culture has long been ignored and underestimated by us for too long. Our government constantly steals money from its people and secretly puts it into its own pocket. What about our children? What about education? We spend millions building skyscrapers, banks, restaurants, etc. but when was the last time you heard someone building a new school? Or what about the advancement of the arts and culture in programs and classes taught in our schools, colleges and universities?
The mark of a great country and race is not how much wealth or power it has but how much love and tolerance its citizens have. I truly believe that this can only come through the education of our children in the arts and culture. A society with wealth but no love or knowledge is a violent society. Don't let our society and race fail to violence. It's already happening today. Do something about it.
这些本来与音乐无关,但当david的音乐与他那段时间的情感全然联系起来的时候,我们不能放下他的这些想法和关注.只是看这些话,从某种意义上来说,david更像是一个说教者,而他想用自己的影响,把自己的一些想法传播给大众.在专辑扉页中,他所说的I came to realize that this wasn’t about politics, religions or an attack on one specific country but an atrocity committed against our world and on mankind并非是指责某个组织某个人的某个行为,而是对于引起这种行为的原因的思考.它不是两个宗教或者国家之间的问题,不是谁对谁错的问题,在这个时候,我们感受到的是人性中某种痛苦的东西,一种扭曲,对于人性本身的灾难.人和人之间的和谐被破坏了.而维系人与人的,是他们之间的情感.
2. 今天晚间新闻 The World Today 02:12
Edited in 4 days by DT
这是一段新闻的快速剪辑,全部来自真实的新闻播报的声音.贯穿整段新闻的线索是天气,最近什么时候才会下雨,一直到最后的下雨.而所有的新闻剪辑反映的都是人与人的冲突,暴力...展现的是一个悲剧的世界,听到这些,只是感受到沉重,因为那确实是我们所生活的真实世界(如果说媒体呈现的世界是真实的话).那些是真实的东西,似乎爱只是存在于我们的心里,存在于理想里.这是一种无奈.但我们不能坐以待毙.我们还有一些东西可以化解这些冲突.
妈妈,我好想你,我真的好想给你一个拥抱.
未来要如何重建,暂时还没有答案.
然后是沉重的鼓声,带我们进入一个新的世界.
3. Dear God 05:28
曲: DT 词: DT&娃娃
david在911以后写的歌.是对于晚间新闻的一个延续,但却加入了自己的情感.听这样的歌会让人心碎,我们的现实确实是如此的,没有办法逃避,这个鬼地方是我的家.人的自私,对他人的敌对,"计算逃避人人都在玩游戏""在这个世界上爱已经被忘记".仿佛是david求助于god,希望god能帮助人们重新找到那些失去的东西.在经历很多事情以前,我们都不能懂得一些事情的意义.那是一种对于现实的愤怒."是惩罚是考验"好象包含着一些基督教的东西.
这是专辑的转折点.
Our government constantly steals money from its people and secretly puts it into its own pocket. What about our children? What about education? We spend millions building skyscrapers, banks, restaurants, etc. but when was the last time you heard someone building a new school? Or what about the advancement of the arts and culture in programs and classes taught in our schools, colleges and universities?
