Review: TEDXNASHVILE MIXTAPE at Analog

Music has been used to tell stories for centuries. No matter how complex or simple the lyrics might be, they tell different types of stories. On June 24th, I returned to the Analog at the Hutton Hotel for a special evening of music and storytelling with TEDxNashville Mixtape. For those who aren’t familiar with a TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) Talk, it’s a short and powerful presentation designed to share ideas and inspire people. TEDxNashville is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. This particular event was a collaboration between the program and the Come Together Music Project, which holds sessions in which guests share songs that remind them of certain moments in their lives and explain the stories behind their song choices. Hosted by CTMP founder Shaka Mitchell, the evening introduced the audience to Grammy-nominated recording artist Blessing Offor and physician, writer, and astronaut Eiman Jahangir. From Broadway tunes to classic rock songs, TEDxNashville Mixtape is such a rich experience that will have you carefully planning out the soundtrack of your life.

Before the event even started, both ‌guests were given a series of questions. The catch was that they had to answer the question with a song. They would then give the songs to the host so that snippets of the songs could be played at the event. For instance, the first question was, “What’s a song that connects you to where you come from?” Blessing Offor answered with “Grandma’s Hands” by Bill Withers, and then about thirty seconds of the song played. Blessing shared that he was born in a Nigerian village and that he compared “Grandma’s Hands” to his mother and how she cared for him. Eiman Jahangir is originally from Iran, and his song was “Man Amadeh-Am”, which means “I have come” or “I am here”. While plenty of artists have covered the song over the years, Eiman went with the song’s original artist, Iranian pop star Googoosh. Described by Eiman as “Iranian Madonna”, she was popular in the 60s until the Iranian Revolution occurred in 1979 and Iran silenced female singers. She left Iran in 2000 and revived her music career. The song is about romance, but Eiman picked it for the moment he moved to America as a way of saying, “I have arrived in the US.” It was very interesting to hear how those songs fit into the guests’ life stories.

The rest of the evening was insightful. The questions ranged from, “What song fits the time you discovered your professional calling?”, to, “What’s a song you’d add to a young person’s playlist?” Sometimes the answers would be songs in very different styles. Blessing’s song that fit the time he discovered his professional calling was “Love’s In Need of Love” by Stevie Wonder. Ironically, Stevie and Blessing are both blind, and Blessing couldn’t help but wonder if that connection was the reason his third grade teacher recommended the iconic singer to him. Eiman’s song choice was pretty surprising, and I couldn’t help but bop my head as “Clint Eastwood” by Gorillaz played in the space. After joking that we were probably expecting “Rocketman” because he’s an astronaut, he explained that the song came out when he was in med school and it was reassurance that he was on track. For the songs that they’d add to a young person’s playlist, they both picked similar songs. Eiman’s pick was “We Are The Champions” by Queen, and he shared that “it’s ok that it’s not easy because we are all champions of our own lives.” Blessing’s pick was the legendary “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey, stating that “what you’re doing when no one is looking is what matters”. 

This wasn’t the last question of the evening, but I wanted to save it for last because it most likely had the biggest impact on the audience. The question was, “What’s a song that reminds you of someone or something that you had lost?” Blessing had a moving story behind his pick of “Defying Gravity” from Wicked. When he lived in New York, he had a gay friend named Aaron Galinda Bradley. He was so gay that he named his liver transplants after Glinda and Elphaba, and Eiman later informed the audience to please not name their organs. Sadly, the new kidneys failed, and Aaron passed away. When his casket was carried away at his funeral, the speakers played an audio recording of Aaron singing “Defying Gravity” badly. Blessing described it as “the most Aaron thing ever”. Eiman’s pick was “Hurt” by Johnny Cash. While Eiman has dealt with several deaths of patients, the hardest ones are those who die unexpectedly. He lost a young patient the same night that Johnny Cash passed away. After both guests shared their picks, host Shaka encouraged the audience to share their picks for the same question with each other during a brief intermission. Even with trips to the bathroom and the bar, we found the time to share our stories of loss.

Before I wrap up this review, I’d like to share a song that reminds me of someone or something I had lost. I will keep this short because it’s pretty long and I don’t want to get into TMI territory. Three years ago, my then-boyfriend and I got into a huge fight because he left me behind at an event that I really wanted him to be at. Again, I won’t go into too many details, but it turned into a much bigger issue. Hours after our fight, I decided to play “Exile” by Taylor Swift ft. Bon Iver on my way to a party. The song is about a relationship that fell apart due to a lack of communication. I hid away from my friends at the party to cry, with only animals as witnesses (it was on a farm). My boyfriend and I decided to take a break until the end of the month, and then we broke up. The loss that “Exile” reminds me of isn’t the loss of my relationship; it reminds me of my loss of trust in people. Now I don’t really expect people to be there for me, even when they say they will. Ironically, this awful moment led to “Exile” being my favorite Taylor Swift song of all time.

All in all, I thought the show was well-organized and thought-provoking. It certainly had me thinking how I’d answer the questions. Shaka Mitchell came up with some good questions, and he added some good input, like how his daughter likes “We Are The Champions”. Both of the guests were very lively, and I liked how they interacted with the audience during and after the show. I accidentally showed up to the venue early, and I got to meet Blessing before the doors even opened. I admitted that I was there early because I had nothing else to do, and he stated that he “admired my honesty”. When I met Eiman after the show, he said that he liked how I was jamming out to the songs in the audience. I always knew that music was a great form of storytelling, but it’s interesting how one little song can define a specific moment in our lives.

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