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Haha, I was wondering what prompted the facebook add!

Yeah, no one responded.  No one checks here anymore.  I think ALP will win tomorrow, but I still want the Libs to win.  If it's a hung parliament, I'd almost rather they don't.

But apparently Abbott isn't sleeping for the rest of the campaign.  So if he wins it, he will be off his nut when he makes his speech.

Aww, and no one responded to yer baiting! Alas.

I logged because I felt like getting REALLY REALLY infuriated.

This is pathetic, guys! Back to fb...

Australia's got it's first female PM.  I'm happy Rudd is gone, but hopefully that doesn't decieve the Aussie public into thinking we are getting anything different at the next election from the ALP.  They will still run with head-in-the-sand politiics.

At the recent All Together Marathon, Armpits (on behalf of Graffiti magazine) had the privilege of speaking with well known worship songwriter & All Together editor Robin Mann.  Robin shared his thoughts on worship music as well as giving us some insight into the All Together music series.

Armpits:  G?day Robin.  Thanks for joining us for both this interview and the Altogether Marathon.  The All Together songs are great for private worship but they are very much geared toward community singing.  Why do you believe community singing is important?

Robin Mann: Community is at the heart of Christianity. Being a solo Christian is almost a contradiction in terms. Singing together is a great expression of that community. And like all of God?s creation, every community singing time is a unique-one time only event.
?The Body of Christ?, ?Love one another?, May they be one?, ?Please others not ourselves?: these phrases and many others are scattered through the NT. Community singing is hardly less fashionable than any of those ideals.

A: What criteria do you place on songs for them to be in the Altogether books, as opposed to other collections of songs you?ve released?

RM:  A singable tune, not too wide a range, a song not quite like any other. Words that reflect the faith, are true to the faith. Personally I prefer lyrics that speak in everyday language & avoid ?religious? words. Words & ideas that are not too individualistic. I like an old quote that says ?A hymn writer is a poet under vows of restraint?.

A: What is your favourite All Together Book?  The Green one?

RM:  Sometimes I like one more than another. Typically, when I?ve been involved in putting one together, THAT?S my favourite. While I really like the green & orange collections (not as keen on the blue) I also like the 3 later books. While they haven?t sold as many as the earlier ones (especially the green) I think they each have lots of good songs. Both Dorothy & I would tend to say the red book?s the best collection of the lot ? great songs from Ylvisaker, Bell, Farrell, Watts, Holmes, the occasional Mann, some good African & Latin American ones, plus the best bunch of kids songs (superbly sung by the kids from Wagga Wagga on the CDs).

A: The All Together books contain a lot of variety, from Old Hymns to Hillsong.  It also includes classics like ?Amazing Grace? & ?Kumbayah?.  How come ?A Mighty Fortress is Our God? was never included?

RM: The 2 songs you mention were not in the LCA hymnbook when ATA came out ?(I heard the voice of Jesus? was). But several songs since have been in both (?Lord of all hopefulness, O dearest Jesus [new words]) & also some old hymn tunes.  Personal choice of course, but I think some traditional hymns are more amenable to modern ears than others.

A: Are there any All Together songs you regret including?  ?Christmas in the Scrub? perhaps?

RM: Quite a few ? all except the last book were compiled by committees. The one you mention is one I?m very happy to sing (every Christmas time), as are all of Leigh Newton?s. (His ?Lamb of God? & ?What is this scene? are 2 of the best in the purple book)

A: Which All Together songs do you feel are under-rated?

RM: Where do I start? My personal Top 20 would include some of the Vic LSF?s Top 24, but others too

A: Which All Together songs do you find yourself returning to the most?

RM:  Firstly, my own! Too many others to mention, but Farrell, Ylvisaker, Newton, Carter, Holmes, Bell, a couple of Paul Gioia?s, a Boucher or 2. John Beavis? ?New Road? & ?Give glory', Dave Brown?s ?Community? & ?Shape of a Cross? ?.

A: What role do you think emotions should play in worship?  Is it necessary for a worship song to be moving?

RM: Of course, but not so that the emotions overcome the content.  Scripture advises us to grow in faith & knowledge, not in being overcome with emotion.

A:  What would you like to see more of in worship music?

RM:  Celebration of God & what God has done, is doing, will do. The majority of current songs focus on how I feel. I?m a fickle, changeable creature. God is constant, God is love. We?re called to take up our cross & follow Jesus. Let?s tell the story of what God?s done & how it changes everything. Let?s sing songs of praise that are more than a list of religious clich?s.

A:  Definitely.  Does anything annoy you about worship music?

RM: Of course. See the above for a start. If it didn?t, I wouldn?t write songs for Christians. Too often musicians focus on performance, not participation. We should be like waiters in a restaurant, helping people enjoy the meal. Pious words, holy phrases ? Sydney Carter said years ago: ?Give me the word in the present tense?. Talk in ways that can invade my ordinary life, not escape from it. God got down & dirty in Jesus. So should we!

A: Who is your favourite songwriter?  Who influences your songwriting?

RM: Everything influences.  I grew up with the pop & pop-folk of the mid-to-late ?50?s & 60?s, along with Lutheran hymns, & some country music. Favourite writers are all over the place, but Dylan, Simon, Lennon-McCartney are basic. Many others come in: Carol King, Billy Joel, Joe Jackson, Billy Bragg, Sting ?.

A: I think Sting?s style of music would be too tricky for the All Together books!  What advice would you give to a songwriter writing worship songs?

RM:  So much, but first & foremost ? learn the faith, immerse yourself in the Bible again & again, & try seeing Jesus in unlikely places. He?s everywhere!

A: What?s your favourite thing about Jesus?

RM: Dunno about favourite, but Jesus is always surprising, unexpected, unpredictable, & fiercely anti-every establishment

A: Can you tell us any insights into the next All Together book? 

RM: Not sure there will be no.7 but hope so. The White Book called ?All Together with Angels, Archangels & All the Company of Heaven? is my current preference. We?ll see, but it?d be good to get one out in late 2011 or early 2012

A: I asked earlier about what you?d like to see more of in worship music.  If one of our readers wanted to contribute a song to a possible future edition of the All Together books, how should they go about it?

RM: Send the song to me, words & a recording (no matter how basic), plus a printed melody if possible.

A: Thanks again Robin.  You?ve given some really interesting & challenging comments and it?s great food for thought for anyone reading, particularly those involved in helping others worship our Lord through music.  We really appreciate you giving you us some time to share some insight as well as giving us a look behind the scenes of the All Together books, which have been a blessing to so many of us.  All the best with your calling going ahead.

Car

^ that sounds pretty fun to me!

2. get sunburnt

kara

i wonder if they'll ever fully reveal that mysterious woman

An Interview with Armpits special event will be posted soon.  I have an interview with Robin Mann in the can and will publish it at some stage.  It is appearing in Graffiti magazine in June so will probably put it up here closer to that date.

Purple