The Monolith:
Arthur C. Clarke wrote the book "2001 A Space Odyssey" with the intent of explaining why we humans are what we are and where we might be going as a species. He wanted the reader to open their mind philosophically, and sort through the possibilities for each step in the evolution process. Being a science fiction writer and deep sea explorer, Clarke had little time for religion and even less belief in it. In other words, he was an atheist searching for the meaning of life! Not really a good fit!!
It's a shame that Arthur didn't live long enough to peruse my friend Rick's research on evolution vs creation called "Clearing the Path"! It would have helped him sort through his evolutionary beliefs. You can check it out here......
So when Arthur was penning "2001", he created "The Monolith", an all seeing, all knowing giant black slab designed by aliens, with the sole intent of tracking our evolution over time and reporting our progress back to the aliens who built them. The Monoliths were located throughout the world, and on the moon, and on the planets, and who knows where else.
Although an interesting concept, it also fueled the movie by the same name. The director of the movie, Stanley Kubrick, took it upon himself to make sure that, if you didn't read the book, there was NO CHANCE that you could ever understand what the hell the movie was actually about. I know, because I did exactly that!! Most people at that time went to the movie to see spaceships flying through the stars and watch guys float around weightless. Oh, and that evil computer HAL...... he was pretty cool! But understanding what that big black slab was, and why cavemen were so in love with it...... well, it was just stupid. And guess what...... it's still stupid....
So Arthur is now passed, and his soul is somewhere in Monolith land, but his "2001" book brought us The Monolith concept, which in turn brought us the cool scene in the movie where the sun rises over The Monolith, surrounded by an awe inspiring chorus of sound. Truly awesome!
So, originally, I wanted to capture in song that moment when the sun rose over The Monolith. But then, just as Arthur wanted us to do, I had a philosophical vision about The Monolith.....
Imagine this: I'm hiking through the high desert. It's hot - really hot!! I'm thirsty - really thirsty!! My water supply is dwindling dangerously low and my food snacks are long since gone. I crest over a hill on the trail, and then start down a long, dangerous hike into an unknown canyon hoping to find water. Suddenly, in the distance, a giant black Monolith appears. Its massive black frame is towering over the canyon walls like a skyscraper. But unlike The Monolith in Arthur's book, this Monolith is sitting alongside a huge swimming pool, attached to a really cool bar that serves Negra Modelo with a lime, and has a couple of guys playing guitar in the corner....... Suddenly, I'm at the bar, ice cold beer in hand, a big beefy burrito steaming in front of me, listening to music as the sun sinks behind the giant black slab.....
I mean, hey!! If we have a giant Monolith sitting there sending signals to an alien nation, might as well have a bar and restaurant along side.......
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The song "The Monolith" was originally intended to be an ambient track that captured the desert winds in a sandstorm. If you listen closely, there are actual wind sounds embedded in the song that were recorded during a real windstorm that swept through the Las Vegas Valley in the summer of 2016. The Monolith concept was added later during the creation of the "Space" project.....