Back when Jonny was 14 years old, we sent him to a summer guitar camp.  He had some misgivings about going, but we wanted him to be exposed to the “real world” of guitar excellence, and be inspired to improve his already-accomplished playing.  A week later, when we picked him up in Connecticut, his feelings were still mixed.  He had bought two CDs published by one of the workshop teachers, David Martone, which displayed amazing technical prowess, but overall I feared that the experience had dampened rather than sharpened Jonny’s interest in the guitar.

A few weeks ago Jonny told us about a movie “Whiplash” (director: Damien Chazelle) which follows the experience of a young jazz drummer Andrew (played by Miles Teller) under the manipulative, abusive, even demonic tutelage of bandleader Fletcher (J.K. Simmons) at the fictional Shaffer Conservatory.  We saw the movie last night, and it was an intense and remarkable experience.  (8.6 on IMdB, metascore 87 and worth every point)

What the movie showed was that the unbridled pursuit of virtuosity can distort the psyche of a relatively “normal” young man, and lead him into the maniacal pursuit of both excellence and approval.  He practices until his fingers start to bleed, and keeps on going.  He breaks up with his girlfriend because nothing that she says seems as interesting to him as his music.  He becomes as competitive as all of Fletcher’s other students, one of whom commits suicide, and still he does not realize what these warped priorities are doing to him.

SPOILER ALERT, this paragraph:  The outcome of this struggle is a dramatic scene where Andrew is humiliated by Fletcher at a prestigious jazz competition, and snaps, turning into an unbelievable drumming machine.  The significance of the ending is mysterious and open to individual interpretation.  Does Andrew win or lose?  What do those terms mean relative to his experience with Fletcher?  In any case, the film’s conclusion is intriguing and thought-provoking.

I am proud of my son Jonny, and feel that he was able to keep such a blind pursuit of excellence at bay in favor of a more normal and happy existence.  Even as a  young teenager, he could tell what he did and did not want.  The succeeding years have borne his feelings out.  He still loves his guitar and  his music, but as part of a full and fulfilled life.

Thanks for reading.