In Focus • 1

Taking a closer look at a film about innocence and the American Dream and exploring the magic of the recently departed, Lee “Scratch” Perry.

💌 Hello,

My name is Christian Solorzano and you’re receiving this e-mail because, at some point in time, you subscribed.

This is my newsletter, Beginner’s Mind — a newsletter about intentional awareness. You can learn more about the meaning of a beginner’s mind in a previous post I wrote.

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I’d like to introduce a new segment of Beginner’s Mind, called In Focus. A bi-weekly 🤞 collection of curiosities that inform and shape my outlook of the world. The thread that will run through In Focus will be: examining the human condition and discussing artifacts that push the status quo.

Expect to receive In Focus in your inbox, every other Wednesday Morning. 🌅

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Film

Chop Shop (2007)

In the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, overwhelmed by the sheer number of things to watch, I came across Chop Shop (2007). A sincere cinematic portrayal of two Latin children chasing the American Dream. It’s a coming-of-age film that follows the story of Ale, a twelve-year-old orphan boy who, with not much of a choice, commits to hustle for money and abandons school, and Isamar, his sixteen-year-old sister. Throughout the film, the absence of parents remains visibly present, with the only adults involved, being harsh con-artists that are inconsiderate of Ale and Isamar’s youth and innocence.

Ale works at a chop shop in Queens, New York, and carries his small body through the crowded streets directing traffic to the shop in exchange for a small amount of cash and a tiny room for him and his sister to live in.

His sister, a teenage girl containing the teenage aspirations of any girl her age delicately balances a desire to carry herself with grace while simultaneously falling victim to her circumstances and falling prey to outside abuse.

Ale, taking on the role of parent ensures that his older sister makes the right choices and is taken care of and at times showcases bursts of anger that mimic that of a concerned and hopeless parent. When him and his friend driven by their curiosity, explore the city at night, they stumble upon a prostitute in the distance, only to find that the prostitute is in fact Ale’s sister, which brings shame that only propels Ale to work harder to get him and his sister out of their dire situation.

His ambition is to raise enough money to buy a food truck with which he and his sister will be able to support themselves. Upon raising the necessary funds, he receives the truck, and much to his disappointment, the truck is utterly worthless and not worth it and has nowhere to park it so is forced to discard it.

Chop Shop is a raw film about what it means to survive when you have nothing. It brings into focus the realities of many children. The film lacks entertainment and hoping for a happy ending will only leave the viewer disappointed. Chop Shop invites us to soften our hearts and consider that realities go unmatched outside our oasis.

You can learn more about it here.

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Visionary

Lee “Scratch” Perry (1936–2021)

Last month we lost Lee “Scratch” Perry who is both known by many and few. He was a music pioneer known for allegedly inventing reggae music, shaping the infancy of electronic music, and being unapologetically true to his creative aspirations. As a renaissance man, through his mediums of painting and sound, he redefined the possibilities of music right at the intersection of Black identity, spirituality, and organized chaos.

From the Documentary, The Upsetter

Born in 1936 in Jamaica, his appreciation for music was birthed through the sounds stones would make when he was working out in the field. It was in nature that he became attuned to sound and learned to appreciate the possibilities of the production of sonic landscapes. After establishing himself as a respected record producer in the reggae industry, he was sought after and as a result collaborated with artists such as The Clash, Paul McCartney, Brian Eno, Keith Richards, The Beastie Boys, and most notably Bob Marley, who he helped attain worldwide acclaim.

His superpower was his unconventional methods of recording in the studio. Being among the first to use sampling in music as heard in his song People Funny Boy (1968) — taking the recording of a crying baby and incorporating it into his music. Other times, he would blow marijuana smoke into recording tapes claiming that it helped enhance the quality of the audio.

From the Documentary, The Upsetter

I’m a miracle man, things happen which I don’t plan, I’ve never planned anything. Whatsoever I do, I want it to be an instant action object, instant reaction subject. Instant input, instant output.

— Lee “Scratch” Perry

Known widely by his monicker The Upsetter — he took pride in both his failures and downfalls — being transparent about his controversy and taking ownership for it. After building a recording studio called the Black Ark in the 70s, in which class acts from all over the world traveled, he burned it down claiming that it had become a residence for evil spirits. At times, he attributed misfortunes to evil forces such as demons, spirits, and voodoo. And throughout the peak of his success, in the press, he candidly confessed his substance abuse, which destroyed his relationships that drove him into isolation

A decade later after finding sobriety, he reconstructed his studio in Sweden, renaming it to the Blue Ark — where once again he reinvented himself and obtained worldwide success.

When alive, he was a force of nature not to be reckoned with, and now that he’s gone, his music and work continue to create ripples where we least expect them, i.e. contemporary fashion, electronic music, and visual arts. He was a maverick that I think we can all draw moments of clarity from and most importantly, inspire us to nurture the confidence in ourselves to go beyond our limits of what we think is possible.

Watch his documentary The Upsetter: The Life and Music of Lee Scratch Perry 2011.