By The Landlord
“Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” – Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland
“What is the beautiful, if not the impossible?” – Gustave Flaubert
“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” – Victor Hugo
“In everything one thing is impossible: rationality.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
“Man can believe the impossible, but man can never believe the improbable.” – Oscar Wilde
“Only those who attempt the absurd will achieve the impossible. I think it's in my basement... let me go upstairs and check.” – MC Escher
Here at our Bar, we've never done the impossible. Nor indeed, can we ever. But, paradoxically, now we will.
And that is the oddness, and fascination of this topic. The impossible, plainly and obviously, is, impossible. But it never quite sits still. History, time and society might then shift it to being nigh on impossible, then towards ‘almost’ impossible, shifting to improbable, and then inconceivable, but somehow not quite unimaginably possible. And all of that is down to perception.
And every week, when sitting down to get stuck into this theme and playlist process, what often seems impossible at first, somehow happens, the creative miracle of a collective musical conscious fusing into an unpredictable result. What remains a constant, however, is that is impossible to predict the inner subconscious workings of one mind, let alone many.
The same could be said, beyond certain parameters, of the world at large. Six years ago, who could have predicted many far less positive events? It all seemed to begin with the 2016 deaths of David Bowie and then later Prince. Their freakishly talented otherworldliness made the very idea seem impossible, but of course, rationally, it was bound to happen eventually, but did not seem possible when it did. And then followed a cascade of the inconceivable. A majority for Brexit? No way! Donald Trump as president? Preposterous! Jair Bolsonaro in charge in Brazil? Suicidal! Boris Johnson as prime minister? Ridiculous! Laughably absurd! But will they ultimately do an Evel Knievel?
Popular delusions: Bolsanaro, Trump, Johnson? Only a few years, the idea of their ascendancy seemed utterly impossible
But the internet, the machinations of media, the wheels within wheels of manipulating money and power and popularism, the likes of Republicans, Conservatives and their sponsors, the collective conscious of marketing and social media all causes unpredictable patterns of behaviour that affect everything from politics to the economy. We can no more work out what’s impossible than we can the weather, or indeed climate or indeed outbreaks of deadly viruses. But then again, in retrospect all of it is also predicted …
“Nothing is more imminent than the impossible . . . what we must always foresee is the unforeseen,” wrote Victor Hugo in Les Misérables. And Charles Mackay’s historic 1841 work, Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, captures this idea very well, focusing on many greed, religion, or power-driven ripples in history, where the impossibly stupid was believed and happened, from Middle Ages Crusades to The South Sea Bubble to The Tulip Mania, and the same patterns continue today. “Credulity is always greatest in times of calamity,” he says very succinctly.
“Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one.” And finally, capturing the chaos of the multitude:
“We find that whole communities suddenly fix their minds upon one object, and go mad in its pursuit; that millions of people become simultaneously impressed with one delusion, and run after it, till their attention is caught by some new folly more captivating than the first.”
So then this week, we turn to the idea of the impossible in song, whether that’s using the word or any synonyms - insurmountable, futile, unattainable, things that will never happen, but those that impossibly do - disasters or miracles. Impossible might also point to a person who is difficult and unpredictable, but it’s the idea in the song that needs to be central or prominent. It’s a bridge we must cross, no matter how impossible or otherwise it may seem.
And the impossible inevitably attracts much debate, and we’ve a very busy and eager crowd of famous faces eager to order drinks and have their say on the subject. First up comes a group who are unsinkable upbeat, denying the impossible on everything.
With a beaming smile, and a trail of admirers, Audrey Hepburn is served first, getting the champagne in, and announces that: “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible’!” Clever, but is it true?"
Nelson Mandela, who seems more than qualified to be in this group, tells us that: “It always seems impossible until it's done.”
Sitting opposite Nelson, and that’s not Lord Nelson, is the conquering, but ultimately defeated Napoleon Bonaparte, who bombastically reckons that: “Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools!”
But how do you achieve the impossible, if that’s not a contradiction? “Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible,” prescribes Francis of Assisi.
Impossible faith? Francis of Assisi
A trio of contrasting characters also add to this believe it approach. "We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations,” says evangelist preacher and radio broadcaster Charles (Chuck) R. Swindoll.
From a different sphere, the engineer, professor, physicist, and inventor Robert H. Goddard reckons that “the only barrier to human development is ignorance, and this is not insurmountable.”
Popular psychology and self-improvement author Frank Sonnenberg, meanwhile tells us a slightly nebulous observation: “Impossible means you just didn’t do it yet,” trying to flog at the bar a copy of his Listen to Your Conscience: That's Why You Have One.
Meanwhile, a second group of upbeat achievers are here to explain that it’s all about attempting the impossible that matters.
“Women, like men, should try to do the impossible. And when they fail, their failure should be a challenge to others,” says flying pioneer Amelia Earhart.
The same could be said of another flyer, Evel Knievel, who after his Snake River jump, pushed towards the impossible, broke his pelvis in Wembley trying to jump his Harley over 13 buses, but his career was a crazy triumph of daredevil craziness and a feat of extraordinary marketing that led to many in his wake, including his sons.
Impossible stunts? Evel did them anyway …
Bette Davis’s eyes are also on the prize: “This has always been a motto of mine: Attempt the impossible in order to improve your work”
Posing muscleman and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger is also back in the bar with this contribution. “What we face may look insurmountable. But I learned something from all those years of training and competing … We are always stronger than we know.”
In the next drinking booth, there’s a large table around which are impressive heavyweights from the world of science and politics. The brainiest of all is Stephen Hawking, who talks about whether we can ever go back or forward in time: “Even if it turns out that time travel is impossible, it is important that we understand why it is impossible.” An excellent point.
But what about the possibility, or otherwise of alien life? Richard Dawkins veers in one clear direction. “If you set out in a spaceship to find the one planet in the galaxy that has life, the odds against your finding it would be so great that the task would be indistinguishable, in practice, from impossible.
“Yes,” says sci-fi writer Ray Bradbury, ramping up the long odds even more. “We are an impossibility in an impossible universe.”
Arthur C. Clarke meanwhile juggles the world of science and science fiction. “When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.”
And where do you square the impossibilities of science and religion? Talking of things going wrong, here’s a blunt view by the American journalist and social critic H. L. Mencken: “It is impossible to imagine the universe run by a wise, just and omnipotent God, but it is quite easy to imagine it run by a board of gods.”
The world’s problems are certainly exacerbated and made more complicated by committee. On climate change, here’s a key figure for our times “All our environmental problems become easier to solve with fewer people and harder - and ultimately impossible to solve - with ever more people,” says David Attenborough.
The miracles of David Attenborough in an impossible world
And from the natural world, this also connects to impossibility within the world of politics. “It is absolutely impossible to transcend the laws of nature. What can change in historically different circumstances is only the form in which these laws expose themselves,” says Karl Marx.
And on the mysterious of nature and people, and having a pint with Karl, is his natural heir Vladimir Lenin, who initially seemed to achieve in what turned out to be ultimately impossible. “It is impossible to predict the time and progress of revolution. It is governed by its own more or less mysterious laws.”
This is quite a scene at the big table, key historical figures, finding common ground. “You can fool all of the people some of time; you can fool some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all the people all the time,” says Abraham Lincoln, as Karl and Vladimir nod their heads.
“Ou, mes amis,” adds 17th century poet Jean de La Fontaine, who adds a personal twist to the idea. “It is impossible to please all the world – and one's father.”
One very large area of necessity in life, is arguably that we find our deaths inconceivable. Just as well. But here’s another colourful and creative group sitting in our snug bashing out this idea with mournful humour.
“It appears to me impossible that I should cease to exist, or that this active, restless spirit, equally alive to joy and sorrow, should be only organised dust,” confesses Mary Wollstonecraft.
Impossibly small? The tiny figure at the top of London’s Newington Green Mary Wollstonecraft sculpture by Maggi Hambling
“But there is no point in using the word 'impossible' to describe something that has clearly happened, adds Douglas Adams, quoting from his novel, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.
Film director David Cronenberg meanwhile fixes on a more earthly perspective of the this conceived impossibility. “For me, the first fact of human existence is the human body. But if you embrace the reality of the human body, you embrace mortality, and that is a very difficult thing for anything to do because the self-conscious mind cannot imagine non-existence. It's impossible to do.”
“Well,” says Woody Allen, “It’s impossible to experience one's death objectively and still carry a tune.
But we must all cross the Bridge of Death eventually. It may seem inconceivable, but is that going to be easy or difficult. What’s the answer? In Monty Python and the Holy Grail, it’s time to answer me these questions three:
But when it comes to the impossible, music’s focus is often on love more than anything else – and often the circumstances of hopelessness can be the very stimulus of great lyrics.
“It is impossible to love and to be wise,” says Francis Bacon.
“Who so loves believes the impossible,” adds Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
Beauty, love and the natural world seem to summon the impossible too. ‘It's practically impossible to look at a penguin and feel angry,” says Joe Moore. What more impossible idea is than that of a flightless bird that survives the ravages of the antarctic winter?
Flightless birds in the antarctic - emperor penguins: Impossible survival?
Finally then, sitting around the Bar’s piano and writing table, let’s get to more on art, books and music.
“In order to attain the impossible, one must attempt the absurd,” says Miguel de Cervantes in reference to Don Quixote’s quest.
“It is impossible to talk or to write without apparently throwing oneself helplessly open,” adds Herman Melville on Captain Ahab’s obsession with Moby Dick.
Sufjan Stevens reckons that, not only in songwriting but also books, creativity must contains some elements of impossibility. “The best fiction is geared towards conflict. We learn most about our characters through tension, when they are put up against insurmountable obstacles. This is true in real life.”
Impossible and the insurmountable are relative. Some musicians have faced greater obstacles than others. “It's really hard to make a living as a musician. It's almost impossible,” reckons Billy Joel. That seems now far truer now than when he was at the height of his success, but but let’s hear about true difficulty from Ludwig van Beethoven:
“I must confess that I lead a miserable life. For almost two years, I have ceased to attend any social functions, just because I find it impossible to say to people, 'I am deaf.' If I had any other profession, I might be able to cope with my infirmity; but in my profession, it is a terrible handicap.”
Beethoven: impossible genius in deafness?
And yet, impossibly, at least creatively Beethoven overcame his condition. Some things are plainly impossible, but in other ways, the door seems open. How do we distinguish one from the other? Finally, here’s author Alan Moore, squaring fantasy and reality: “Do I believe, for example, that by using magic I could fly? No. How would you get around gravity? Impossible. Do I believe that I might be able to project my consciousness into a very, very vivid simulation of flying? Yeah. Yes, I've done that. Yes, that works.”
So then, taking flight in the imagination and in music, and balancing the impossible with the possible, this week’s guest is the incomparable Maki, opening up his guru account for 2022. Please suggest your songs about the impossible in comments below for deadline on Monday at 11pm UK time BST, for playlists published next week. Who knows what will happen next?
Cruise non-control: Tom adds to the titular in the moment before breaking his ankle during the shooting of the sixth film in the franchise
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