Brain cancer survivor gives Mules a taste of life
Anna Norman
Issue date: 1/30/03 Section: Life!
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“Make up your mind, follow your heart, make a start,” are the life-altering words brain cancer survivor, David Bailey shared with his audience on Fri., Jan. 24, in the Red Door Café. Six years ago, Bailey was diagnosed with brain cancer and told he only had six months to live. Statistically, Bailey said to the audience with a smile, one in five hundred brain cancer patients survive and, “Someone's got to be the one.” Since his diagnosis, he left his job in corporate America and made up his mind to do something that would really matter. Ever since, he has played for forty states and made five albums.
Around 8 p.m., Bailey sat himself in front of about sixty people to offer his thoughts and experiences regarding life and love. The audience, comprised of students, professors and locals, was immediately captivated by Bailey's brightly colored tie-dyed head wrap. The audience was instantly laughing at Bailey’s jokes and tapping their feet to his upbeat songs.
Although Bailey’s songs were entertaining and inspirational, they often included clichés. The clichés gave the feeling that his own words and thoughts were not being expressed through the songs as he relied on overused sayings to get his point across. In addition, the lyrics sometimes sounded forced as he tried noticeably hard to make his words rhyme. However, Bailey never claimed to be a fabulous songwriter; he even joked about himself, “I am famous, just not everyone knows it yet.” With that type of light-hearted attitude, it was easy to get swept into Bailey's words. Alanna Blitz ’06 summarized how Bailey made her feel: “The songs about his experiences gave me chills.”
After ten songs were played, the room that initially needed additional seating started to thin out, but Bailey seemed unaffected. He was happy spreading his newfound outlook to anyone that would listen. Bailey was even unafraid of a little self-promotion; he made the audience aware of his CDs and DVDs that even include a music video. He sang of airplanes, hotels, being hit by a truck and coffee, but the audience took more away from these songs than how Bailey likes his cappuccino. In his song titled “Coffee with an Angel,” Bailey taught his audience how precious life is: “Life is short. Stay awake, before it disappears.”
Around 8 p.m., Bailey sat himself in front of about sixty people to offer his thoughts and experiences regarding life and love. The audience, comprised of students, professors and locals, was immediately captivated by Bailey's brightly colored tie-dyed head wrap. The audience was instantly laughing at Bailey’s jokes and tapping their feet to his upbeat songs.
Although Bailey’s songs were entertaining and inspirational, they often included clichés. The clichés gave the feeling that his own words and thoughts were not being expressed through the songs as he relied on overused sayings to get his point across. In addition, the lyrics sometimes sounded forced as he tried noticeably hard to make his words rhyme. However, Bailey never claimed to be a fabulous songwriter; he even joked about himself, “I am famous, just not everyone knows it yet.” With that type of light-hearted attitude, it was easy to get swept into Bailey's words. Alanna Blitz ’06 summarized how Bailey made her feel: “The songs about his experiences gave me chills.”
After ten songs were played, the room that initially needed additional seating started to thin out, but Bailey seemed unaffected. He was happy spreading his newfound outlook to anyone that would listen. Bailey was even unafraid of a little self-promotion; he made the audience aware of his CDs and DVDs that even include a music video. He sang of airplanes, hotels, being hit by a truck and coffee, but the audience took more away from these songs than how Bailey likes his cappuccino. In his song titled “Coffee with an Angel,” Bailey taught his audience how precious life is: “Life is short. Stay awake, before it disappears.”