Alive Inside Page #6

Living that causes America

To put them away,

To hide them away.

What I have

Learned over a career

Of working with older people is

That American culture is wrong.

There is actually life beyond

Adulthood.

There is actually the

Opportunity to live and grow,

And become elders.

Every Indian people, all for

All.

One people, very happy.

Very happy.

Ah, yes, you are happy.

We are made to age,

And the aging that we experience

Actually holds in it very

Important learnings and

Lessons...

there is a touch that takes

A lifetime to achieve.

Locking this touch away is like

Stripping from ourselves part

Of being human.

These people that we

See in this nursing home, their

Spirits are dumped on because

We're locking them away.

But when you bring the music,

That spirit is what we see

That comes out.

That spirit is still

Fresh and young.

My pain is very painful.

Oh, sorry.

But you know what?

What?

I can take a lot of pain.

You look like a very strong

Person.

I am a very strong person.

Na-Na-Na-Na-Na...

mmm

Very soothing.

Isn't it?

Mmm

yeah, yeah

You need to have that person in

Front of you who you're going

To be sharing with.

Keep playing.

It's not something

You can just switch on.

You have to

Completely open yourself up.

You give yourself.

And once you give yourself, then

It opens up dialogue.

Take this off, please.

Now, when you go back to Uganda,

They'll ask you who gave

You that.

What are you going to say?

"The strongest woman I have

Ever met."

I love you.

I love you, too.

Dan was breaking through...

he received a grant to give

Matching funds to

35 nursing homes...

and this time the nursing homes

Were lining up.

Gosh, how many different

States is this going to be?

That's just amazing.

Here we have 50 headphones

And this represents 50 changed

Lives.

It's great!

Lot of music.

After three years of

Filming, Dan had music

In 56 homes.

We knew this was just a drop in

The bucket.

Just changing

Something in a nursing home

Somewhere doesn't take you

Far enough.

Our real focus of concern needs

To be the 1.6 million people who

Are living in nursing homes and

How to make the lives of

Everyone better.

I thought this was just

Going to be... pshew!

Just like that.

People would just take the idea

And run with it.

They didn't.

I left Dan knowing he would

Never stop.

I hoped maybe he'd reach the

Right person and they would

Help him and this dream of his

Would come true.

We first see Henry

Unresponsive and almost

Unalive.

I've got your music.

Then he is given his

Favorite music.

Oh.

And immediately

He lights up.

His face assumes expression,

His eyes open wide.

And he's being animated

By the music.

This is his reaction

Ever since.

Do you like music?

Yeah, I'm

Crazy about music.

Used to play beautiful music,

Beautiful sounds.

What does music do to you?

Love, romance.

Figure right now, the world

Needs to come into music...

and I feel a band of love,

Of dreams.

You know that little

Video that I made for Dan,

Right?

Um, I think some kid posted it

Onto reddit.com.

And it's insane!

Ooh

And I am getting

Swamped.

I'm behind by 85 emails.

85 people contacted me and

If I had 300 people,

I mean, it's just, you know...

you've just got to scroll down

And just read what these

People are saying.

You've never heard anybody

Write anything like this.

It's crazy.

My grandmother is very much

Like Henry...

we've been trying nearly

Everything to get her more alert

And happy.

My grandfather died

Three days ago.

Music has so much power.

Her eyes lit up instantly and

The smile on her face made

My day.

I haven't cried yet, but this

Has made me start tearing up.

Maybe if this worked for

Henry, it could work for

My grandmother.

When the music ended,

My mother looked up...

she got so emotional...

and she saw me...

and so caught up

In the music...

and I'll hold that memory

Forever.

The music carried her away.

I have to do this.

I'm going home to see my mother

With Alzheimer's.

She is, at this moment,

Listening to ray Charles

Sing, "come rain or come shine,"

And she has found her place in

The world again.

You got music back in your

Life, mama!

Were you surprised

That that clip went viral?

I mean, millions and millions of

People have seen it.

Completely surprised!

People just... They watched

And they saw a human being come

Alive, and when any of us come

Alive, it touches us deeply.

That's why we want to involve

The community, both in

Getting iPods donated and

Having the students come into

The nursing homes to work

With the residents,

Find their playlist...

We've been afraid to

Enter these places.

Afraid of aging,

Afraid of having nothing to

Give.

But music,

Entering one 94-Year-Old man,

Reminded us...

We do have something to give.

Oh, my friends.

All we have to do is ask,

"What's your favorite song?"

Vinny, what's your

Favorite song?

What's your favorite song?

What was your favorite song?

Remember this?

Blackbirds singing...

Yeah, that's a lovely one.

Beautiful.

Well, I have to have

That one.

That's myself.

Look how fast her mind is

Responding to her songs.

When the night

Has come...

That's... big!

And the land is dark

In music, Marylou feels

Like she's perfect again...

Like she's flowing through

Life.

And so it is for all of us...

music gives us something we

Hunger deeply for,

Something we've pursued for

Thousands of years,

Rewired our very brains for.

We need music...

It awakens in us our most

Profound safety...

the safety of living in concert

With each other, and our

Own selves.

And what happens to you

When you hear it?

I feel good.

It's like I got a girl,

And I want to stay with her.

And that is why, together,

We're going to do this

One small kindness...

We're going to bring life

Into the places where it's been

Forgotten.

And together...

whoa!

We will listen.

I'm a man on fire

Walking through your street

with one guitar

And two dancing feet

only one desire

That's left in me

I want the whole damn world

To come dance with me

oh

come dance with me

I'm a hunter at bay

come and set you free

over heartache and shame

I wanna see our bodies

Burning...

You have a beautiful voice.

Like old big sun

I wanna know what we've been

Learning and learning from

everybody want safety

safety love

everybody want comfort

comfort love

everybody want certain

certain love

everybody but me

I'm a man on fire

Walking through your street

with one guitar

And two dancing feet

only one desire

That's left in me

I want the whole damn world

To come dance with me

da-Da-Da-Da...

ooh

ooh, yeah

come dance with me

over heartache and rage

Come set us free

over panic and strange

I wanna see our bodies burning

Like old big sun

I wanna know what we've been

Learning and learning from

ooh, ooh, ooh

everybody want romance

romance love

everybody want safety

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