Michael S. Ryan has just released the strongest entry in his song-a-month series. “Mr. Universe”, the 11th song in the series which Ryan describes as a fingerpicking-folk-ballad in the vein of The Avett Brothers. The song reflects on some big, existential questions and the impermanence of life, fame, and a well-manicured yard, particularly in the context of Ryan’s curious neighbour.
If 2020 hasn’t had you questioning your own mortality and the value that might be placed on it then either turn on the news or else consider yourself blessed. A deep dive into the fine print of your existence is not likely to bear any greater sense of purpose or a sudden and inexplicable wealth of happiness.
That hasn’t caused Ryan to shy away from plumbing the depths of the universe.
“Like most people, every so often I have moments of uncertainty in trying to understand what everything means,” says Ryan. “What’s the purpose of all this? How do I truly fit into it all?”
Enter Ryan’s unlikely neighbour: a former Mr. Universe living just two doors down from his home. Ryan says that he became fascinated by his once-famous, now elderly neighbour (and who wouldn’t). Which such an impressive title, one might assume he might know a thing or two about living.
“I’ve never actually talked to him, but there’s something fascinating about him,” says Ryan. “His yard and garden are meticulously neat and he’s working on it constantly. Just looking at his world through little glimpses while walking by, you can tell he has his shit together. I thought that if anyone had the answers, it had to be Mr. Universe himself. And I thought that that was a cool premise for a song.”
Conveniently, the song fits easily into a category of already familiar hits that it’s practically standing on the shoulders of some giants: Mr. Jones, Mr. Sandman, Mr. Kite, Mr. Tambourine Man, Mr. Bojangles, Mr. Roboto, Mr. Blue Sky, Mr. Lonely, Mr. Postman, and Mr. Brightside. We’ve already been training for decades to sing along with this chorus.
If there’s a little nugget of wisdom to be found among that, it’s clearly a bonus. If anything, it sounds like we should be tending to our own yards and finding happiness in whatever small improvements we can make.
As with all Michael S. Ryan’s songs, his wife Kristen Herrington will be creating a coinciding painting to go along with it. The painting will be released in the coming weeks.