One of the aspects of Rock and Roll that continues to astonish me is its ability to continually reinvent itself, taking what was once the height of passion, creativity, intensity, drive, and all around rock lifestyle is constantly being challenged by someone more passionate, with mind boggling creativity, intensity that would put those old Surge soda commercials to shame, with drive that compels one’s feet or heart to start pumping, and a life lived at the edge, ready willing to jump off.
In my opinion, at the core of Rock and Roll is necessity to fight the inherent temptation of sameness, conformity, apathy, mediocrity, and complacency. When a dream is at stake, the essence of rock is the defiant refusal to be contained within any confining structure. Rock music ingrains the idea that what you thought was impossible is now possible. This mentality begins with authenticity.
Rock and Roll is, and forever will be, one of the major values of my life. I do not want to be confined by the social rules, expectations, traditions, or just simply "how things are" or "how they are supposed to be." I believe as future leaders of the world* we must strive for creativity and break the boundaries and structures set before us, and merely settle for the way “things just are.” The movement of Punk Rock in the late 60’s into the 80’s is prime example of this. “Punk Rock music was an agreement by a generation that the direction culture was going was wrong.”** Together, they changed that direction, and through that, changed their world.
Every year, more and more bands come out, each of them harder, faster, more creative, more innovative, and so forth, then bands before them, willing to challenge what was in order to create something fresh, something new. So should we open our eyes to the communities and cultures around us, realizing that sometimes opening others up to new ideas and taking them into new realms takes something extreme.
Rock and Roll is more then just music. It’s a movement that continues to change with each generation. It’s our turn. We can only do it together. Martin Luther King Jr writes, “History is a long and tragic story of the fact that seldom do privileged groups often give up their lives privileges voluntarily. Individuals may see moral light and voluntarily give up their unjust posture, but as Reinhold Niebuhr has reminded us, groups are more immortal then individuals.”***
In conclusion, I’d like to quote Jack Black’s prayer in one of my favorite movies: School of Rock. “God of Rock, thank you for this chance to kick ass. We are your humble servants. Please give us the power to blow people's minds with our high voltage rock. In your name we pray, Amen.”
Let's get rock'n!
Ernie
*When I say world, one must decide what his/her world is. Whether that be your living situation, family, church, work place, social circles, communities, etc.
**Punk Rock Attitude: Documentary - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XI85jPbcps&feature=related
***King, Martin Luther. A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr.. SanFrancisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1990.
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