Passion, Defined

Let me start off by saying that I am not a writer or a reporter, and not quite yet a musician – I am merely a fan. 

Freddie, Brian, Roger & John need no introduction

“A fan of what?” you may ask.  Well, I am a fan of great music.  Now this is always a subject of extreme contention, so I am not going to get on my soapbox and launch into a debate, because in my opinion the only “good music” is music that speaks to you, moves you and touches your soul.  If a piece of music does not do that for you in some way, it is merely a bunch of notes strung together by someone with no imagination or inspiration.  You may be thinking that I am overly harsh in my opinion – so be it, but consider this honestly: Which piece of music inspires and moves you more? Britney Spears – Baby One More Time or Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody…  Ok, that wasn’t entirely fair of me, because you just do not compare anyone with Queen – but, that just made my point….

Great music is a balm for the soul, a band-aid for your hurt, an outlet for your exuberance; your “motivational speaker” even an anger management class. The right tune at the appropriate time can be wielded like a magic wand to make the impossible or unthinkable happen.  Music is force of nature and it has been rampaging through the ages, defining generations.

A proper education

Music has always been in my life.  Growing up, I remember sitting on the floor in the living room in front of my father’s Blaupunkt stereo playing records and singing to all the songs; everything from The Bee Gees and Boney M to The Kinks and Creedence Clearwater Revival.  My musical education was diverse and in depth and it sparked a passion in me that would very possibly have lain dormant in me otherwise.  Music is part of me, part of who I am and at (most) times an extension of my personality. 

Washburn WIN14

Earlier I told you that I was not a musician – the only instrument I can play is a stereo – and I have always felt that was just wrong, so over the years I kept promising myself that I would one day learn to play an instrument to further enhance my enjoyment of music. So two weeks ago I finally went and bought the thing I have wanted for an extremely long time: my first electric guitar! 

Now regular readers of this blog will know that RifferBoy is a musician, and he very graciously offered to help me learn to play the guitar and for this I am more grateful than he will ever know.  Since starting my lessons I have come to a conclusion: it is not as easy as the rock gods make it look!  My fingers hurt all the time from the strings and until now, they stubbornly refuse to do what my brain tells them.  I have a new found deep seated respect for the musician – good or mediocre…

Let me leave you with these parting words on my favourite music genre – in the immortal lyrics of Manowar – The Gods Made Heavy Metal

The Gods Made Heavy Metal off the Louder Than Hell Album

In The Beginning There Was Silence And Darkness
All Across The Earth
Then Came The Wind And A Hole In The Sky
Thunder And Lightning Came Crashing Down
Hit The Earth And Split The Ground
Fire Burned High In The Sky

From Down Below Fire Melted The Stone
The Ground Shook And Started To Pound

The Gods Made Heavy Metal And They Saw That It Was Good
They Said To Play It Louder Than Hell
We Promised That We Would
When Losers Say It's Over With You Know That It's A Lie
The Gods Made Heavy Metal And It's Never Gonna Die

We Are The True Believers
It's Our Turn To Show The World
In The Fire Of Heavy Metal We Were Burned
It's More Than Our Religion It's The Only Way To Live
But The Enemies Of Metal We Can't Forgive

Cause We Believe In The Power And The Might
And The Gods Who Made Metal Are With Us Tonight

The Gods Made Heavy Metal And They Saw That It Was Good
They Said To Play It Louder Than Hell
We Promised That We Would
When Losers Say It's Over With You Know That It's A Lie
The Gods Made Heavy Metal And It's Never Gonna Die

We Believe In The Power And The Might
And The Gods Who Made Metal Are With Us Tonight

We're Here Tonight For Heavy Metal Are You Ready In The Hall
They Have Chosen Us And We Have Heard The Call
Gonna Tear The Roof Off With Out Sound

Crack The Walls And Shake The Ground
Fight Tonight For Metal One And All
Cause We Believe In The Power And The Might
And The Gods Who Made Metal Are With Us Tonight

The Gods Made Heavy Metal And They Saw That It Was Good
They Said To Play It Louder Than Hell
We Promised That We Would
When Losers Say It's Over With You Know That It's A Lie
The Gods Made Heavy Metal And It's Never Gonna Die

For me, that makes all the pain and frustration worth it…

Keep rocking

~J~