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"Now be Defiant, the Lion,
give them a fight that will open their eyes,
Hangman hooded, softly swingin',
Don't close the coffin yet, I'm alive."
-Claudio Sanchez
We stand here, in a time of advanced novelty and wonder.
And, also, a time of darkening, of Demise.
Watching the scene from outside, we can get a clearer view than those in the thick of it.
The pull of sensation on the tongues of humanity toward the next dopamine-flavored delicacy guiding our eyes, ears and dollars into the hands of some amorphous conglomerate only finds the instant pleasure more fleeting: we've gotten nothing in return for the one resource that can never be recovered..... OUR TIME.
Modernity is a funny thing. In it lies the Disease and the Cure, for the ailments of excess and imbalance are created and obliterated by the free flow of information and resources:
Discovering diet and exercise information to remove the extra weight and diseases caused by instant access to plentiful food.
We choke down supplements to correct deficiencies caused by processed food and over-farming, and to remove environmental toxins caused by the downstream effects of the Industrial World.
Trust, personal character, and community atrophy, replaced by Money, the God of the Modern World.... because we no longer rely on our families and neighbors for survival.
Narcissistic displays on social media become the norm because we no longer have real peer groups to earn our place in, so we must do some sort of behavior resembling being a chimp dressed in clown make-up dancing for an audience of vacant-eyed apathetic onlookers around the world to feel valued.
So what does this have to do with Rock'N'Roll?
In my eyes, Rock'N'Roll is only a music "genre" because of that name being applied to a perennial Spirit inherent in humanity that was being expressed musically at that time in history.
Long before amplifiers, microphones and the harnessing of electricity,
Rock'N'Roll was a permeating force in culture.
We all know it when we see it.
When your boss threatens you by telling you that this is your "last warning", or condescends to you because of your position and you then tell your boss to get fucked,
THAT is Rock'N"Roll.
When the "Alpha" dude at a party picks a fight with you for no reason other than because he doesn't like your face, and likely or not, you end up beating the living-fucking-shit out of him and winding up in the backseat of your car with his girlfriend,
THAT is Rock'N'Roll.
When you succeed at achieving your dream, and make it your living while all the naysayers and cynics who ran their mouths about "growing up" are enjoying their long journey to the mediocre middle,
THAT is Rock'N'Roll.
Rock'N'Roll is the spirit of the Justified Underdog, a middle finger waving to those who take joy in seeing you fail and fall in line with their erroneous and myopic view of reality.
It's about showing the strong-arm and ever watchful eyes of Empire that they really fucked up by thinking everyone was a drooling idiot and that we could be corralled without any recourse.
This Spirit instills fear in would-be kings and controllers because it is underground, deep-seated and uses guerilla tactics to seed territory in the minds of the youth and among the dispossessed, the creative souls among us with the most potential to catalyze change.
That's why time and again they have used the jackboot of Authority to squash any uprising of the feral energy of Rock"N'Roll, and make an example of those unlucky enough to be exemplified.
It scares them, and by "Them" I mean the class of criminals at the highest echelons of society worldwide, who take and use the product of our labor to enrich themselves while they spew forth myriad ideologies to pacify the underlings, lest they (read:WE) open their eyes and see how violently they're getting fucked, enjoying less prosperity proportionately than medieval serfs. Don't be fooled by the gasoline and gadgets.
It's not about race, sex, religion or any other tool of division,
it's about those who seek to control others.
I am not a Democrat or Republican, not a starry-eyed Marxist nor an insatiable Capitalist,
not a nihilist materialist, nor a fervent believer.
I am like you, if you are the Underdog.
I arm myself with the knowledge of the books in my Library, the voices of the ages, along with like-minds and researchers in person and on the Internet.
I earn a living by teaching the next generation of drummers to be motherfuckers behind the kit, straight-up killers that can form bands and go on to be the voices of the Spirit for their generation.
I work to fortify myself with the Barbell, in a dank and dirty garage gym with men I'm proud to call my friends.
I speak with the razor-sharp blade of the written Word, and even more with the roar of guitars, the rumble and crack of drums, and the electrified voices resounding from microphones.
I'm not a millionaire, I'm now and then a few thousandaire.
And although it has immense power in this world, real wealth isn't paper printed with presidents.
It's the victories we achieve in the battle against mediocrity, and finding out who you really are when the adversity gets thick.
It's having a circle of people you can trust and rely on, no matter how large or small.
It's any act of kindness given or received by you, which strengthens a bond or restores your faith in humanity.
It's having the strength and temporal power to lend a hand to someone in need, especially when it's inconvenient.
We need the Spirit now more than ever.
So what's the solution?
Live on the rebel's edge, using their systems and signals to broadcast our art, our pirate message of freedom, and using your money and time to build your life outside the lines of the path provided to you.
There needs to be something powerful and primal to stand in the way and spit in the face of tyranny and nihilism, the dripping fangs of the serpent clutching freedom in its jaws.
I know this may sound melodramatic or over-poetic to some, but I would just say wipe your eyes and take a second look at the world as it is.
The politicians and corporate raiders don't give a fuck about you or your family.
Artificial Intelligence is just the latest round of Russian Roulette provided by modernity.
Elon Musk doesn't give a fuck about you, and you're not going to Mars.
You'll die here on Earth, just like I will.....
Sleep tight.
And if you think I'm wrong, just look at the condition of your street or city...
We can't even reduce the crime, eliminate inflation and corruption, or keep potholes filled....and yet we're all going into space.....
Ha.
"Progress" is failing us.
We're here, right now. This is all we've got, so grasp onto what you can to steady yourself.
The feeling of electric excitement and vitality pooling in your veins when you're participating in the creation of your Life, that's the addiction I'm after.
This creativity is a deathless fountain, so drink deeply from it.
Seize the reins of your life, before someone else does and directs that motion into the labors of their own aims.
So, The Spirit lives on, and shall live on.
And, sadly, if drums, guitars, electricity and automobiles end up going the way of the dinosaur,
Just know that Rock'N'Roll isn't going anywhere.
-L.N.
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