its me against the music

i only recently noticed that a lot of what we do, where we go, what we wear, and to an extent, how we think, is controlled by the music we listen to, and what currently is the 'in' thing. i know that what is hip on the scene controls a lot of how we live our lives and has a huge impact on our social cultures, but i never realised the impact that music itself has on this world.

a while back it was all about the techno dance beats, circa-bad times. this music encouraged guys to pump the iron and usn, girls to stop wearing clothes, and commissioned wife beaters and pinstripe shirts with white shoes into the fashion and sports magazines the world over (and by world, i mean the small, secluded space we tend to call 'home'). if you werent with it, you just didnt know.

and with time, these jocks started calming down, but were still a prevalent part of society. years on, and the white shoes were still jamming, the pinstriped shirts were still soaked in sweat, and girls still had not managed to locate their dresses (someone get that girl a jacket, its cold!!!). clubs like tiger tiger, manhattan..and..um..others were popping up everywhere to fill the need in the market. techno dance was the thing, and once again, if you didnt know, you had to aks somebody.

this left other musical genres in the dust, wishing and hoping for a chance to shine. and their time has now come, influencing yet another subculture of ultra cool hipsters. a complete transformation of what we knew about the world around us. a whole new world has opened up, and once again, music has been at the forefront of it.

we are now hitting the indie music scene, which i think can be divided into a) indie electro and b) indie rock, each drawing its own specific crowd, life and energy. the pinstripe shirts and white shoes have been traded in for plaid shirts and either tommy tackies, your grandfathers walking shoes, or tres cool high tops (depending on whether you are rock or electro. dont get these 2 mixed up!). some girls have located their clothes, where others seem to enjoy the cold breeze between their legs. each to her own, i guess.

but suddenly everyone has an artistic streak, and shy away from conforming to materialism. they all kick it old school in some old geezers garments, and whip out a guitar or dj decks whenever they have a chance. wounded souls and crazy hair are suddenly in. and if you cant draw a perfect circle, or churn out a middle c without being tuned, then you really just dont know.

and like their pinstiped counterparts, these kids are very involved in the music and the world and safety it offers them. they behave the way they are supposed to, speak the way they are supposed to, and specifically dress the way they are supposed to. never at any point pushing boundaries or the authorities. staying on the path...

...until the next phase of music comes in, and like the techno dance jocks, they too, will be forgotten.

but hey, #imjusssayin

rabi