In Defense of Loud Music

It's fitting that in our youth,
the pinnacle of our naive disregard,
when we threw caution to the wind like toilet paper up a tree,
in frenzied rebellion,
hormones raging, chemicals pumping
and discontented
that we first found music.

Young people gravitate to music like snakes to a flute. With our meager funds we commit to buying all manner of melody and sound, attending live shows and singing and dancing in spirited gaiety. I will never forget driving with friends on summer days(maybe one of us knew where we were going but it didn't matter), windows down, with my head out the window--adding to the exhilaration, singing and laughing, playing air guitar in unison as the chorus hit....bliss.

But then as we get older, mostly in deference to our blown out ear drums, we turn it down and begin to comply with societal norms. We change the dial to something less edgy and more public radio-y, highlighted by "driveway moments" from an informing news story that compels us to listen to its conclusion. Suddenly the AM frequencies, that long held such parental pariah, good only for the occasional Bears or Cubs game appears a bit more our style. Full of traffic and weather on the 8's, Borz and Bernstein, Hannity and Rush and poor reception; no matter.

This shift is closely followed by the intrinsic disgust and distrust for that car sitting next to you at the stop light with the high hat, guitar rifting, bass kicking annoyance. Condescendingly, I think to myself, seriously aren't we civilized? I would be a lot happier without that noise in my life. Then followed by a personal discourse regarding the poor taste that other people seem to have in music. What is that, noise?

I could feel myself getting cornered by the music I liked and knew. Remembering an old counselor who listened exclusively to Frank Zappa, who was ridiculously productive, and felt a bit less of a man. Well, enough of that I thought and so made an effort otherwise to get back in the game and...."What a country!". I am reformed and again in love with music. The moving and entertaining, beautiful sounds and stories, moments and memories, stirring emotions and hallelujah heart pounding choruses. On an evolutionary path that is marked by the generations and all worthy of praise for the creative spark that put it together.


So now, I turn it up, becoming one with the noise. Of course, there's still time for moments of consideration: I'll turn it down at the lights or when driving though quiet neighborhoods for example. I do still object, at times, with condescending annoyance at the excessive over woofed out sound and decidedly poor taste of my fellow loudies, but I do have a new tolerance.

So whether you like rap or reggae, punk or r & b, hip hop or trance, jazz, funk or folk, if you like your rock & roll: light or hard, alternative or metal turn it up. Turn up the bass and treble, test the limit on that volume switch a bit more and enjoy.