Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life
Steve Almond
Random House (2010)
Everyone likes music. Some more than others. But for an unfortunate minority, music is life. It ceases to be merely pleasant background noise and invades every aspect of daily existence. It defines the clothes they wear, influences speech and thought patterns, dictates who is worthy of hanging out with, and makes or usually breaks romantic relationships. In other words, for this unfortunate minority, music is religion.
And it truly is a religion. All the key elements are there. Stadiums, theaters, clubs and bars serve as houses of communal worship. Singing along in the solitude of a car or bedroom serves as personal prayer. There are many holy sites that a music worshiper will make a pilgrimage to; Graceland is a biggie. Set lists, autographs, and used picks are holy relics. Saints and prophets are simply their favorite artists. And you know how some kooky Christians will see Jesus or the Virgin Mary in their morning toast or a potato chip? Likewise, the music worshiper will see Elvis in a Florida 7-11.
Writer Steve Almond gives first hand documentation of the trials and tribulations of a devout music worshiper, a “drooling fanatic” as he calls it, in his book, Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life.
A drooling fanatic (DF) suffers from the condition of being “an idiot with a jukebox where his soul should be.” Although Almond is Jewish by birth, he doesn’t divulge to what extend he practices the faith. But based on passages like: “It’s not just about the music. It’s about who you are when you listen to the music and who you wish to be and the way a particular song can bridge that gap, can make you feel the abrupt thrill of absolute faith,” it’s clear where his eternal loyalty lies.
The book doesn’t necessarily explain how rock and roll will save your life, but it does offer an entertaining account of a form of worship as sacred and pure as any other.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
RE: “Saints and prophets are simply their favorite artists.” There is nothing new about this. The ancient bards and prophets actually sang religious stories to the illiterate layman. It’s communication. And music notation and chanting was (and is) a big part of monastic life. The author doesn’t tell us why a love for music is so sinful. Which of the commandments does it violate? And what’s the best alternative, watch more TV or read more newspapers? In my opinion, a “drooling fanatic” of music is better than a gun collector or binge drinker…
The author makes no apologies for his fanaticism, and he certainly doesn’t consider it sinful. He’s not looking for alternatives to his lifestyle. He embraces it wholeheartedly as a viable “religion.”