Thinking about music this morning. We all know what music means to us and how it shapes moments and events, creating connections and memories all tied up in emotion. Im sure we can all cite moments in movies and TV shows where just the right song, musically and lyrically, absolutely brings the moment to life, or brings us to tears. Back in 1977, a friend and I went to see a movie called Heroes. Wed been charmed by Han Solo in Star Wars, and started following Harrison Fords movies. He was co-starring in a movie featuring, of all people, Henry Winkler. But he played a Vietnam vet with PTSD, and at the end he is caught in the grip of a breakdown. It was moving in and of itself, especially as it showed Ford actually had acting chops, but as he goes to pieces a song I had never heard began to play. Started off a capella with an opening blast of tight vocal harmony. It absolutely nailed me to the chair. Such emotion, such vocals, such incredible lyrics, and so perfect for the ending of the movie, as the guy slowly goes to pieces. My friend and I walked out of the theater rather stunned, once we stopped crying. It was Carry On, Wayward Son, by Kansas, which went on to be a monster hit. To this day it remains one of my all-time favorite rock songs, though you dont hear it much anymore. But whenever I do hear it, it brings back that same sense of tragedy, of fatalism, of an odd hope for relief from cares, from the burdens of the world. As I mentioned yesterday, Ive become utterly hooked on Supernatural. One of the integral elements throughout the series is music, specifically hard rock and metal, since the character of Dean is really into it. (He has five tapes he plays over and over again as they go road-tripping to fight demons, ghosts, etc.) But rock in general, and the specific songs always perfectly suit the theme of that particular show. It becomes clear that the brothers are destined for other, greater things, and that their road will be a very hard one. One of the songs that has been used to, IMO, incredible effect to convey what they face, and what it costs them, is Wayward Son. And it evokes the same response in me as it did the first time I heard it watching Harrison Ford losing it to PTSD. Its an acknowledgment of the pain a warrior of any kind feels, knowing hes doomed and damned, and yet dedicated to the fight. And thats one of the things in the series that really gets to me. It can be silly and funny, dramatic, touching, but also a punch to the gut when you realize what the fight is costing brothers who love one another so deeply. My reading and writing has always been defined by this kind of angst in the protagonists, the emotional battles coupled with the physical, the growth that comes through survival when you fear its time to give up, but know the battle is greater than one person. So while its just a TV show and certainly isnt everyones cup of tea, the underlying heart and soul of a relentless battle that demands everything, that leaves the brothers just wrung out physically and emotionally and shows the humanity of heroes amidst a world gone awry, is exactly why I write the way I write, the kind of stories I like to read, why I create the kind of flawed, all-too-human protagonists who can be flip and funny and dry while tragedy and sacrifice is at the heart of what they do. Look up the lyrics to Carry On, Wayward Son, if you havent ever done it, and play the song. That is Supernatural in a nutshell.
Posted on: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 15:25:19 +0000
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