Musical Salvation

Most of you who know me and my obsession with music will understand why this article from the Washington Post would have struck a nerve.

I use iTunes on my computer but have never looked at or used the iMix feature. Most, if not all, of the playlists I post here are the products of my own listening style. I have very eclectic music tastes and seriously enjoy the randomness of the "shuffle" feature available on most media players. There's just something appealing about Tom Petty followed by Slayer followed by Miles Davis followed by Black Sabbath.

What this article points out, however, is the curative power of music (as well as giving a well deserved rigid didget to corporate radio and the record industry). Music is a powerful force. It can be a vehicle of cultural change as with the protest music of the 60s, punk in the late 70s, and rap in the 80s. More importantly - and I'm obviously not alone in this opinion - music can save your life.

The majority of the songs that make up the soundtrack of my life revolve around friendship, love, tragedy, and, at times, the simple absurdity or joy of living. The most important songs, the ones that really get me, are the songs that have helped me through particularly difficult periods in my life. Songs like Johnny Clegg's "The Crossing", Alice in Chains "Down in a Hole", or Concrete Blonde's "Tomorrow, Wendy" were not only vital to my mental stability at the time I discovered them, but they are still relevant today.

There is truth to the age old adage, "Music soothes the savage beast"; that 800 lb gorilla we all like to call life.