Discordant Hymns

In general I would not think of myself as a big music buff. I listen to a few tracks far and in between and I am very picky about it, not specifically the genre because that again depends on my mood. I am definitely not one of those who has a tune stuck in my head and can’t move to the next track! I am also not one of those who can’t work without music, because I do not like multithreading in my head: you know too many threads can end in a knot and naught. It was therefore rather strange that I was invited to a rock concert and even more queer that I consented.

It was held at the YMCA hall and none of us had a clue of what we were in for, or at least I hadn’t. The program commenced with us being requested to reflect on our actions in the past and how God will liberate us from our sins only if we believe in Him. It reminded me of the documentary series on the BBC that reflected on religion being the root cause of evil: there was a particular episode in which showed the spread of Evangelical Christianity in USA. They used rock concerts as platforms to draw crowds into spirituality and more specifically Christianity. I have often wondered how utterly sacrilegious musical renditions from the ilk of Marilyn Manson and Metallica can turn people towards religion. Here, I got to experience it first hand. The lyrics having spiritual/religious content were being projected onto a screen while the rock band set the stage on fire.

I was not too sure whether to follow the lyrics or the music and I settled for the latter because honestly speaking the two seemed rather disjoint. Call me a purist or an orthodox fuddy-duddy, but I have always believed that spirituality is something that is invoked within. For that you need to be in a different plane of consciousness which is facilitated by serenity and definitely not pulsating rock music. Rock music speaks a language of angst and turmoil, not necessarily in the lyrics but in the way it is generally played. It is more inspired by manmade sounds like an engine or a motor or a train, very rarely will you find sounds similar to say, the birds chirping or the wind blowing in a Rock piece. Rock music, therefore, tends to bind you more to these worldly aspects rather than liberate you from them. This is where religions that need to be constantly propagated fail to realize that in an attempt to reach to a younger audience through such means, the very essence of their preaching is lost. In fact in a macro-view, religion is so preoccupied with the act of propagation that it loses sight of its real objective.

Later, as we left the hall, we were given pocket booklets of the New Testament. (Funny, even MS word wants ‘New Testament’ in initial caps like ‘God’!!) Frankly, I did not want to take it, primarily, because I believed I came to a rock performance and not a religious caucus. So I handed it over to my friend who now has two copies. I would think that the music especially the percussionist in the band rocked if not the religious connotations of the event. Mixing religion and rock music to me is like having Pizza with Pal payasam.