WHO ARE YOU?

Back in the 1820’s and 1830’s a new religious and philosophical movement began to take shape in the eastern part of the United States. This movement, known as Transcendentalism, protested against the generalization of culture and society. It specifically pushed for individuality, creativity, and non-conformity, which in my life are very important to who I am. Growing up I was quite fond of the arts, especially music! Music was something I could confide in and really relate to, something that was always going to be there for me no matter what. Not only is music a great way for people to express their talents, but to me, it is the best source of transcendentalism there is. Music conveys a transcendentalist theme in several ways. First of all, there are so many different genres. There is country, rock, rap, classical, techno, and so much more. There is music in every part of the world each unique to its culture and heritage. Next, being a musician gives you the ability to speak freely through the words in your songs. You can express your feelings, thoughts, and ideas through a 2-3 minute song. Also, no musician is the same, they all have their own unique look or sound and that’s what sets them all apart. There is no other hobby or activity I can think of that has such a numerous amount of variations and styles. As a young boy I was so fascinated with rap music, to me it was the cool thing to listen to. Everyone else was listening to it so I did too, but as I got older I started to break away from rap and turn towards the music from the late 1900’s, classic rock. I began to form a bond with classic rock, listening to bands like Led Zeppelin and The Cars. Being a drummer, the instruments were not the only thing I loved about classic rock, I enjoyed the lyrics too. Many of the bands I listened to generated true emotion through the lyrics, but the group I felt the most emotionally and spiritually was “The Who.” In 1964, 4 young lads emerged out of London, England with a statement to make. They made sure that people knew who they were. Consisting of Roger Daltrey (vocalist), Peter Townshend (guitarist), John Entwistle (bassist), and Keith Moon (drummer), “The Who” were known for the intense individuality and on-stage antics, and to me I can’t think of any other song by them that expresses this more than “My Generation.” In this song Daltrey sings about people putting him down and being cold, but what strikes me the most in this song as non-conformist is not what’s sung but how’s its sung. Daltrey, a man without a stutter, sings with one in this song, stuttering on several occasions throughout the song. Some people say that during recording Daltrey did not know some of the words so he stuttered some of them instead and it just stuck, but many people believe it was more than that. Daltrey being just 20 years of age, was early in his years of stardom, so many