The Art Of The Mosh Pit
Comprehending the art of the mosh pit requires common sense. In all truth, the art of the pit boils down to the limitations and boundaries that you define at any given moment. However, in this era of alternative musiocrity: Nirvana, Greenday, The Cranberries, Crash Test Dummies and Wheezer, the pit is vogue - it's just another fashion statement. Alternative music fans who basically lived and died with Kurt Cobain are only going through the motions. If given a choice, they'd be smashing pumpkins and counting crows rather than throwing down in a real mosh pit. They don't really understand what the pit is all about so it's hard to establish any sort of solidarity. But this grim situation is only a temporary condition because new skool hip-hop knows what time it is. Besides, The Rollins Band and Fishbone aren't going anywhere any time soon. Angelo and Henry are for real. These homeboys will maintain the true spirit of the mosh pit all the way to the grave.
excerpted from Zen and the art of the mosh pit
i was thinking about how the mosh pit requires faith. faith and understanding really. it involves slam dancing and involves stage diving and working the crowd. one has to really trust their fellow moshers immensely, especially when taking a stage dive. and one has to understand how the crowd flows, in order to not get seriously hurt. but the stage dive requires the most faith. to let loose and let the strangers around you to pass you along is a complete leap of trust. not easy to do. definitely a high.
in my daily spiritual practice i am called upon to take those leaps, albeit not off a stage, and sometimes it ain't easy. i need to step up out of my comfort zone (sometimes consisting of unhappiness) and move freely about in life. at times, i think it's all i can do to live in trust. i drift back into old behaviors, but i do my best to return to the light. it is most definitely a dance. and i am entranced with the whole thing. i don't go to shows much anymore, but some things never fade in my memory. mosh pits and slamming are a couple of those.
this is one of my favorite bands. they have been around for almost 20 years, which is huge in rock world. they have mellowed a bit with age, but they are hard working and hit home for me most of the time. they are social distortion. lyrics to this song here
1 comment:
I neveridentified with the culture of alienation that came with slamming guitar riffs so loud as to make calling them "music" senseless, in my book. I always thought of mosh pits as straight boys trying way too hard to be spiritual. But I am a judgey bitch, so don't mind me.
But I did use to be told I looked very much like Henry Rollins. For about two years there, in my late 30s, it was kinda true.
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