Blog #1 - Josh Wiedel

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination
and life to everything.” – Plato. These are words from a wise man, and they echo thoughts and feelings that most of us have. Whether you had a great day and want to jam out in the car in celebration, or perhaps you went through a breakup and want nurse your heartbreak, it seems likely that we all lose ourselves in music on a frequent basis. Music is emotional, powerful, and cultural. When asked to select my favorite band for this assignment, I immediately knew my choice would be the British Alt Rock group Muse. Their music has resonated with me on many levels and carried me through times of hardship, isolation, and even empowerment. While I have only known of them for about five years, I have selected my favorite songs from each of their last six albums, which spans thirteen years. These songs (in order of release date) include: “Unintended”, “Feeling Good”, “Sing for Absolution”, “Knights of Cydonia”, “United States of Urasia/Collateral Damage”, and “Survival”.

Muse 2012

            Listening for patterns in these songs was simultaneously interesting and encouraging. The first theme I noticed was one of selfishness. The first three songs I listed deal with matters of love, the past, regret, an outlook on the future, and freedom from guilt. This notion of selfishness surprised me at first. It made me question why I was drawn to these songs. But as I considered it, I realized that most music could be interpreted as “selfish” because it is a form of personal expression. I doubt very many musicians write a song just because they think it will be popular. They want us to share their experience. The second theme I found was about believing in yourself. The last three songs I noted emphasize this point. Standing up for what you believe in, questioning authority, never giving up hope, and inspiring others are prevalent messages in those lyrics. Those first two patterns may seem slightly disjointed, but that suggestion helped me uncover the third theme: Growth. As I stated earlier, my samples span a thirteen year period, from 1999 to 2012. Quite a bit of personal growth can occur in that many years. From beginning in a past-centric focus, to realizing the beauty of life, to wanting what you think you cannot have, to understanding the tragedies of history, to the power of unification, and to survival in the world today. Those are mature elements that come from life lessons and conflict, and that arc parallels something most people go through.

Matthew Bellamy

            In the beginning, I had some difficulty in identifying my cultural connection to this music. I couldn’t find a link between myself and the music until I stepped back and looked at the lyrics as a whole set. When I was looking at the outline I created to study the lyrics, I was struck by the overall progression of the songs. Looking at them in that chronological order with my notes about each one reminded me of the Minority Identity Development Stages (Martin & Nakayama, 2012, p. 180-183). The way I structured my outline was eerily similar to this table. I used the minority identity because I am a member of the gay minority, and it is comparable to the way I grew as a person. The text on Unexamined Identity, particularly the attitudes towards and acceptance of the majority, fit neatly within my past experiences and my notes of the first two songs. The subject of Conformity coincided with “Sing for Absolution” and my progression into my late teens. Resistance and Separation paired up with the next two songs and my acceptance of being gay. And Integration aligned with “Survival” and the person I am today.

In response to the question of culture and communication, I think the critical studies approach best suits the issue. “…All voices and symbols are not equal, but are arranged in a social hierarchy in which some individual characteristics are more highly valued than others…” (Martin & Nakayama, 2012, p.97). While I do think ethnography has some valid ideas, I feel it generalizes broad groups of people. Taking a critical look allows us to understand not only cultures, but individuals as well.

References

Martin, J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2012). Intercultural communication in contexts (6th ed). Boston,   MA: McGraw Hill. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1Jfk8j63a0 (If you're interested, this is a link to Muse performing "Survival" live at the London 2012 Olympics. It was chosen as the official song for the games. Blogger wouldn't let me embed the video)