Freaks

     The piece "Because My Father Always Said He Was The Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play "The Star-Spangled Banner" At Woodstock" by Sherman Alexie demonstrates how music can be used to cope with feelings of isolation. The narrator's Native American father is segregated against, due to his race. This causes him to relate to Jimi Hendrix, who, being black, was also discriminated against. Additionally, Jimi Hendrix's version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" is a distinct distortion of the usual, melodic version of the song; this is symbolic of the feelings of isolation the country makes both Jimi and the narrator's father feel. Similarly, rock n' roll is a genre of music that is not conventionally accepted, similarly to certain races.
     Today while watching a season seven episode of the TV show "Supernatural", there was a quote that reminded me of Alexie's piece. In a flashback, a girl said to young Sam, "Sam, you are a freak. But so was, I don't know, Jimi Hendrix, and Picasso. All the coolest people are freaks." Doesn't this have some semblance of truth? People that are considered freaks by society are people that go against the norm, people that do things that are not conventionally accepted. But without freaks, we wouldn't be where we are now. Throughout history, it has been the people that had dared to go against the norm that have accomplished the most.
     Jimi Hendrix was definitely considered a freak, what with his unique music interpretations and lyrics. In one of my favorite Jimi Hendrix songs, "All Along the Watchtower", he illustrates an inflexible power hierarchy from which outsiders, namely the Joker and the Thief, two archetypes that are generally isolated from society, are secluded from. This relates to the constant struggle of races to achieve equality in the rigid power structure that is society.
     The Walking Dead is returning in a few minutes, so I'm going to end this post with a powerful quote from Jimi Hendrix: "You have to go on and be crazy. Craziness is like heaven."

"All Along the Watchtower" by Jimi Hendrix