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Darkness

 


There was a moment when I discovered that l liked dark music. I do like dark music. I like minor keys and a haunting theme. I like other kinds of music too, but that darkness speaks to me in a special way. What does that say about me? Am I messed up? I don’t think so. Maybe I am just built that way that haunting tunes or lyrics imparts some inner truth to me. It resonates.

I know precisely when I discovered this about myself. It was Summer of 1971. I was 12 years old. I was on a plane with my family heading to Illinois. Airplanes back then did not have much in the way of entertainment, but what they did have were headphones and music channels you could listen to. I was listening to a channel of popular current hits, and a song came on called “That’s the Way I Always Heard it Should Be” by Carly Simon. I had never heard of Carly Simon. This was before “Anticipation” and “You’re so Vain.” She was not yet famous. But this song came on and, I don’t know, it did something to me. It gave me chills. It was not necessarily the lyrics, it was the music composed by Simon.

I guess there were other dark songs that I liked before this one, but this one made me identify that the dark tone was what I was connecting with. Why do I connect with it? I don’t know. I don’t consider myself a ‘dark’ person. I am a happy guy. I don’t have ‘dark thoughts” in case you are worried about that. It’s just the way it is. It is why I find myself even today liking symphonic metal bands like Nightwish, Within Temptation, Epica, and Lacuna Coil.  

It is not just music. I find myself drawn to darker episodes of television shows, movies, and literature. It can sometimes be to my detriment. Some of the first stories I wrote were dark, too dark, ridiculously dark. Darkness, like any other component of a story, has to be earned. It shouldn’t just be thrown into a story for the sake of darkness. In the Empire Strikes Back, Han Solo being frozen in carbonite, or Luke losing his hand are things integral to the story. They will pay off. They weren’t just thrown in to have something bad happen for the sake of something bad happening.

So, a little addendum to my earlier statement: I am a fan of the dark provided it is appropriate and works within and for the song or story. At least that’s the way I always heard it should be.

Star Liner

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