Heaven is...

that silence and...

the warm caress of your breath on my neck...

when you are in my arms.

You hate it. Or you are crazy about it. There are no middle paths when it comes to rock music, especially the harder, heavier variety – thrash, gothic, death, industrial…

I remember the first time I found Metallica’s Garage Days in one my brother’s room. I was about 11-12 then, and very much into U2 and Bruce Springsteen. Metallica was loud, Metallica was noisy and I didn’t like them one bit. As far as I know, Guns N’ Roses was the band that bridged the divide between the softer and heavier bands. After that, there was no turning back. The words, the music, the talent, the attitude…I just love them.

There are songs that send a thrill down my spine whenever I hear them. There are songs that amaze me with their beauty and simplicity. 2 guitars, a drum, and an inspired/tortured soul – that’s rock music. The music’s for the dreamers, the believers, and the outcasts.

Somewhere on the way, it became “cool” to listen to rock music and all the wannabes came along. And everybody wanted to learn the guitar. And everyone bought the guitar, and that’s when most of them got fucked coz they were never passionate about the music. More importantly, they could never understand or identify themselves with the music.

Their interest dies at the F chord. Believe me; I’ve been with a fair number of wannabe guitarists who doesn’t know a thing about ROCK MUSIC. These people think they know a band after listening to only one or two of their songs - Pink Floyd after “Another Brick in the Wall – Part 2”, The Doors after “Roadhouse Blues,” Metallica after “Nothing Else Matters,” Guns N Roses after “November Rain,” Megadeth after “Countdown to Extinction,” Nirvana after one of their slower unplugged numbers, Fear factory after “Cars”, Lacuna Coil after “Heaven’s a Lie”….and the list goes on.

The first guitar I picked up was a borrowed one from a friend. Everyday I would play it, and if I played it at night after school, my room mates would ask me to go outside as I was just a beginner, and there was no melody at all but just a lot of noise. I would then go to the roof and play till I was sleepy. In that Delhi winter, my fingers hardened, got calluses and finally bled. And they stung so badly whenever I got my hands wet.

After I learned the basics, I didn’t touch the guitar for another 4-5 years. My first guitar, a Givson semi-acoustic was bought when I was in PG. I still believe I'm a beginner and I've a million more things to play and learn.

You will feel a daughter’s pain when you listen to Motorhead’s “Don't Let Daddy Kiss Me”, a rejected and neglected kid’s angst when you listen to Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy”, life on the road with Bob Seger’s/Metallica’s “Turn the Page”…. No other form of music has caused riots, mini-revolutions or suicides.

Seen Easy Rider? Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper riding their huge modified Harleys on the highway, with Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild” in the background? That’s the spirit of Rock Music. And I just love it.