Hardcore Essay, Research Paper

Dedicated to all the people who see hardcore as it was ?meant to be?. Identified not by a

particular sound or certain style but by its ideals-in the pures t sense- as a way of life, a

way of thinking. A mindset that comes naturally to some people. A way of life we still

very muchbelieve in. Hardcore was ?meant? to be free form of aggressiveexpression- an

underground subculture- a community joined by differenceof opinion – with no limits or

rules. There is no uniform. No rules andno standards. Hardcore is not a slogan or a catch

phrase on the back of at-shirt. It?s real. It?s still alive. The ?D.I.Y.? ethic is still verymuch

alive in our eyes. It?s not just a scam or a buzz word. It?s real. Hardcore was meant to be

the norm- the complete polar opposite tosociety?s standards and expectations. There is no

checklist Nevercompromise. Be who you are. Forget the tidal wave trend bandwagon

andits drooling bandwagoneers -the blind lead the blind wearing concreteshoes- sinking

more and more with every day that passes. Live your life yourself. Believe in yourself and

no one else. Hardcore wasn’t meant tobe ?P.C.? or safe. Hardcore was meant to be

unpredictable threat to thenorm. Smash what is expected of you. Live up to your own

expectations. Why would you even bother considering living up to someone else’s?

Whocares about the bitter, self-glorifying pseudo-traditionalists who preachas to ?what IS

and ISN’T? hardcore. The glory days of hardcore may begone in jaded eyes but why

waste your breath sitting around complainingabout how great yesterday was? Today is

here. Today is passing you byright now. The time is now. Yesterday will never return no

matter howmany stories you tell. If your still alive- don?t sit around remembering. Life is

fluid. Life spontaneous. Life is not a procedure. Life is nota machine. Life is erratic and

impulsive. Think about the spontaneity ofemotion of life and love. The emotion release

that is music. Music isour therapy. Our remedy. Everyone is so preoccupied and so busy-

so busydoing nothing at all. Working their lives away, 9 to 5 like slaves- for what? For

money? For success? Are you satisfied with filling in thecracks? Everyone is so busy

fulfilling other peoples expectations. Noone has a second to breathe- to appreciate life.

No one has a free secondto listen to their heart. Everyone is a machine. Always working-

fueledby their selfish desires and their fear of not fitting in to the endlesscycle. School,

job, success, death. People work their lives away – justto another old, rusty, boring,

forgotten the chain. You must work hardfor that nice car and big white house in the

suburbs and your 2.2 kids perfamily. Success? What is success? Do you measure success

by what Ipossess? Is it all material? If your If your house was on fire – wouldit be a

question if who or what you would save first? Honestly… askyourself. Granted success

does not mean the same thing to everyone butthere are more things to life, more things to

us at least. Life is experience. When you’re dead and old and there?s no time will you be

ableto look back on your life feel satisfied? If you died at the end of thissentence would

you feel you lived today like it was your last day alive? Life is love. Love is all that

matters. I mean, REAL live. Be it lovefor someone or something, like hardcore or just

music. The carefreeabandon that defines love. You know when you get goosebumps from

hearingthe certain song ? Real love. Not just loved based on solely beauty. Thefeeling of

no tomorrow- it?s so apocalyptic. We feel it is important torealize that the time is right

now. Nothing can wait. The time is here. Seize the day- because someday tomorrow will

be too late, that much I canassure you of. We must live for today. When you leave your

house todaythink about closing the door- turning that doorknob- someday there will bea

last time you do that. A last time you do everything. Think about it. What we have here

and now is everything and we should embrace it becauseonce it?s all gone all we?ll do is

wish it would return, daydreaming, looking at pictures and reading old letters and

fanzines… live everydaylike it?s your last make no mistake, hardcore- the threat- IS still

alive. Your empty slogans have never changed a thing. It?s time we took itback, and made

it ours again.