Himself has a little bit of a man-crush on Jared Leto. Some of you will remember him from My So-Called Life and American Psycho. In this house it’s all about his second incarnation as frontman of 30 Seconds to Mars. They’re not a bad band, as bands go (I for one particularly like their This is War album), but what is astounding about them is their following. The die-hard fans call themselves The Echelon, go out of their way to promote gigs and albums and other appearances, tattoo themselves in the strange Illuminati-type symbols that Jared tattoos on his arms and know all the call and response/hand symbols to the songs. If you ever get a chance to see 30 Second to Mars live on MTV or something like that you’ll see what I mean.
Himself doesn’t really get it. He loves the man and the music, he just doesn’t get the strange cult-like following.
But I do.
You see it reminds me of New Model Army gigs in the late 80s/early 90s. We, the die-hard fans, called ourselves The Family. We travelled far and wide to see them play. We knew all the words to all the songs, as well as the actions (that is less lame than it sounds…. honestly!). We tattooed ourselves with celtic knots and always bought the t-shirt. And if one of us fell down in the mosh-pit someone would always pick us up again.
(the moshpit c. 2006 – a bit balder, a bit fatter but still going strong!!)
It’s about a need to belong. It’s about feeling like a lost lonely little freak, about nobody at your school understanding you and then, suddenly discovering this band that speak to you. Discovering that, amongst the other fans, you’ve found people who finally get you. You’ve found somewhere you can relax and be yourself. Who you really, truly are. No holds barred.
This need to be part of a tribe is primal. Those feelings start when you hear the record. But when you see the band live, pressed against the heat and vitality of other living souls who feel the same way as you it goes beyond that. Beyond time, to that place where we are all a spark of something else. Something special.
Why am I telling you this?
Because it happens in yoga too.
I know for a fact there are people reading this that know what I mean. That feeling of finally having found home when you walk into a yoga class. That feeling of finally belonging.
In our yoga class we know the dance, we know all the words, we know the call-and-response chants and the secret hand gestures (mudras). And we feel that primal belonging as we practice alongside others, that spark of life that lies within us all.
Those of you who know Linda will know that she refers to her husband’s passion for music as “his yoga”. And we all have that. It might not be a yoga class. But everyone has that place where they belong, where they’ve finally found what they were looking for. And if you haven’t, I promise you, it’s just around the corner if you keep your eyes, your mind and your heart wide open.
“Some people ask us if this is a cult; I say this:
It’s something special. It’s not for everyone – it’s only for those who understand.”
–Jared Leto
I still feel the call to New Model Army gigs at least once a year. I still call myself Family as proudly now as I did when I was 14. I can’t help it, the pull is strong, the desire to belong.
Almost as strong as the call to yoga.
.jpg){kind=link}
