Today, I'm going to be talking about something in the same arena of thought: Improving your life by doing something freeing, something cool, and not giving a crap about who's watching.
I have a favorite song. It's not a guilty pleasure song, though perhaps if I experienced the same feelings of shame as others, it might make me feel guilty. Luckily for me, I don't, because I realized a long time ago that shame is unimportant, and if I don't fit the mold, the mold wasn't built to proper specifications. (Perhaps we should all adopt this attitude, from time to time)
The song is the Disney song from the film "Hercules" entitled "Go the Distance". I don't enjoy the version sung by Alan Menken in his strangely operatic tone, and I don't enjoy almost any covers I've heard on the internet. As a rule, that's because the song is not just about hearing the lyrics, it's about a ritual that was developed back in my fraternity days.
When I joined the Sigma Nu fraternity at DePauw University, I was prepared to ignore most of the stupid things I assumed they would do. I wouldn't become a frat boy, I wouldn't allow myself to be hazed, and I wouldn't get sucked into meaningless traditions that propagate because old men tell young men they're important.
So I was pleasantly surprised when I was not asked to be hazed, when I didn't find drinking culture, and didn't see many silly traditions at all, except a few that seemed to be grounded on fun; the annual trip to a specific local restaurant one early morning, the free ribs they bought new members, the game-night that helped us all get to know each other.
There was, however, one very strange tradition, related to that wonderful "Hercules" song.
Whenever it came on, we all got on top of our chair, or couch, or in some cases table, lifted one leg in the Captain Morgan stance, and sang a loud, and often off-key rendition of the song, including the belted last note that often hurt our throats and allowed the few of us who WERE singers to show off our tone and breath control....by singing even louder and longer.
The first time it happened, I was sitting in the common room when down the hall the softly playing music suddenly rocketed up and became loud, and impossible to ignore. The movie we were watching was instantly paused, and while the young freshmen sat confused in our seats, our mature adult companions suddenly stood up with massive, silly grins, and belted out a kid's movie song at the top of their voices. When it finished, they sat down and after a few seconds of laughter, started the movie back up.
I didn't ask then what was going on. For some reason, I assumed it was some sort of unknown rite-of-passing I hadn't crossed, and would eventually understand. However, that same weekend when it happened again, and an old alumnus who stopped by joined in, I had to ask what the hell was going on.
I asked, "So, what exactly is that?"
A fraternity senior stared at me like an idiot and answered slowly, "Go the Distance, from Hercules?"
So I continued, "But, why do you sing it? And the whole standing on something thing...is there a set of rules, or something? Do you have to do it after you join? Are there other songs?"
He stared at me a moment longer before answering, again slowly as if I were a complete fool, "No, it's just a fun song. And we like it. And so we sing."
This answer was apparently all he cared to give, so he left, and I pondered the situation for several more days until it happened, YET AGAIN, the next week. As everyone stood up around me, I loudly exclaimed something to the effect of "what the fuck are you guys doing, can someone just explain?" and I was met with one of my best friends in the fraternity, the legendary Beardo, responding "Shut your trap and sing."
I stood up on the chair, and I did.
To this day, whenever I hear that song, unless I'm in a busy meeting or in a car, I find some way to stand up, pose heroically, and sing as loud as I possibly can.
Everyone has their rituals, and their favorite songs. Everyone tries, time and again, to master the heroic pose, and the group inside-joke, and the combinations thereof. We like to feel happy and silly, and it's nice to do something that allows us to feel like a kid, completely outside of judgment even for silly behaviors.
No kid ever tells you that they're 'ashamed' to like Disney, do they? Nor does a kid feel bad when they sing, however loud and off-key it might be. In my experience, that's because unlike adults kids don't seem to understand a guilty pleasure, or much of guilt at all. They don't mind being stared at in a crowd, and their sense of decorum doesn't even keep them from loudly screaming and crying in public, so why would it stop them from singing and dancing?
Everybody needs to have these sorts of rituals. I believe in my heart of hearts that everyone benefits from having something that they find stupid but fun, and just giving in to it.
I have many more rituals and behaviors I've picked up, some less silly and a few even more so, but none of them quite so much fun. I imagine someday at my wedding, or at those of my fraternity brothers, I will do this again in public. I will stand up, strike a pose heroically, and then happily embarrass myself in order to feel young again, and in order to have fun. I will sing like the idiot that my inner child is.
As Beardo once taught me, if you're feeling unsure, or scared, or even just amused but confused, sometimes instead of analyzing and querying and trying to stop it is pointless.
The best thing to do is shut your trap, strike a heroic pose, open your mouth, and sing.
Thanks for reading. If you liked this, check out the links at the top of the page, or if you're looking for more fun Brian Allman stories, read my older posts, Choir Boy to Mountain Man or Basketballs and Brotherhood: Twin stories.
Leave your comments, such as your OWN silly rituals and fun ideas, below!
As always, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed.
Brian
Anytime the song comes on, it must be done! Well said sir. Glad you keep the tradition going :)
ReplyDeleteSorry I didn't reply quick! Didn't see the comment! And yeah, I do try to keep the tradition alive!
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