In the article "Teenage Wasteland" the author talks about these four kids that died from carbon monoxide poisoning. In the article the author went into more grippng details about the tragic sence that day, four teenagers were found dead in a 1977 Chevrolet Camano, parked in an unused garage, 16 year old Lisa and 17 year old Cheryl Burres, sisters and their friends, 19 year old Thomas Rizzo and Thomas Olton. Most people would think that there suicide was due to their self-esteem since these kids were considered outcast in the very world they live in, but what caught my eyes was what was found in their car. Next to their bodies was a cassette tape from AC DC's "If You Want Blood, You Got It". Our culture is based on the music we listen to and the artist that sings the songs. They have such an important role in our society. In some cases,adults have tried to identify the instigating factor as a lyric or a song, in their cases they have artist like Judas Priest or Ozzy Osbourne. I feel music played an big part in their suicide. Music has formed an escape and a different culture in society that is taken on by individuals that relate fairly enough to the struggle that surround that type of genre. Looking more into the article, the author states that the four kids was know for wearing all black clothing and listened to trash metal "ROCK & ROLL". In today's modern era of society there a split in our world that separates us by music, which is typically stereo-typically but it goes more deep then just that. In the pop culture, you have more out going types tend to find their path to this music while rap tend to draw in more of the struggle, but in this case the metal drew in a outcast bunch that fell more on the black sheep side of life. Music has a great value on young adults that is more controlling then the typical TV shoes parents fuss about.
Music is a powerful part of culture that influences the way one thinks and feels about many social issues. I wonder what meaning these teenagers associated to Heavy Metal and wearing black. Did they really feel like the black sheep? The way they perceived themselves was associated to their music, and clothes. How did the music they listened to influence their behaviors? Why did they identify themselves with Heavy Metal and no other styles of music? Many question to examine and reflect about, but as you pointed out music and the messages contained in its lyrics have a significant influential meaning to create and reproduce culture.
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