The Day that Music Died
The band quickly gained popularity as teens from all over the country traveled to see their gigs. Within two years, the band was selling out huge concert halls and arenas all over the US. One night while the band was playing, Chad spotted the most beautiful girl he had ever seen sitting in the first row. He found her after the show and said,
"I have played hundreds of shows, and seen millions of faces in the crowd, but have never seen a girl as beautiful as you. I am Chad, what is your name?"
The blushing girl said, "My name is Samantha, but most people call me Sam."
Chad and Sam began going on dates and had a healthy relationship. Their affection for each other grew over the next year and a half, and Chad was ready to ask Sam to be his wife.
Without telling Sam, Chad traveled to her home and asked her father,
"Do I have permission to marry your daughter?"
To his surprise, Sam's Dad said no, for he did not approve of Chad's rock and roll lifestyle. He believed that Chad would bring great shame to his family.
Discouraged and down, Chad went to his brothers for support. Chad loved Sam, but could not fathom the thought of leaving the band.
Dave went to Sam's father and begged him to gives Chad permission to marry Sam. Sam's father did not budge. Dave offered to kick Chad out of the band so that he could marry Sam. Still, Sam's father remained steadfast because bringing Chad into his family also meant bringing Dave and Vick into the family. If they continued to rock, they were bringing shame with them.
The next day Dave and Vick made a vow that would rock the world. Together they said,
"We swear to never play music again so that our brother Chad can marry his love."
In a moment, the best rock band on Earth was wiped from the face of music.
When Chad heard what his brother's had done he was deeply distressed. He felt responsible for taking away the dreams of his brothers. Never the less, he would not let their sacrifice go to waste, so he married Sam. The lived a happy life.
Dave and Vick, despite the constant cries from fans, did not break their vow.
Authors Note
The inspiration for this story came from the Mahabharata when Devavrat made the vow to never marry so that the fisherman's daughter, Satyavati, would be given permission to marry his father, King Shantanu. Devavrat had tow half brothers named Chitrangad and Vichitraveerya. In my story I changed the names, plot, and setting. Devavrat was Dave, Chitrangad was Chad, Vichitraveerya was Vick, Satyavati was Sam, and Shantanu was absent. It made more sense to me to have Chad as the one who falls in love rather than the three son's father so that what I did. Just like the original, Dave made huge sacrifice in the form of a vow for the happiness of a family member. I had Vick say the same vow because his identity in rock music was also preventing the marriage of Chad and Sam.
I love rock music so it seemed like a fun topic to build my story around. Starbucks, based out of Seattle, is where I happened to write this story so it made sense to use the form of rock that Seattle is known for, grunge. It was a little difficult for me to think of of a way to connect the Mahabharata with rock music, but I think I made it work haha. Hope you enjoyed it.
Bibliography
The Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution by Epified TV
Image Information: Alice in Chains, Another Popular Grunge Band from Seattle: Wikimedia Commons
Interesting approach! When I first pulled up the story, I wondered if I was in the right spot. It just threw me off with the appearance of the rock band. I enjoyed the story, I wish they could have continued to rock out but the couple had to live happily ever after. I'm curious about the band you pictured. I recognize the name, but are they still together?
ReplyDeleteGreat story and a very different approach from what people have written so far. What made you want to write about rock and roll? Also I kind of find it funny that the a rock star would care so much if a father said yes to marrying his daughter or not. If he cared that much he must be a decent guy after all most rockstars do what they want!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your background and seeing that your family is musically inclined, I enjoyed your rock and roll spin on this story. It gave the story a modern day twist and was very refreshing. At first, I was a little confused on who was who or what story you were retelling, but then I had my "AH-HA" moment and it all clicked. Great job!
ReplyDeleteWhile I don't think ppl should glorify sacrificing for their loved ones, I think it is very sweet and romantic in this context as he has a choice. I liked the reference to the 90s grunge rock/pacific northwest scene haha. I kind of agree with Alex about rock n roll guys not caring, but I think that's what makes this story all the more sweet! Bad boy on the outside but sweet on the inside.
ReplyDeleteHey Brandon,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your week 9 story, although I thought that it was a little sad. I felt bad for both Chad and Sam both probably feeling responsible for the breaking up of the band. If it was up to me I would marry Chad while he was in the band but also my dad would probably like me marring a rock band member! Your story was really easy to read and flowed really well!