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Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll. . . still the American Dream
The phrase "Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll" originated from a 1977 song popularized by Ian Dury, an English singer, songwriter, and actor who rose to fame in the 1970s. Americans embraced Dury’s call for the dream of living with plenty of sex, drugs and rock and roll.
Personally, I’m glad to be at the age when no one expects me to talk about sex. And the thing I know about drugs, is that I don’t take any. As for Rock and Roll, if it’s too loud and aggressive, it spoils my equilibrium of sensible thinking. Although occasionally, I enjoy Lite Rock Music as a treasured memory back to the ‘good old days’ of singing and dancing, recalling how my body could move with that kind of flexibility and durability; the attributes I’m still trying to maintain through Meditation, Pilates and Chair Yoga.
I turned twenty in 1970, the year the sex revolution unleashed itself through the women’s rights movement and the availability of free love, burning bras, and The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. Drugs erupted into every corner of our American lifestyle and Rock and Roll evolved from the 1950's to the 70s through technological improvements populating the sounds of The Rolling Stones, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Aerosmith, Queen, The Who, Jimmi Hendricks, Janis Joplin, Steely Dan, and Pink Floyd to name a few.
One would think that after 50 years since the phrase, Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll hit the airwaves, the world would have moved on to more sensible dreams. But we haven’t.
Sex: good sex is an inseparable part of our well-being and happiness. Those who engage in more sex report better quality of life and studies between sexual activity and happiness find that people who have more frequent sex with a primary partner are happier. The art of loving is very much alive and thriving. After all, humans are sexual beings. Traditional norms of marriage, coupling, and parenting are still a dream for many. So, there is always sex.
Drugs: a plethora of medical advances from curative to maintenance, and alternative treatments. All practices outside of mainstream healthcare; some help you start your day and some help you sleep at the end of the day and everything in between. Whether a necessary indulgence or a lifesaving remedy, we can’t live without drugs and in some cases, we would be better off without them. So, there are drugs.
As for Rock and Roll, the art of music is only one of many forms of creative expressions of imaginative endeavors for society: painting, theater, jewelry, fashion, photography, furniture and home design, books, clay and bronze, gold, silver, glass, gems, beads and fabrics, and the Internet. The list of inspired creations span an unlimited range of art and talent, including the skill of space travel and an aptitude for solving problems and the art of wordsmith. And there is more to come with the evolution of AI. There will always be the American Dream expressed in music and the broadcast of hope. There is always sound art!
Yes, Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll is still alive and thriving in the American dream with the promise of survival and an expectation for a better life.
Love,
Hilda
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