In celebration of the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of The Used, I explore their influence and impact on two generations, the Millennials and the Zoomers.
I Love Richard Linklater
That thought popped into my head as I watched Bernie with my wife a few nights ago. His vision, film decisions, and casting choices cater perfectly to my personality as a Gen X Libra rabbit born during the Week of Society on the Day of Influential High Romance.
While Linklater was born in 1960 and is technically a Boomer, his movies capture the vibe of my generation’s latchkey slackers. A Waking Life, Dazed and Confused, Everybody Wants Some!!, and Slackers address the haze of our disillusioned yet resilient, trusting but questioning, forgotten though balanced lives; School of Rock, Hit Man, Boyhood, and Bad News Bears show the tender and sweet side, and $5.15/Hr., Fast Food Nation, and SubUrbia bear the crises we struggle through. Through all he has accomplished as a director and producer, I will remember him for helping my generation understand our role in society.
The Used and Their Influence . . .
Artists of every kind help to define the reality of the world in which they live. Every book we read, movie we watch, painting we see, and song we hear gives a glimpse into the mind(s) of the creator(s). However, every once in a while, a voice represents more than itself. Musically, The Used is one of them.
The Used formed in the early 2000s. A volatile mix of Bert McCracken’s intensely emotive vocals, Quinn Allman’s (later Justin Shekoski’s and even later Joey Bradford’s) driving guitar work, Jeph Howard’s grounding basslines, and Branden Steineckert’s (later Dan Whitesides’) powerful drumming, the band’s self-titled debut album in 2002 expressed the pent-up frustration felt by many millennials who were beginning to come of age in a time characterized by the world’s population exceeding six billion, George W. Bush, 9/11, the loss of personal freedoms, Big Brother, doping baseball players, The Marshall Mathers LP by Eminem, and the ILOVEYOU virus. Finding their place alongside bands like My Chemical Romance and Taking Back Sunday, The Used channeled McCracken’s emotional transparency through energetic live performances that forged a bond with audiences that needed a similarly emotionally cathartic release and allowed them a career in which they produced many studio and live albums.
. . . On Gen Y (The Millennials)
In the early 2000s, not everyone had a cellphone, and social media platforms like SixDegrees.com, MySpace, and Friendster were trying to find their place on the World Wide Web. Therefore, millennials born in the early eighties valued IRL experiences like attending concerts. Around the time of Lies for the Liars, some already had children and needed a respite from the ever-growing rat race caused by rising costs and interest rates. Songs like “Taste of Inks,” “Take It Away,” and “I Caught Fire” became live music anthems that defined their early adulthood.
As Millennials aged, The Used evolved with them and produced music with mature themes they could relate to, like “Empty with You,” “I Come Alive,” “Cry,” “Over and Over Again,” and “Paradise Lost, a poem by John Milton.” However, the band understood why their millennial fans began listening in the first place, so The Used also continued to make songs that pushed the tempo and intensity, like “Blood on My Hands,” Put Me Out,” and “El-Oh-Vee-Ee.”
. . . On Gen Z (The Zoomers)
As Millennials became even more overwhelmed by life and adulthood and yearned for the nostalgic experiences from their youth, their children quietly absorbed the emotionally charged energy of the world around them. Zoomers saw and experienced horrific events such as 9/11 and school shootings at early ages. It forced them to deal with complex emotions without coping techniques because the adults of that time were only starting to understand and accept their own feelings. Fear caused elected school officials to lock doors, install metal detectors, and cancel recess, taking away students’ valuable free time. Towns put up cameras on every street corner, and helicopter parents began to constantly hover over their children, eliminating necessary childhood freedoms within the neighborhood and home. Unable to explore the outdoors on their own but feeling alone under their parents’ constant watch, Zoomers found independence and an infinite amount of information in the virtual world.
Although The Used could not have known early on, their vulnerability, authenticity, inclusivity, evolution, and genre fluidity paralleled the traits of Gen Z. Their first three albums – The Used, In Love and Death, and Lies for the Liars – explored angst and their emotions while grappling with identity, trust, and living, very much like those early years of the Gen Z. The vulnerability and authenticity of McCracken’s lyrics connected with his fans, who learned to accept all their emotions, the good and the bad (“People Are Vomit”), and used their love of the band to build safe communities outside the traditional family unit. Then, that angsty The Used energy led to profound emotional depth and maturity, leading to an evolution into darker and larger conceptional territories such as social decay (“Cry”) and personal disillusionment (“Make Believe”) while also providing moments of hope (“Rise Up Lights”).
The growth of The Used and the broadening of their focus built a more extensive fan base. However, it still fostered a strong sense of community, a human need that our culture has minimalized. The Used had used their individuality to build the community they needed, a similar goal of many Zoomers, who feel that breaking down traditional families is the only way to survive in a society becoming extremely divisive.
The Overview
The Used’s story is one of perseverance when they felt like discarded derelicts, artistic integrity in moments of emotional release, and the profound impact art can have on our and others’ lives. Since the band’s creation, they have worn their scars on their sleeves, connected with their audience on a deeply human level, and offered Millennials the immediate gratification of escapism at live shows. They etched their legacy in the industry with an evolving style that has given their fans over twenty-five years of music. Through it all, The Used became more than just a band; they became a voice and respite for Millennials and a blueprint for surviving and thriving with community for the Zoomers.
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