Also Sprach Zarathustra

The ominous yet triumphant tones that Richard Strauss' 1896 masterpiece are possibly some of the most recognizable notes from classical music that has seeped into popular culture. The origins of the piece are found in the words of Friedrich Nietzsche's book Also Sprach Zarathustra (translated it reads Thus Spoke Zarathustra). Yet, the title itself does not find its originality in the 19th century, the name Zarathustra comes from the name of the Persian prophet and poet Zoroaster, and the name itself could men many things, all relating to camels.



Yet, Zarathustra will not bring to mind the music that has become so entrenched in our culture, indeed no words at all will evoke the song, yet a number will, 2001. In Stanly Kubrick's 2001:A Space Odyssey the song is featured prominently in the opening, and from this we all glean both the name and images that are associated with the iconic song.



The story does not end there, Zarathusta continues to travel on in popular culture with its new more accessible name 2001. The legendary professional wrestler Ric Flair chose 2001 as his entrance music for his walk to the ring, instilling a bombastic hurrah, or Whoooo for that matter, among fans.



Ric Flair is not alone in using 2001 as a rousing introduction, the SEC football team for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks have taken the song and added tens of thousands of screaming, sunburned, and sloshed fans to its reverie.



However, 2001 does not simply exist as a trademark entrance, the megalithic band Phish took the song, beginning in 1993, and added it to their massive repertoire. They did not play the original notes of Strauss, but instead embellished and stylized through their improvization to create a very different song; it retained its Germanic origins.



The Phish version lives on even if Phish fails to do so. Last night five musicians, and for the most part fans, Marc Brownstein and John Guttwillig from The Disco Biscuits, Joe Russo, Jake Cinninger from Umphrey's McGee, and Kyle Hollingsworth of the late String Cheese Incident, preformed the song along with other classic Phish tunes as the Head Count Allstars at the 2008 Jammys.



And so, 2001 has traveled from the scrolls of ancient Iran to the pen of continental thought to the hallowed ground of Williams Brice stadium and countless wrestling rings to the LSD drenched minds of some hippies from Vermont. The journey from the loftiest berths of high culture to the beer stickied floors of American low brow, and like everything else it will continue to change as we change.