Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo & Thomas Bangalter

What does it mean to be a hero? Most people think of someone who goes out their way to help others in times of need, like firefighters and first responders to emergencies, and they certainly are heroes. Heroes need to be helpful and make people's lives better, and those people do that job. The best heroes are also modest and don't give up, even while under extreme pressure. They should also be inspiring to other people. Sometimes though, the little things that people do can make peoples' lives just that much better. After all, the little things we take for granted each day have to be created by someone, right? Those heroes may not be as famous or as respected, but sometimes, they can make a difference or have an influence on someone's life just as well as those life-savers. Those little things do add up. Personally, I have a huge interest in music. I listen to it whenever I'm doing homework, sitting in a car, or simply just browsing the web. It's almost like having background music to your life, and I've always taken it for granted. My favorite musicians are a French electronic duo called Daft Punk, and I think that they have quite the influence on my life and on lots of other musicians. Even though they don't do anything spectacular like a firefighter, they make my life more enjoyable, and that is why I have chosen the two as my heroes.

Daft Punk consists of two French men named Guillaume Emmanuel (Guy-Manuel) de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter. When the two first embarked on their music career, they began with a band named Darlin' in 1992 along with Laurent Brancowitz, a friend of theirs at the time. Their band did not achieve commercial success. The band soon disbanded, leaving Bangalter and Guy-Manuel to pursue electronic music together, while Brancowitz went to try out with Phoenix, another band. In fact, a certain article branded Darlin' as "a daft punky thrash", which went on to inspire the duo's name for their far more successful label. Even though Bangalter and Guy did not start out as huge hits, they still continued to pursue their dreams, which I think is inspiring.

Daft Punk's first studio album was titled Homework. It was released in 1997, and was largely successful. This album was unique because it was a mix of certain styles, such as house and electro, which were fairly new genres at the time. The most popular single from Homework was "Around the World". This album is considered to be essential is the electronic music scene, because it was one of the first popular electronic albums at the time. Daft Punk is credited for leading the French house scene, which has inspired countless other electronic artists. Heroes should be inspiring, and the duo has inspired lots of musicians.

Daft Punk later released three more major albums in their career. Discovery, which was released in 2001, was even more successful than Homework and was inspired by the sound of music during the 70's and 80's. This album went on to inspire a short film named "Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem", which was released in 2003 and aired on MTV. In 2005, they released Human After All, which was inspired by rock. Then, in 2007, they released the album Alive 2007, which consisted of the songs from their world tour that year. This album won a Grammy, and the live version of their song "Harder Better Faster Stronger" from that album also won a Grammy for Best Dance Recording. The duo is also planning to release another album on May 21st, 2013, under the name of Random Access Memories, which is supposed to bring back the "human touch" to dance music. The album is a collaboration between several important names in the dance/disco world, such as Chic frontman Nile Rodgers, Giorgio Moroder, Chilly Gonzales, Julian Casablacas (the singer from the band The Strokes) and lots of other people. Guy-Manuel and Bangalter also worked on the soundtrack for the Disney film Tron: Legacy, which was released in 2010.

Although they have no lack of fame, Bangalter and Guy-Manuel never strived to become famous. In fact, whenever they are doing a public event such as a performance, they always wear robot masks to hide their faces from the masses. When asked about fame and stardom in an interview, Bangalter said: "We don't believe in the star system. We want the focus to be on the music. If we have to create an image, it must be an artificial image. That combination hides our physicality and also shows our view of the star system. It is not a compromise." Later in the same interview, he also said that "We don't want all the rock n' roll poses and attitudes-they are completely stupid and ridiculous today." A hero should be modest about their work and not do it just to have fame and fortune.

Even though the two Frenchmen had small beginnings, they grew up into a worldwide phenomenon and inspired the electronic music scene for the new upcoming artists. I enjoy their music because it makes everything I do more exciting and enjoyable, which I've taken for granted. That one little thing may not sound like much, but it does really have an impact when you look at it. I can't imagine what the electronic music world would be like if they hadn't existed to jumpstart that genre and shape the landscape for future artists. Thank you for reading this story.