You know what would be cool?! If you guys wrote a blog about musicians you admire...
Right then.
For me, it will always be Green Day. Cliché as it may seem, Billie Joe Armstrong and co changed my life. When I needed something to cling to, they were there, they gave me what I needed to be able to get through it. I wouldn’t be who I am today without them. They have my unwavering loyalty and support for the rest of my natural life.
Music has always been a huge part of my life. Both my parents are music lovers, and as they are both very different, I have an eclectic taste at best, if a little predisposed to all variations of rock. Growing up, there was no room for white noise and if Sabbath or Sarah Brightman wasn’t blaring, the radio was always on. Every memory of major occurrences in my life is linked to a song, a visceral trigger that's always lurking in the background.
However, my interaction with music changed dramatically the day I listened (and I mean really listened) to ‘She’, a sweet little song nestled between ‘Basket Case’ and ‘Sassafras Roots’ on Green Day’s breakthrough album Dookie. Suddenly, it was personal and the notion of music as an aesthetic process through which you could discover yourself emerged. I was seven when Dookie was first released so it is fair to say my reaction to it was rather slow, and it was really only with it’s re-release on International Superhits! that it really had an impact. Surely everyone has that one song that means the world to them, a song that altered your consciousness just a little bit, and for me this was it. It’s the song that woke up that punk rock side every teenager probably has in them. Ironic, as it is not really a traditional punk song. Regardless, when I listened to it, it just triggered something in my mind and my entire world shifted and changed, from my perceptions of the world I inhabited, the people I dealt with, and most importantly my view of myself. It painted a picture of something that I wanted to be, not what I was. The particular power of ‘She’ probably had a lot to do with its timing in appearing in my life. I had just moved to a new country, to a city I had never been to before, I knew no one and I resented everyone for doing this to me. More importantly, I resented myself for failing just as miserably at ‘fitting in’ at a new school (with a clean slate!) as I had at my old school. ‘She’ made all that seem perfectly fine. For the first time in my life, I ‘liked’ who I was, I didn’t care what anyone else was thinking and I didn’t feel like a freak. Every time I listen to it, I still feel the same stirrings I did that first time but now instead of some kind of revelation, it’s an overwhelming sense of vindication and comfort. It was natural progression from there to go through my punk phase, and I'll always have a particular leaning towards the genre.
Other musicians I admire, even though I can’t always find the words to explain why, include:
Joe Strummer, The Clash – I can still remember the first time I heard ‘London Calling’ and thought it was the most brilliant thing ever. I don't really have anything more to say other than it's The Clash and it's Joe Strummer. C'mon. That's enough, isn't it?
Gerard Way, My Chemical Romance – Gerard is a tricky one because he manages to seem so radically different on and off stage (a quality I admit I resented him for a little last year.) Fact remains though; he has been to hell and back, while being one hundred percent completely honest about it. He’s a creative force that manages to exist in some weird equilibrium state between being understated and yet completely overwhelming you. I can’t help but admire and respect his passion and creative output. Besides, My Chem does exactly what Frank Iero said they would, they make it ok to be messed up because there are five guys in a band that are just as messed up as you are.
Max Bemis, Say Anything – Max is so unapologetic and honest about who is and what he believes. He confronts his issues head on and even if he knows he might not be able to change anything, he still won’t shy away from it. How can I not respect that? He's an example I feel like pulling out every time someone hits a nerve so I can say, yeah ok, maybe I'm not wired the right way, but neither is Max, and he says it's ok! He saves me the trouble of ranting when the world makes me angry, generally he's already done it. More importantly, he writes the songs that get me through uni.
Jesse Lacey, Brand New – The development of this band has just astounded me. A band that can develop and grow so organically and convincingly is a real inspiration for me. With The Devil and God are raging inside me they completely blew any expectations I may have had out of the water, and it promptly became my most listened to album according to Lastfm. There's a level of introspection and flawed beauty in their work that never fails to rope me in. The imagery and emotion Jesse manages to conjure in his lyrics are so breathtaking; I don’t even know where to begin talking about it. It’s just…yes.
Matt Bellamy, Muse – It is a widely known fact among those that know me that I want to live in Matt’s piano. That’s what I feel like when I hear him play. Not that he isn’t absolutely mesmerizing doing other things. I both worship and adore him. Watching Muse perform, it’s hard to remember that there is a world that exists beyond that moment, and even why you should care about it. I can’t even begin to imagine what goes on in that head of his, but it must be damn amazing.
David Bowie – I don’t know when exactly it happened, but somewhere along the line I became a huge Bowie fan. One of the original innovators, he constantly re-invented himself, completely oblivious to expectations or conventions. He never compromised his artistic intentions and he still managed to be successful. Proof that you can do things your own unique way and still make it work.
Special mention also goes to Freddie Mercury who I still think has to be one of the most brilliant front men ever and an absolute genius – Bohemian Rhapsody, people. Bohemian-fucking-Rhapsody. Who else could have come up with something that deranged and made it work?
I have no doubt overlooked some, and hopefully, there will be many more in the future. Music is everything, really. I never feel more alive than when I’m at a gig, soaking up the energy, passion and dedication, even as the drums replace my heartbeat. At the end of the day, all it comes down to for me is connection - to feel, question, and just be. So, I will end this ramble on one of my favourite quotes from Nick Hornby's 31 Songs:
But sometimes songs and books and films and pictures express who you are, perfectly. And they don’t do this in words or images, necessarily; the connection is a lot less direct and more complicated than that…It’s a process something like falling in love. You don’t necessarily chose the best person, or the wisest, or the most beautiful; there’s something else going on…I’m talking about understanding – or at least feeling like I understand – every artistic decision, every impulse, the soul of both the work and its creator. ‘This is me…this is what I feel like, inside. This is what I would sound like, if ever I were to find a voice.’
Captured in an image :
Music: Sowing Season - Brand New
Mood: Sick
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