Now for something a little obsessive, long winded and extremely self indulgent.
Music undoubtedly has more power than even most do believe, however the one thing that always fuses themselves to the lobes of my brain, are the lyrics.
I have a few personal favourite musicians that seem to somehow found themselves a direct link to both my heart and my brain, and who know just how to weave there words the right way to make it mean something.
For me, it is all about the connection you make. It is the thing I find most valuable and the greatest gift a lyricist can give.
Being the AFI devotee that I am, Davey Havok would have to be at the very top of my list. The one thing I adore about this being is the in-depth mysteriousness he brings. Up until Crash Love he wrote with a hidden agenda and the serious belief in letting the listener fall in love with the music and lyrics without wrecking the interpretation, which made me only love him more.
He taught me that just because someone may see something as being a dark entity, doesn’t mean it isn’t beautiful. Because seeing beauty in any space, is where true light lies.
Gerard Way, now this man, is one in a million to me because he and his band of brothers showed me that insanity isn’t an illness, it’s a thought process.
He taught me that it is perfectly all right for your mind to wander into a cemetery full of evil, zombies, vampires and whatever the hell came along for the ride.
Every insane thought you had ever had wasn’t because you were wired wrong, but rather proving that you are real, that you exist. In a world where beauty queens are applauded over Noble Peace Prize winners, he showed me normality doesn’t exist, but real people do.
Mr Way changed my standpoint on the world – the more off centre… the better.
From the moment I heard Cities, I think I had already made a silent vow to follow Stephen Christian’s words wherever they went.
He and Joseph Milligan gave me a song to which I have used as my namesake for years now, and have enraptured me so much with their lyrics that sometimes I just want to steal as many verses as I can and hide away.
To me, sometimes he is more of a poet than a songwriter. Also being a published writer, I have such immense respect for this man and for the work he creates.
Also, this post wouldn’t be complete without a mention of both Adam Lazzara and Bert McCracken.
Even though all these men hold a place in my heart, it is not without realisation that their fellow band mates are just as responsible for my falling as hard as I have.
I think to say I’m extremely grateful, will somehow never be enough.