Adventure, Music, Monsters & Demons

I really want to talk about the good things. 

The new things going on in my life. Things that I’ve been lucky to experience lately. Days like this, days where I can be out and about, around people who inspire me. People who can relate, be aware of my crazy, and still put up with me. People who will go on random little adventures with me. Or, take me on little conquests. Believe me, there are new things. Crazy amazing things.

 Drawing awesome sauce creations, with chalk, a new friend, and ducks.  So many ducks.

Having complete strangers get infected artistically by what we were doing, jumping on the chalk wagon, and talking about music and dream concerts. 

Seeing a guy I knew for about two minutes, booty dance in a pair the shortest shorts I have ever seen.

Lettuce on pizza with no sauce, cheese, or toppings. It was just dough. It tasted like air, but you know what? It didn’t bother me that much, because it was part of the great adventure I was on.  Everything was great, I had fun. 

So, why is it so easy for one of my many demons to take it all away?

The little bastard discretely nibbled and chewed little bites off of my nerves throughout the day. It poked at me, it yelled at me, it made me feel bad about myself. I did my best to ignore it. I needed to just enjoy the adventure. Once the adventure ended, it took it’s final bite, chewed up every positive emotion I managed to hang onto for the day, and spit them out. As if my good mood tasted bad. As if the monster was offended that I was doing a little better. It couldn’t stand that I was happy, it couldn’t just let it go. I’ve known for a while, just how relentless this particular demon is, but it’s slightly more frustrating now.  This one does that. It complicates everything just to make me feel like lashing out. I cannot bring myself to lash out on this demon. No. Instead, I feel the need to lash out on myself. This demon, this ugly, heartless, life restraining monster, it doesn’t make me feel like hurting it. It doesn’t it make me feel like hurting others. It makes me feel like taking a razor blade across my skin, over and over again until I can’t feel feelings anymore. It makes me angry to see my own reflection in the mirror. It makes me feel like if I don’t make it happy, if I don’t just do what it wants, I’m nothing. I’m nothing without it. 

I tried so hard to hang onto the good stuff today. So, damn, hard. Thank God for good thoughts and memories. I will always have this day. Just like I will always have all my other good days. Only now, I’m infuriated with myself, and I’m fighting off the urge to cry my eyes out and scream. I have to think about the good things later, because I’m a pathetic puppet, hanging on strings, dancing for one of my own controlling demons. The fire is all on the inside, and it hurts. Only, I can’t let it out, because if I do, I will destroy myself in one way or another.  I ran from the monster, almost as far as I could go. I thought cutting the strings would be so much easier, but so far, it hasn’t been. I’m really ashamed of myself, I’m supposed to be doing better. My life isn’t just off track….it’s a thousand feet away from track, going in the opposite direction. 

“I don't know where to begin, to make these words take shape,
How to nurture a flame, and raise it to a blaze
That on the clearest night can be seen forever.
I don't know where to begin, or begin again.”

That’s ‘A Fire On a Hill’ by Hands like Houses. Amazing band, amazing song. That part of the song is how I feel like by life right now. I’m supposed to be starting over, and the people around me are helping me with that process. That makes everything slightly better. At least I’m not alone, and I know I’m not alone.  So, it’s very frustrating feeling lonely, because it makes me feel like I’m hurting people. That’s not my intention at all, but all the clutter floating around in my head, it’s getting me all mixed up. I don’t want to give up, I don’t want to go back to the monster. Only, I feel like it will happen, and I can’t even lie, it scares the Hell out of me. 

“Bring me home in a blinding dream
Through the secrets that I have seen
Wash the sorrow from off my skin
And show me how to be whole again”

That’s ‘Castle Of Class’ By Linkin Park. One of my favorites since their album, Hybrid Theory. That’s my favorite part of the song, it was before I even had a reason for it to be my favorite part. Now, I know. I’m craving guidance. I need help, I do. However, in my mind, anybody who tries to guide me, and help me, will just walk away. They will leave angry, they will leave frustrated, and I wouldn’t blame them a bit. 

♪Trusting in Music....Music is Trust♫

Sometimes, trusting music is easier than trusting people. I've said that before, so many times. For years, I've had that belief, and I've been called crazy for having that belief. Only, I don't believe that makes me crazy. It's just a fact. A personal little fact about myself that I've learned to be at peace with. There are people that I do trust, but there are also a lot people that I don't trust. People I know that I can't or shouldn't trust. Music is different for me. I probably trust more songs than I do people. I believe that when you listen to music, it listens back. Music always seems to know how you feel. More often than not, it puts things into perspective, and brings real passion into your thoughts. Simple, everyday thoughts, can be brought to life with just one song. That's why I'm a musician. Just knowing that I can do that for people, knowing that I can clear minds, and save lives, all with music....that's so beautiful to me. I think that musicians hold more emotion, more power and understanding than some of them even know.

During high school, I was all about Linkin Park, and Blink-182. I still love both bands to this day. Only during that time, I needed them more. I'll spare the details of why that was such a weird time in my life. Lets face it, I wasn't the only one dealing with complications around then. Junior High and High School....I think most of us can chalk that time up to one, very simple abbreviation."WTF"

Everybody deals with their own things around that time in their lives. For me, it was rough, but I had a few different outlets. Music being one of those outlets. It was an escape. An epically beautiful escape.

Linkin Park was a miracle in my eyes. Their album, Hybrid Theory was popular at that time in my life. Now, I love all of their albums, I really do, but that album will always be my favorite. I'm not saying anything they did after that was bad, I don't think that at all. I just connected best with the songs from Hybrid Theory. Every single song on that album spoke to me. Spoke for me. Helped me to understand some of the feelings that I was dealing with. Sadness, anger, loneliness, pride....you name it, that music helped me to understand it. Like, the song "By Myself"....if that song, and those lyrics didn't explain being a teenager going to a public high school....a person that was different than most, I have no idea what lyrics could!

♫"What do I do to ignore them behind me?
Do I follow my instincts blindly?
Do I hide my pride from these bad dreams
And give in to sad thoughts that are maddening?" ♫

To me, those lyrics apply to anytime in some people's lives, but they made the most sense to me back then. Insecurities haunt some of us long after childhood, but they seem stronger during the earlier years. During that time in life when you're starting to really find out where you belong. Or even if you belong."Adam's Song" by Blink-182....one of my favorite songs, since the moment it graced my ears with it's presence. The lyrics are just so real, and for more than just one reason. It's a song to connect to, with words so true, you swear they're reading your mind. You can't help but wonder, how does this song know me so well....where do they get off breaking into my subconscious, my GOD I swear, this song is about me. Those lyrics, that song....words of wisdom, lyrics that stand for a truth that most people don't wish to hear. It's real. It exists, and it's real.

That's not even a taste of what music has done for me. Not even a pinch. These days, musicians have more appreciation for feelings, a bigger hunger for truth. People are able to sing in a way that doesn't dare compare to any form of expression.

Lets go to another Blink-182 song. One from a more resent album of theirs. The album is "Neighborhoods"....a super full bowl of Awesome Sauce. The song is "Heart's All Gone (Interlude)"....no words. Just music. Just sound. Piano and Guitar being the main focus. Oh my God, music itself being the main focus. It's one of those songs, one that just lays it all out there for you. It starts off....so unsure, with such simplicity. The first forty-eight seconds make me unsure. Almost as if I'm trying to decide whether or not I could conquer the world or not. It brings certain buried thoughts to the surface. Makes me wonder what could be. With everything in my past....could the future mean bigger, better, more important things? The rest of that song answers those questions. It transitions into more than I ever thought possible. Yes, I can push, yes I can fight. Hell yes, l can. The ability is there. It's half dead, but it's there. I can bring it to life, I can take what this music makes me feel, and I can use it. I can use it as a heartbeat, as power. That's what kind of music that it is to me, and what I believe it can, will, and does for others."Cure For the Itch" by Linkin Park is another one of those songs. It starts off lazy. Almost like the song itself has given up, and doesn't know what to do with itself. It sounds like it's trying so hard. Fighting to stay alive. You listen, you tune into it....suddenly....you really hear it. The song finds it's strength, the power, everything it's fighting for. The song realizes it's potential and pushes itself. By the end of that song, you feel super powers running through your veins.

Lana Del Rey, and Adele....the way they sing is beautiful to me. They both have singing voices that remind me of a past that I don't even know. Their voices take me to a place that I've never known. If I could control what I see while listening to their music, imagine things to life....everything would be in slow motion, slowly fading to black and white. Sure, music itself can take you places, I'll always believe that. But....the voices....oh my God the voices. Some people just know where to take you and how to take you there.

Music, with or without voices....it just holds so much power. I feel like people don't pay enough attention to that. Like right now, as I'm writing this, I'm listening to a song called "Drizzle"....there are no words. It's just music, it's just the perfect sound right now. The reason why it's perfect at this moment in time....it's raining. Not even raining.

It's drizzling.

That's how perfect it is.

I found a moment. A beautiful moment. Or maybe it found me. Either way, I can't ignore it, not even if I wanted to. It speaks to me just as loud as it speaks to the moment. It's perfection. The music, the beat....it's flowing with every drop of rain that I'm seeing, every drop I feel on my skin. My heart beat....it's matching....it's so in sync. I love it, I'm embracing it . I will not let go of this feeling until I absolutely have to. This is what I live for, this is the hold that music has over me. It makes me feel....like singing to my heart's content. It could be my own song, my own lyrics. Only....I just feel like singing somebody elses song.

See, I have this respect for Covers. I love when people sing music that's known. Songs that are loved. It shows this respect, this love and appreciation. Admiration like no other. Like Emily Browning, singing "Asleep" by The Smiths. That song, those lyrics....already so powerful, so real. She took it to another place, a place that needed to be explored. Her voice takes an already epic song, and turns it into something different, something so new. It's beautiful to me.

I could go on forever about this, I really could, but for now....I'll stop. For me, music is easier to trust. It doesn't hurt me. It doesn't make me feel bad about who I am as a person. It's opinionated in a way that doesn't tear me down. It doesn't abandon, or leave me, it's always here for me. It drowns out the screaming, the yelling, and monsters that I see and hear everyday. It doesn't make my head hurt. It doesn't threaten me, and tell me just how much I don't belong. It's encouraging, not discouraging. Yes, it makes me cry sometimes, but they are tears of jot, more often than not. Music doesn't treat me like garbage, I respects me just as much as I respect it. It doesn't blow me off, it doesn't shut me out. It just heals me. It's the greatest kind of band aid there is.

There's this saying I see a lot. I'm not sure if it's just a saying, or if it's a quote from a book, or a movie or a person. I have no idea where it came from. Maybe it's lyrics that I just haven't discovered yet, who knows."If you could read my mind, you'd be in tears."

That makes so much sense to me. Probably more than it should, but those words speak to me. Like music speaks to me. If music took human form....I'd hug it, and never let it go.