Category: REFLECTIONS
The power of music
Finally decided to watch the Jason Becker “Not Dead Yet”-documentary last night. Maybe not a party type of film, and maybe not your natural choice for a New Years Eve party, but we don’t always have time to get together and watch something, so it was a time as good as any.
I’ve had it for a while and wanted to watch it several times – but much like with a new album that you’re excited about, you want to wait for the exact right moment – because it’s like with any other first experience, you only get one shot at leaving a good first impression. And with some albums or movies – you WANT it to be just perfect.
Anyway, unlike most, I didn’t think of the Jason Becker story as a sad one – not necessarily. For obvious reasons I suppose it is sad that he was robbed of a career, of a life as a rock star and in a way even his youth.
But the main thing that I got out of that movie, is that the love and lust for LIFE is not based on what most think makes life worthwhile. It goes way beyond the superficial.
When they told Jason that most people die from his disease he responded “Well, I’m not”. Asked the question “Do you want to live?” his answer was “Hell yeah!”. And with the love and support from his family and girlfriend, friends and people all over the world, he kept going. He was stuck in a wheelchair, unable to do anything without help, but he was not about to surrender to his disease.
But most of all, I think that what gives him the strength to want to be around, is his love for music. It’s a force stronger than anything, and I can so relate to that. When you’ve got something to live for, that you’re passionate about, that you love so much your whole heart is filled with it… it can move mountains, and in Jason’s case – it can even give death the middle finger and a big “FUCK OFF!”
I guess that’s why I’m drawn to people who share that passion, because “regular” people just don’t get it.
FANS will do anything for their music.
MUSICIANS will do anything for their music.
Musicians nowadays aren’t in it for the money, for the fame and glory – because all that has pretty much been stripped away. It was a thing of the 80’s, when rock stars were larger than life and made tons of money. That lifestyle is long gone. If that is the motivation for getting into the music business, well – forget it. You ain’t getting that NOW.
Now, musicians have to put up with long tours in stinky tour buses, bad food, small clubs, very little money compared to what they have to endure. You give everything and you get little in return.
At least if you’re only looking at the financial side of things. But there are so many other things that are far more important and inspiring than just money. Musicians get to travel a lot, and experience different countries, even if it’s just at the venue or at the gas station.
I envy them for that. Yes, I travel a lot too, but it would rock if somebody was paying me for it. :)
Fans will stand out in the rain for hours, they will freeze their asses off waiting to see a band, they will walk in mud up to their knees, get crushed against the barriers, or pass out in the heat in the summer…. ALL because they love the music.
We’re all in it for the same reason, we love music. Some love to create music, others love to listen to it. But the fire and the passion is pretty much the same.
I’ve had a fantastic life so far and I owe it all to music. I could get hit by a truck and die today, and have no regrets, I can easily say that I’ve loved my life and eventhough I always have new goals and dreams, it’s still all good. And feeling that way is worth more than anything.
In Jason’s case, the passion for music keeps him going, where most regular people would have given up because they wouldn’t have had anything to live for. Jason does.
I’ve chosen to dedicate my life to music and the only people who could possibly understand what that means, are those who feel the same way.
I’m not burnt out, I’m not bitter, I’m not living by anyone else’s rules or expectations, I’m not being who others think I “should” be. It makes a difference,
All I need is my fix of a good concert or a great album – and the freedom to go anywhere I want to go, at any time, for any reason. Even if it’s just to see a local gig or say hi to a friend.
Years and years ago, I drove for 10 hours straight in snow storm to see the band Bad Habit at a small pub in Stockholm, The Anchor. Their set was maybe 40-45 minutes. After that, I drove all the way home in the middle of the night. So, 20 hours for 45 minutes and I still think it was fucking worth it! A “normal” person would never understand that.
A musician can spend weeks, months, rehearsing for a show that will only last for an hour, but it’s easy when you truly love what you do. I noticed that recently when we were in the studio working on that one song… I forgot all about time and space. We were in there ALL DAY and it felt like we just got there. It’s that creative environment, the excitement – just seeing something grow from nothing to something you think is great, it’s a kick beyond belief!
It’s not like a regular office-job where people are out the door the minute the clock strikes five. When you’re in the middle of doing something you love doing, you forget all about time.
I think music is like a religion, if you have faith in it, if you love it, if you live it, it will work wonders, it will even trick death and fatal diseases.
Jason Becker’s strength is fantastic. I don’t think of him as a victim, I think of him as an extremely inspiring and strong person, with a will of steel. I have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for him both as a person and a musician. He had no power over what was happening to him, but he did have the power to decide how he wanted to deal with it. And he’s proven that when you truly love something, nothing can stand in your way. Not even The Reaper.
Get the movie – just get the movie for gods sakes. :)
MY YEAR IN ROCK – retrospect 2012 (part 3)
(continued from http://lita77777.posterous.com/my-year-in-rock-retrospect-2012-part-2 )
OZZY & FRIENDS IN DORTMUND, GERMANY
The Ozzy & friends gig in Dormund was a memorable experience for good reasons and bad. I got to know a new friend, Suuded, and we had a great time. Remember a fantastic dinner in a restaurant right behind the Westfalenhalle, but I also remember the sky just opening and it was pissing down all day! We were forced to stand out in the rain by a sadistic power-hungry security person who made sure nobody was under the long roof in front of the entrance (there would have been PLENTY of room there for a lot of people). Anyway, we got in the front row eventually. Both Steel Panther and Ozzy were well worth the wait and the rain!
The story can be found here: http://lita77777.posterous.com/ozzy-sweden-rock-festival-part-1
Photos from that are on my Facebook-page: www.facebook.com/intherearviewmirror
SWEDEN ROCK FESTIVAL….
Only two days later, it was time for the next annual event: Sweden Rock Festival.
This time I was joined by Vera, my Russian colleague that I got to know after bumping into her several times at press conferences at Sweden Rock. She was going to camp with her friends though (wild horses couldn’t get ME to do that camping-thing).
The full story: http://lita77777.posterous.com/sweden-rock-festival-2012-part-2
The next day I ran like crazy to make it to the first signing-session of the day, which was Satchel from Steel Panther. I had found this great tent where musicians hung out and various guitarists were doing signing sessions. But it didn’t seem like it had been widely announced anywhere, so thank god there weren’t those insanely long lines as to the “regular” signings.
When I walked in, it was still Andreas Kisser from Sepultura who was signing. I was first in line for Satchel, and I got my hoodie signed, and some pics. The message he left was of course very “Satchel-style”…! ;)
Vera and I also met a nice dude from Adrenaline Mob’s crew, who invited us to be his guests, so we spent the day hanging backstage and on various stages. That was perfect, if for no other reason than because it was raining all day, and we didn’t have to be out there getting soaked. Watched Ugly Kid Joe, Motorhead and Twisted Sister up on the stage for instance.
Press conferences I didn’t want to miss included Steel Panther and Sebastian Bach – but then I happened to walk in on a few more by coincidence. There is activity 24-7 at Sweden Rock, it’s nearly impossible to try to sum it all up. But check out the pics on the Facebook-page (URL mentioned somewhere above), that will give you a quick tour of what was going on on stage and back-stage at Sweden Rock Festival 2012!
Way too much to mention, I think I kept updating in real-time on Facebook because I wouldn’t have time to write an actual blog. Busy summer! :)
Next up was my other favorite festival: Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium!
[to be continued….]
MY YEAR IN ROCK – retrospect 2012 (Part 1)
Every year when I look back on what I’ve been doing, it seems like it’s been longer than just a year. 2012 was no exception.
Even just the Firewind-tours were enough to fill a lot of space and bring back great memories – you’ll find those in this separate blog: http://firewindtour.posterous.com/firewind-tours-of-2012-recap
But there have been plenty of other highlights that I thought I’d take a look back on, now when there are only a few more days left of this year…:-)
TONY IOMMI DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER – AND OZZY & FRIENDS….
The year started with bad news that shook the whole heavy metal community – one of the godfathers of metal, Tony Iommi, had been diagnosed with cancer. The Black Sabbath reunion with Ozzy that had been announced and that had been so highly anticipated, was off. However, not to disappoint the fans too much, Ozzy decided to do the scheduled dates as “Ozzy & Friends“, bringing Slash, Zakk Wylde and Geezer Butler on tour. And of course his own band, which made a lot of people happy – myself included, as “the new kid on the block”, Gus G, was with Oz on those dates. Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t have bothered.
FIREWIND IN ATHENS
Speaking of Gus, my first concert trip of 2012 took me to Athens, Greece where they kicked off their year at the Fuzz club, and also recorded a video for the single “Wall of Sound” that was released later in the spring.
I remember Athens as easy to navigate with the metro going all through town. I was guided through some must-see’s, such as the Akropolis, by Jon, a good friend of Jon Oliva’s Pain (they were the ones who recommended him when I was looking for a contact in Athens – just in case). He’s also a singer in the band Need and we had lots to talk about, so it was a great guide! :) Always nice to get to know new people.Jon:
As for the Firewind-show (which was on January 14th, by the way), it was one of the best or worst, depending on how you look at it – their Greek crowd is absolutely freaking NUTS! I must have lost ten pounds at least getting crushed against the barricades before and during the show. My god. But – as always – worth it, ten times over! :)
STEVE STEVENS & SEBASTIAN BACH AT THE IRIDIUM JAZZ-CLUB IN NEW YORK CITY
At the end of January, on the 27th, I left for New York City. This time it wasn’t a major arena-gig, quite the opposite. Steve Stevens, one of the coolest guitarists alive (known from Billy Idol, Michael Jackson, Vince Neil etc…) and Sebastian Bach were performing together at this small jazz-club somewhere on Broadway.
The whole idea seemed so bizarre that I had to see it. I had also scheduled an interview with Steve through his wife Josie. Josie rocks! People look at her and judge her by the way she looks, it’s way too easy to think she’s just some bimbo, but I loved that girl. She was very professional but at the same time also very friendly and open. She had never even met us, but greeted us with a hug and made sure that we felt welcome. I wish all interviews could be planned through people like Josie.
Josie Stevens:
I got a great interview with Steve after the two sets at the Iridium (with a seated audience). My friend (and photographer) Beatrice and I were lucky to get absolute front row seats – right at the stage. I remember when Sebastian walked out on stage, he dropped his jaw and started doing sign language and grimacing kind of to ask “Did you fly over just for this?”
He shouldn’t be surprised, after 23 years he should be used to seeing me anywhere in the world, so why not a jazz club in New York?
Anyway, the backstage story, the review, the interview, photos and all from that can be found here:
BLOG: http://lita77777.posterous.com/first-day-in-new-york-tomorrow-steve-stevens
REVIEW: http://lita77777.posterous.com/steve-sebastian-the-iridium-nyc
PHOTOS: http://lita77777.posterous.com/steve-stevens-sebastian-bach-photos-by-beatri
INTERVIEW: http://lita77777.posterous.com/the-guitar-sleeps-with-me-in-the-bed-steve-st
WHITNEY HOUSTON PASSED
After the Stevens/Bach show at the Iridium, I took it easy during February. The music world was hit by more bad news, not specifically metal, but one of the great voices in modern music, had passed – Whitney Houston. It shocked a lot of people, including a lot of rockers. Whether or not you were into her music, I think most of us would agree that Whitney’s voice was one of a kind and it was a tragic fate. This was on February 11, 2012. R.I.P Whitney.
STEEL PANTHER INTERVIEW IN COPENHAGEN
Next on the schedule of 2012 was Steel Panther. I heard that they were coming to Copenhagen, and I actually hesitated whether or not I would request an interview with them. They are funny, but that’s exactly the thing – how do you interview a band like that?! It would certainly be…different.
It was actually my friend Kevin, from JOP, who talked me into it. “What’s the worst that could happen? If you don’t like the result of the interview, don’t post it!” True enough. So, I contacted Universal in Copenhagen and set up an interview with these crazy guys.
It was a pleasant surprise. They were absolutely “normal” before the cameras went on, and especially Michael Starr who we met down in the lobby 30 minutes before the interview. But the minute the cameras were rolling, they became the out of control Steel Panther that we all know and love.
I had it all figured out, or so I thought. However, they wouldn’t let me finish a sentence, so they missed some of the jokes that I was hoping they would pick up on. But, I realized that the best way to deal with these dudes, was to just shut up and let them do the talking! :))
The interview has passed 24 300 views, that’s crazy. :))
BLOG: http://lita77777.posterous.com/getting-together-with-steel-panther-in-copenh
INTERVIEW…..
PART TWO OF MY YEAR IN ROCK COMING UP………..!
Christmases past :-))
Christmas is just around the corner….
Christmases may not be what they used to be when I was little – but I have great memories from many Christmas Eve’s (which is when we celebrate here in Sweden).
I was maybe 4 years old when I got my first plastic Strat-toy guitar. It was back when toy guitars still had steel strings. Of course, you didn’t get a pick to go with the guitar, so I played that thing until my fingers bled – literally. I forgot about the other presents.
Then, Christmas 1978 – I was a big fan of the movie GREASE and the only thing I wanted for Christmas was the Grease-soundtrack. When I saw that rectangular, flat package under the tree, I just KNEW what it was! I couldn’t WAIT for that stupid dinner to be over with so that I could just rip the paper off my present! ‘
And sure enough – it WAS the Grease double-LP with pics and all, oh my GOD I was the happiest, happiest kid on the planet!! John Travolta must have been my first crush, before I even knew what the hell a crush WAS, lol! :)
[This is what it looked like when you opened that double-LP]
I was dancing around on the chairs and the table in the kitchen when my parents were at work, doing my own dance-version of “Greased lightnin‘”!
Christmas eve 1980…. I remember that very clearly as well. Back then, I only had my mother’s portable record player from the sixties in my room, and some mono-radio/tape-player that my parents didn’t use anymore, so instead of throwing it out, I got it.
But it was a piece of crap, if you tried to record something on that thing, it would do two things:
1. The volume went crazy loud if you tried to record something from the radio, and you couldn’t adjust it (earplugs please!)
2. It recorded in the wrong speed, so it would either record too slow or too fast… Worthless!
So, I wanted something to record on or listen to music on. I got my very own mono cassette-player. Geez, when I say it now I realize I’m like a hundred years old..! When I remember all those things that are just SO “out” today that kids nowadays probably don’t even know that the heck a cassette is or was. :)
Something like this… Only the buttons of the player that I got were rounded:
And best of all, I got a handful of cassettes with it too – John Lennon‘s “Double Fantasy”, ABBA‘s “Super Trouper” and Olivia Newton-John‘s “Totally Hot”.
That’s all I needed to forget about the rest of the world!
THIS song from Olivia Newton-John‘s album was my favorite – funny enough many years later I heard a version of it by british band THUNDER that was even better. Good songs are timeless! This was the only video-version I could find that had fairly OK video- and audio quality. :)
Ah, what the hell – here’s the Thunder version as well – ten years later (1990):
/Seems that they removed the only video-version there was on YouTube, now all there is is live-versions or this crappy thing… but better than nothing I guess: :)/
Every Christmas has given memories like that. It’s not about getting “stuff“… it’s really about memories, things that matter to you. Doesn’t have to be expensive, but when it’s got a thought behind it, it’s not just another thing that’s going to collect dust somewhere, it will stay in somebody’s memory forever.
The Facebook and Twitter community world
The community world as we know it is a strange place sometimes. One thing that people do on Twitter for instance, is that they “follow” you – ONLY to see if you will follow back. No other reason.
I’m sorry, but that just pisses me off. If that’s the reason why you’re following my Twitter-thing, then don’t even bother.
It took me a while to realize that it was a common thing. I had no idea at first. I was under the impression that you followed people or bands or whatever – because you’re acually interested in their updates and news?!?!
Twitter is this neverending, constantly updated stream of information, it just drowns you with info like the Niagara Falls of tweets… New ones every fucking second. The only reason for me to follow anyone or anything, is because I actually want to know what they have to say.
I’m following bands/artists I like to learn about their tours, new YouTube-uploads, interviews… All that. I follow bands or sometimes people I don’t even know so well, because they have funny or interesting tweets.
But it would drive me crazy to have hundreds of accounts on there, because I would miss the few things I REALLY give a shit about.
In short: If you’re just trying to promote your band by adding hundreds of random accounts as “re-followers”, just walk on by. Not interested.
I can even tell right away when somebody suddenly starts following me, that they will be gone the minute I post something – without having re-followed them first. It always leads to a “minus one” follower. How predictable and how utterly ridiculous.
Secondly – the goddamn Facebook thing. Those who know me also know that I’ve been anything but a fan of that place since it took over after MySpace. It just makes me nervous. Your whole personal life is out there for the world to see in a way that I’m not comfortable with at all.
Back in the day, you could use any nickname you wanted (I was just “Lita77” on MySpace) and it wasn’t as obvious or as easy to find you if you didn’t want to be found. You could even use a fake e-mail addy to avoid being searched. The Facebook-thing says that it’s private, but really – every time I post something for my friends, and they like or comment on it, it’s there for THEIR friends to see and so on. It’s beyond control, and it’s way too complicated to understand how to prevent the spreading of info. I’m sure it’s possible, but that should be by default, not something I have to search for.
Anyway, I have a locked and private account under a different name because I don’t want people on there, basically. The few that I do have on there, are on it for various reasons, but mostly because it’s the only (simple) way to get in touch with people who are either “road people” (crews, band members and similar) or people with common interests that are somewhere abroad. Or people that I didn’t call to say hello to before either, but kept in touch with via MySpace (or whatever was used six-seven years ago).
I don’t have some of my best friends on Facebook, because it tricks people to believe that they know what their friends are up to – through FB. They think that they are “staying in touch”. But it’s mainly just an ego-trip, and I’m guilty of it myself. Because you think that you’re following your friends’ lives, you don’t pick up the phone as much anymore. Right?
You saw your friends on Facebook this morning and they seem to be doing great. Why bother picking up the phone when you “see” them every day?
That’s all just fake and bullshit. Most of us don’t advertise if or when we’re feeling bad. Everything on Facebook is about posting funny shit, little anecdotes, videos, pics, news… But apart from the occasional drama-queens who don’t have ANY sense of privacy whatsoever (I don’t even have any people like that among my friends thank god) nobody will write what they’re really thinking in public.
One of my best friends asked me last year if we shouldn’t be friends on Facebook. No, I don’t want that. It just edulcorates the friendship, you get the wrong picture of their lives and thoughts.
I’d rather just talk with her on the phone, even if it’s just once a month or less, or I’d like to hang with her in person when we get a chance. But no – I don’t want the Facebook thing.
People don’t call eachother as much anymore, because they don’t have to. Or they THINK that they don’t.
And this morning, I got a friend request from a person who really disappointed me a few months ago. I thought it was a friend, but he acted to fucking fake towards me at one of the festivals earlier this summer. “Oh hey…!” and then he just took off like he had a firecracker up his ass.
I was sitting alone backstage when he walked in, and he just nodded when he passed me – to go and sit at another table. WTF?!?! I’m pretty sure that I showered that morning. Yes, I’m being sarcastic…
After that I just thought, well – people always show their true self sooner or later. It wasn’t a close friend per se, so I didn’t care particularly. Imagine my surprise when that same person sent me a friend request on Facebook this morning.
Either he doesn’t know who I am, as I’m there under a fake name, or he does know, but thinks that I didn’t understand that he dissed me. Make no mistake, just because I didn’t bitch about it, doesn’t mean that I didn’t GET it. It just wasn’t worth losing any sleep over. Piss off.
I don’t want to collect friends on Facebook. I have less than 50 people on it, and I want to keep it that way. And the 50 people include artists that I followed before they had “professional” pages. Many of the “smaller” artists only had personal pages before, so they aren’t even “real” friends, only people whose careers I wanted to follow.
It’s the same thing there – with the constant flow of information and updates, it would make my head spin having hundreds of people to keep track of. I’d rather follow the few chosen people who I added myself, than have hundreds of strangers clogging up my newsfeed 24-7.
But it is scary sometimes how we have changed from calling our friends reguarly, or dropping an e-mail to say hi how are ya – to updating our OWN statuses, hoping that others will see them.
It’s no longer a question about contacting somebody else, it’s about indirectly “contacting” people through a newsfeed saying “hey – here I am! If you can see me…”.
That’s not the way things should be.
IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR 