2 Decades Under Much Inspiration
When I was an angsty teenager, I was obsessed with one of Taking Back Sunday’s hit songs. TBS quickly became one of my favorite bands, still is, and back then, it was no surprise I was so into TBS as a young emo kid. My best friend got me a TBS belt for Christmas one year, and I wore it until I got fat. The best part is, I kept that belt, and I wore it recently and showed him and he was so surprised it still fit…I had to specify it didn’t “still fit”, it “fit again.” Losing weight feels great, especially when you can wear your favorite stuff again! For as much as I loved TBS, I didn’t get to see them until 2016. I was not disappointed by their show! It was worth waiting over a decade to hear some of my favorite songs live, especially the ones that have influenced some of my music. There was one song that took me to a place when they played it. This song hooked me the first time I heard it on my favorite radio station back in my emo teen years, 89x (Detroit’s new rock alternative!). I recorded it off the radio onto a cassette tape so I could listen to it whenever I wanted. (Yes, you read that right. Cassette tape. Not Spotify. Some of you will never know what life was like before streaming. That blog will come one of these days!) I loved the guitar tones, the drums, the feel, and most of all the raw and emotional vocals. I knew the song had to be about something personal, but I didn’t find out what the story was until later in life. “PAUL. SHUT UP AND TELL US THE SONG.” oh, you want to know? OK!
A Decade Under The Influence.
As I said, I knew this song was about something personal, so when I found out what the story was, it gave me a new understanding. This song was written about going to a show with his ex-girlfriend, and how awkward and weird the drive to and from the show was. I can’t relate to that experience specifically, but I can relate to running into your ex and things being…you know…NOT FUN. Breakups can be UGLY. Seeing people who hurt you and you hurt can be PAINFUL. I haven’t met too many people who have had “mutual breakups”. There’s a reason so many songs are about breakups or difficult post relationship experiences. THEY ARE HARD. Sometimes, it can be the hardest thing you’ve had to go through. Writing songs about your experiences is one of the best ways to release your feelings, and create an opportunity for others to connect to it as they are processing their own feelings.
Maybe you’re thinking, “Paul, you were 13 when this song came out. How could you have connected with this song when you didn’t even have a license?” A fair question! To that I will say… I did not have my license at 13. Or a girlfriend. Or a painfully awkward experience with a girl. But what I did have was a ton of misguided, misdirected, and heavy emotions that I didn’t know what to do with. (Therapy may still be needed to figure out the origin of those emotions, but umm…not this blog!) This song felt different. It was a song that had emotion, anger, sadness, yelling, and a genre of music that felt a little rebellious because it was so different from the Christian music I had been raised on. (Don’t worry, there will be a blog on my thoughts on CCM, for now you can go listen to the Mi Landing Podcast with Chris Bernstorf and Visitor Pass where we mention some thoughts!) It connected with me. It made those emotions I didn’t know what to do with feel like there was a place they could go. To me, no matter what I’m writing a song about, I WANT IT TO CONNECT WITH SOMEONE. There’s no age restriction for a song connecting with someone. I will tell you, Creed songs hit way harder now in my 30s than they did at 13! (Once again, a different blog…sorry, I’ll do better!)
I have seen TBS 4 times, and the last time I saw them, Fred Mascherino (the guy who does the iconic yelling of “I GOT IT BAD! I GOT IT BBBBBAAAADDDDD!” on A Decade Under the Influence) was with them! That was not only something I never thought I would see, but it was an additional layer of inspiration from TBS because I love his vocal style paired with Adam’s. (John Nolan is also fantastic! But his other band Straylight Run is more inspiring to me and yes, they will get a blog one day too!)
“Wow Paul. You love TBS and you think the best lineup is with Fred but you still love John. COOL. WHY SHOULD WE CARE?” A great question! Here’s the point…
Taking Back Sunday inspires me. They inspire me to write music, write drum parts, consider how a mix of a song sounds, and inspire me to put on a great show. There are MANY bands/artists that inspire me. So the question I ask is…
What inspires you? BAM. There it is. What inspires you? I think inspiration is important because without it, how do we keep creating? If you have no inspiration to make art (regardless of the type of art), you probably WON’T make anything, or you won’t enjoy what you make. I believe inspiration helps us to not only create, but to create better. It helps us look within and ask “what am I feeling? Why do I feel this? What am I thinking? What can I create to get this out? What can I create to help others and INSPIRE OTHERS?” We need inspiration!
What inspires you? To create? To be better? To grow? Maybe it’s a band. Maybe it’s a poet. Maybe it's a painter. Maybe it’s a person. Maybe it’s simply breathing fresh air out in nature and saying “thank you for this.” TBS has been inspiring me for over 2 decades. Imagine the impact something you say/do/create could have on someone. Maybe it’s a minute, or maybe it’s 30 years! You don’t know unless you get inspired and act on that inspiration.
What inspires you? Go find inspiration. You won’t regret it. Live it. Speak it. Create it. Sing it. Get inspired and inspire the world.
Here’s what’s coming next with the Mi Landing Blog!
What If the What Ifs Were True? (July)
Good Idea! Too Bad You Won’t Do it (August)
Not Plain White Band T’s (September)
19 Years of “I Don’t Drink” and How I’m Still Messed Up (October)
That One Time I Missed Thanksgiving (November)
Another One Down (December)
Stay tuned. Through the ups and downs we go!
-Paul