Day 13: A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough ass days. (write a letter.)
Dear Flogging Molly,
Where can I begin?
My kid brother first introduced me to your music when Drunken Lullabies was released. I'd grown up listening to Silly Wizard, Dougie MacLean, Sinead O'Connor, and the Cranberries, and had always been in love with Irish melodies - call it genetic influence if you will. I'm part Irish, and I originally started dying my hair red in an attempt to look even more so. I'm not sure if it worked, but it looked good, so with the exception of a flirtation with the blue-black hair color that Feria puts out, it's been red for, oh, twelve years now. It's naturally dark reddish brown, but I've got that pale freckly Northern European skin, and it was just too dark for my complexion. But I digress.
When "Rebels of the Sacred Heart" started playing, it was like I simultaneously saw giant inspirational flash-bulbs go off and had the wind knocked out of me. It's incredible how music can affect you, isn't it? I loved punk, and I loved Irish...to combine the two? Amazing.
My copy of Drunken Lullabies was stolen five separate times before I finally ripped it to my computer and copied it to my mp3 player so that I wouldn't have to go without. When "Within a Mile From Home" was released, I did the same.
It was playing in my head the first time I had sex with my boyfriend/domestic partner/life partner/father of my kids/whatever you want to call him. It was playing for real the night our older son was conceived. I listen to it on my way to whatever cooking job I have - it gets me psyched up for a shift, so I can rock the line like a superstar. I listened to it while I was in labor.
When my grandpa died, I went for a drive up to the store, so as not to freak out my two small sons with my tears. I plugged in my iPhone, put the iPod on randomize, and the first song that came up was "Whistles the Wind." I parked at the store and listened to it on repeat while I cried. I listened to it probably fifty times, back to back, while we were headed downstate for the memorial.
When my brother Scotty passed, I made a playlist of songs that made me think of him, both songs I liked and songs he liked, and a few songs I wanted to be true. The top of them was "If I Ever Leave This World Alive." I wanted to think that he was back and sitting on the floor next to me while I stared blankly into space trying to wrap my mind around the fact that he was gone. It's been eight weeks and I'm still listening to it, and trying to convince myself that, had the inspiration been mine, I would have written the following verse about myself:
"She says, 'I'm okay, I'm all right
though you have gone from my life.
You said that it would -
now everything should be all right.
Yes, we'll be all right."
What draws me in the most with your music, though, is pretty simple. Passion calls to passion. Your passion and your love of what you do is so clearly on display throughout each and every song. I'm a passionate person, especially with food, which is what I do - I'm a cook. I've actually been accused of being too passionate before - is there such a thing? I discussed this with a facebook friend (and real life friend of my boyfriend's, although I'd like to consider him a friend of mine too and wish I knew him a little better, because he seems pretty bad ass), and he agrees with me that no, passion is good.
Anyway, I'm horrible at writing letters to people I don't know, so I'll wrap this up. I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for music that has soared with me to my highest of heights, and comforted me at my rock bottom lows. Thank you and please keep doing what you do.
Truly,
Megan
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