Last week I had the privilege of not only seeing Jamie Tworkowski (founder of the non-profit To Write Love On Her Arms, which is an organization that I believe in very strongly) speak at the NACA (National Association of Campus Activities) 2011 National Conference.
To hear Jamie speak was amazing. There were a few other lecturers before him. The program had the list of speakers, and when I first saw that Jamie would be speaking I was in awe and unbelievably excited; I'd wanted to see him speak for a long time. I got to the theater a few minutes early and was able to sit in the front row, right in the center.
Finally, the MC introduced him, and after a video about To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA), Jamie came on stage. I can't even express in words how moving his speech was to me. Jamie spoke words of pain- he told the story of Renee Yohe, the inspiration for TWLOHA, and her story is very painful at times- but he also spoke words of hope- that Renee got help, and that TWLOHA exists to show people that they are not alone and that their story is important.
Depression, addiction, suicide, self-injury, anxiety, and eating disorders are all real; the illness may be mental, but the fact that it's inside your head doesn't make it any less real (as I write this, I'm reminded of the end of the "King's Cross" chapter in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows). But while pain is real, it's also true that hope is real, and that help is out there.
After Jamie left the stage, the girl sitting behind me starting saying to the person next to her that, essentially, poor people don't get depressed (they "don't have time", because they're "too busy looking for a job"), and depression is something that only happens to rich people (since they "have time to sit around and be depressed"). This made me angry pretty quickly, because it's completely and 100% wrong. So I turned around and told her that to say that any group of people- poor people, rich people, black, white, Indian, Asian, Jewish, Christian, or any specific minority or majority group- is not affected by depression is complete bullshit. Depression affects everyone, and it comes down to a chemical imbalance in your brain; while there are other factors that affect depression, nobody chooses to be depressed.
Not long after that, while waiting in line for lunch (the line was really long) with my group, a few of us were discussing how much we had liked hearing Jamie speak and that we'd love to bring him to campus (we all spread out and sat it different parts of the theater)- when I saw him standing right there, taking pictures with a few other girls. I debated for a few minutes whether I wanted to go up to him (I knew I'd be able to meet him at the marketplace later), but eventually decided that I really wanted to, so I did. There wasn't much time to talk, but I told him that I had the shirt from the Jarrod Gorbel tour, though I wasn't wearing it that day (he thought that was pretty cool, since not a lot of people had that shirt yet- it's still pretty new). He also recognized my shirt as Angels & Airwaves. I was shaking a little bit (not visibly), out of pure excitement and happiness- TWLOHA is such an important organization to me and I really can't even explain in words how much it meant to actually meet Jamie- and after I got a quick picture with him (which is now my Facebook profile picture), he had to go.
Later in the day, the rest of my group went to dinner, but I decided to stay and go to the marketplace. I was near the front of the line, and ended up being the first person to talk to Jamie! This time, I was really shaking, because I had so much to say (I'd written down what I wanted to say on a piece of paper). I could've just said I liked his speech, but I had a lot more that I could say so I decided to just say it, since I knew I wouldn't regret it. I could feel my voice shaking as I told him that I thought what TWLOHA is doing is really cool, and then I realized I was about to cry- I told him this, and he said that crying is okay.
That relaxed me a little, and I felt okay when the tears started coming (it was a lot more sudden than I had thought!). I told Jamie that I connected with TWLOHA, but that it frustrated me so much when people were ignorant of these issues- like the girl sitting behind me in the showcase. He said that often, those people don't understand because they've never experienced a mental illness, but sometimes it ends up happening to them too. I told him that before I had experienced any sort of mental illness, I never really understood what it meant, but that now I did, and that's why I care so much.
When I was done saying what I had to say, I asked Jamie for a hug (he's nearly a foot taller than me, by the way). He said that hugs were easy, and smiled as he gave me one. To meet someone that is such a hero to me- and to actually be able to say more than just a few words- was amazing. He was really listening, too, and I could hear caring in his voice and saw concern in his face. Jamie Tworkowski was one of the nicest people I've ever met- it was refreshing to meet someone like that. After meeting Jamie, I got a free (!) TWLOHA shirt from the booth ("Ring the Bells"- check it out in their store here), which is pretty cool in its own right.
There were other cool parts of the NACA conference- like meeting B.J. Novak (the Office), meeting two guys from The Onion, meeting Hanson (which I did right after I talked to Jamie), seeing (and getting to meet!) so many awesome bands and comedians, getting to hang out with people from the programming board, not going to school, getting to explore St. Louis a little bit, learning about how to program events, getting tons of free stuff, and improving on my leadership skills- but for me, seeing and meeting Jamie Tworkowski was the highlight. I thought about just being social, and going to dinner with my group, but I knew that I would regret it if I didn't get to actually talk to Jamie, and I'm glad I chose the way I did.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 06, 2011
Concert: Jarrod Gorbel, 2/3/11
Tonight I had the privilege of seeing Jarrod Gorbel (formerly of The Honorary Title) at the Grog Shop. It was perhaps the smallest show I've ever been to (there can't have been more than 50 people), and it was also the first "acoustic" show I've ever been to. But there was something really special about it. The show was presented by To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA), which is how I heard about it, and why I wanted to go.
There were two local bands that opened first. The first one didn't announce what they were called (so I have no idea what their name is), but did say their first names. There were three of them- a drummer, one on lead vocals and guitar, and another on bass and backing vocals. They were the only artist of the night that had a drummer, but they were still more on the "chill" side than the bands I usually see- not a bad thing. Up next was another local band, "American War"- one lead singer with another on backup; the instruments were an acoustic guitar, an electric bass, and an electric guitar that occasionally got interchanged with a banjo. I didn't know any of their songs and I wasn't sure if they would be any good, but they were.
The "official" opener was Mansions- an acoustic duo. I didn't know any of their music either, but they were really good. Even though the songs were new to me, I felt like I could relate to them at all, and the fact that they were acoustic made them feel comforting and familiar (despite having never heard them before). After Mansions went on, I went over to meet their lead singer, and had him sign a TWLOHA info card that I'd picked up.
Earlier, I'd read through the info book that TWLOHA had at their merch stand, and talked a little bit with Chad Moses, who was there representing the organization. I told him how I'd been to the TWLOHA stand at Warped Tour but hadn't gotten the chance to really read through the information. I'd read a lot of it before on their website, but it was still nice to see it printed out.
Before Jarrod went on, Chad went on stage to speak. I couldn't wait to hear what he had to say; while I might've gone to see Jarrod otherwise, this was a large portion of my motivation to go.
Chad spoke words of love and of hope. One of the things that he said that spoke the most to me was his suggestion to share with friends how we got here, what brought us here- whether it was some horrible icy roads, or a bumpy emotional road. He spoke of people and community; what I got out of his words was that there is hope for people struggling with depression, addiction, suicide, or self-injury, and that help is out there- but that you can't get through it alone.
I went up to Chad after the show, and told him what I felt- that a lot of people don't want to talk about these type of issues, but that we really need to talk about them, and that's why I think TWLOHA is so important.
Finally Jarrod went on. When he played the first notes on his guitar, I was suddenly aware of the fact that this was by far the smallest, most intimate show I had ever been to, and it felt like the show was a private performance. I didn't know anyone at the show- as often happens when I go to concerts- but we all had something in common, and that was that we were there for the music- as Chad said, "Jarrod's music spoke to us." Maybe it spoke to us in different ways, maybe we all related to it differently- but there was something about it that meant something to every person there. I didn't know every song that he played, but the several that I did know- my favorites were "Each Breath", "Ten Years Older", and "I'll Do Better"- were amazing. There's something about acoustic music that's so intimate and yet so meaningful; music doesn't need to be fast and loud to get to the heart.
After the show was over, I met Jarrod by the merch stand and had him sign the tshirts. I told him that I'd found out about the tour through To Write Love on Her Arms and that I was so glad I could go. When I asked if I could get a picture with him, he said yes and smiled as a girl that was standing there took the picture. Jarrod was so nice- after taking the picture, he asked to see it; it didn't come out well, so he suggested moving over to a spot with better lighting. We faced another way and eventually got a good picture, but what really struck me was how okay he was with taking a few minutes to make sure the picture turned out well. I really appreciate it when musicians take the time to take pictures with fans; fans are the reason artists are where they are (the record label may do the marketing, but it's the fans who buy the albums and merch and go to shows).
I'd been pretty busy this week; classes (exams, papers, quizzes), work, meetings, and events for my sorority have kept me busy. I was pretty stressed out, and felt like I was studying all the time. The show was exactly what I needed- a break, a time to get away from everything and to hear some music. It was more than just a show, though: I'm used to going to high-energy shows, filled with jumping around and (often) moshing, where pulling out an acoustic guitar generally signals the lighters and swaying. These shows are special and important because of the sheer high-voltage energy. So a show that was almost completely acoustic was different for me, but it was still an amazing experience (and, quite frankly, relaxing). It wasn't the same as, for example, going to the House of Blues to see a sold-out 30 Seconds to Mars show, but it was special in its own way. The size of the show, and the fact that it was acoustic, made it extremely intimate.
I didn't come home with my ears ringing from the loud music, with a bruise from the mosh pit (there wasn't one), or with my throat sore from screaming. I did come home with a heart full of music and a head full of songs, and that is what was truly special about the evening.
There were two local bands that opened first. The first one didn't announce what they were called (so I have no idea what their name is), but did say their first names. There were three of them- a drummer, one on lead vocals and guitar, and another on bass and backing vocals. They were the only artist of the night that had a drummer, but they were still more on the "chill" side than the bands I usually see- not a bad thing. Up next was another local band, "American War"- one lead singer with another on backup; the instruments were an acoustic guitar, an electric bass, and an electric guitar that occasionally got interchanged with a banjo. I didn't know any of their songs and I wasn't sure if they would be any good, but they were.
The "official" opener was Mansions- an acoustic duo. I didn't know any of their music either, but they were really good. Even though the songs were new to me, I felt like I could relate to them at all, and the fact that they were acoustic made them feel comforting and familiar (despite having never heard them before). After Mansions went on, I went over to meet their lead singer, and had him sign a TWLOHA info card that I'd picked up.
Earlier, I'd read through the info book that TWLOHA had at their merch stand, and talked a little bit with Chad Moses, who was there representing the organization. I told him how I'd been to the TWLOHA stand at Warped Tour but hadn't gotten the chance to really read through the information. I'd read a lot of it before on their website, but it was still nice to see it printed out.
Before Jarrod went on, Chad went on stage to speak. I couldn't wait to hear what he had to say; while I might've gone to see Jarrod otherwise, this was a large portion of my motivation to go.
Chad spoke words of love and of hope. One of the things that he said that spoke the most to me was his suggestion to share with friends how we got here, what brought us here- whether it was some horrible icy roads, or a bumpy emotional road. He spoke of people and community; what I got out of his words was that there is hope for people struggling with depression, addiction, suicide, or self-injury, and that help is out there- but that you can't get through it alone.
I went up to Chad after the show, and told him what I felt- that a lot of people don't want to talk about these type of issues, but that we really need to talk about them, and that's why I think TWLOHA is so important.
Finally Jarrod went on. When he played the first notes on his guitar, I was suddenly aware of the fact that this was by far the smallest, most intimate show I had ever been to, and it felt like the show was a private performance. I didn't know anyone at the show- as often happens when I go to concerts- but we all had something in common, and that was that we were there for the music- as Chad said, "Jarrod's music spoke to us." Maybe it spoke to us in different ways, maybe we all related to it differently- but there was something about it that meant something to every person there. I didn't know every song that he played, but the several that I did know- my favorites were "Each Breath", "Ten Years Older", and "I'll Do Better"- were amazing. There's something about acoustic music that's so intimate and yet so meaningful; music doesn't need to be fast and loud to get to the heart.
After the show was over, I met Jarrod by the merch stand and had him sign the tshirts. I told him that I'd found out about the tour through To Write Love on Her Arms and that I was so glad I could go. When I asked if I could get a picture with him, he said yes and smiled as a girl that was standing there took the picture. Jarrod was so nice- after taking the picture, he asked to see it; it didn't come out well, so he suggested moving over to a spot with better lighting. We faced another way and eventually got a good picture, but what really struck me was how okay he was with taking a few minutes to make sure the picture turned out well. I really appreciate it when musicians take the time to take pictures with fans; fans are the reason artists are where they are (the record label may do the marketing, but it's the fans who buy the albums and merch and go to shows).
I'd been pretty busy this week; classes (exams, papers, quizzes), work, meetings, and events for my sorority have kept me busy. I was pretty stressed out, and felt like I was studying all the time. The show was exactly what I needed- a break, a time to get away from everything and to hear some music. It was more than just a show, though: I'm used to going to high-energy shows, filled with jumping around and (often) moshing, where pulling out an acoustic guitar generally signals the lighters and swaying. These shows are special and important because of the sheer high-voltage energy. So a show that was almost completely acoustic was different for me, but it was still an amazing experience (and, quite frankly, relaxing). It wasn't the same as, for example, going to the House of Blues to see a sold-out 30 Seconds to Mars show, but it was special in its own way. The size of the show, and the fact that it was acoustic, made it extremely intimate.
I didn't come home with my ears ringing from the loud music, with a bruise from the mosh pit (there wasn't one), or with my throat sore from screaming. I did come home with a heart full of music and a head full of songs, and that is what was truly special about the evening.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)