It’s a wonderful life.
Some of my favorite artists have killed themselves. Kurt Cobain, Elliott Smith, Vic Chesnutt, and now Mark Linkous. They all sort of had that “tortured artist” thing down pat. It’s what made their music so honest and real.
As a musician, and as someone who once took a personality test that said I’m “drawn to sad things,” I can understand it, sort of. People often make their best art when they are reflecting on something sad. If Cobain, Smith, etc. had not felt a great amount of pain, then I doubt their music would have been near as honest and affecting. It’s a catch 22, I suppose.
For me, I enjoy listening to sad music, and often enjoy writing about sad things. The difference is I’m actually a really happy person. But I also understand that to experience real happiness, and appreciate it, you have to also experience real pain. I’m ok with that. It’s the ying and yang of things. I get it.
But I can’t help but wonder if the very catharsis for those tortured artists—their songs—didn’t also contribute to their downward spirals. If you sing the same sad song over and over, and really FEEL it, then it’s almost like you’re reliving the pain over and over again. Again, the catch 22 of things.
Not really sure where I’m going with this exactly, other than, I hope they all found the peace they were missing. It’s a wonderful life.
