cortez the killer wrote:I never saw it as "my" thread, Beebs. Also, with his unexpected passing, the morphing into more of an R.I.P. thread and less of an AotW thread is the way it should be. Your post could be the furthest thing from "mucking up."
Appreciate that Cortez. And while were at it, thanks for this thread and your enthusiasm. I was just getting turned on to Jason (pretty strictly MEC at that point) when he "dropped out". Wasn't really in touch with Songs:Ohia or any of the solo stuff and may not have gotten into it without the guidance.
joelle wrote:i am not an expert, on anything really. but the reasons for why some are affected more greatly ( worse, really) is genetics.
hank williams...billy holiday...jack kerouac ...townes van zandt...whinehouse...molina
29, 44, 47,52, 27, 39
luck or lack of luck? genes. same goes for cancer, depression/mental health/suicide,etc...
all i seem to have gathered from these tragic losses is, it seems, artists ( or extremely sensitive/perceptive) souls feel it all too much. alcohol, drugs, food, sex help soften harsh edges, make things more vivid, and start by helping to sort things out or maybe "cure or quiet" demons. then, they become the cause.
Yes, I think genetics plays a huge role with alcoholism as it does with almost anything health related. Also with alcohol and alcoholism comes often secondary effects as unhealthy food etc.
The great (& underrated) Keith Whitley drank himself to death a month shy of his 35th birthday. I would guess that being worded the way it was, Molina died from alcohol poisoning - however if you look on the official MEC website, it lists his death as being from "natural causes". There could be more (or less) to it.
I'm 27 and I have to get my liver enzymes checked every six months (or atleast I'm supposed to) not from drinking, but from bombarding my liver with acetaminophen in the form of Tylenol PM starting when I was 15 and later lorcets (vicodin). I imagine the fact that I would go on drinking binges didn't help, but the main culprit was the tylenol. I guess my point is there could be many extenuating circumstances that could cause the body of someone of any age to shut down from alcohol consumption (especially over a long period). He could've developed toxic hepatitis. I think it would be a fair assumption to say Jason Molina probably suffered from depression, and certain antidepressants can induce hepatitis, especially when combined with alcohol. If induced hepatitis doesn't get treated in time, it can cause death. It wouldn't be the first time someone without health insurance died from a treatable condition.
Alcohol can be just as destructive as any drug - 3 times as many people die in the US per year from excessive alcohol abuse than all illegal drugs combined.
no moon on the water the way i'm acting it's no wonder the blues come i can't outrun 'em i ain't foolin' me i ain't foolin' no one i have to work hard to suffer alone i have to work harder to be so alone don't like half of who i've been but i've kept my promises to all of them tie my wings behind my back cut out my eyes and fill 'em with lead cut off my head and put the black mules there trade my heart for a fire fill my bones with the grey wolf face me to the shore give me one reason to live give me one single reason to live don't have to be good (x3)
no moon on the water the way i'm acting it's no wonder the blues come i can't outrun 'em i ain't foolin' me i ain't foolin' no one i have to work hard to suffer alone i have to work harder to be so alone don't like half of who i've been but i've kept my promises to all of them tie my wings behind my back cut out my eyes and fill 'em with lead cut off my head and put the black mules there trade my heart for a fire fill my bones with the grey wolf face me to the shore give me one reason to live give me one single reason to live don't have to be good (x3)
exactly. his shit has been doing that to me all week.
Beebs: whether you took it this way or not, I wasn't aiming that at you. I actually read it somewhere else. I guess the reason I did take what happened to him more seriously is that I've had family members die of causes extrapolated from their alcoholism. Though none of them died that young, I guess I just look at it a little differently because of that. No offense meant to any of you, of course, that's just where I'm at.
StormandStatic wrote:Beebs: whether you took it this way or not, I wasn't aiming that at you. I actually read it somewhere else. I guess the reason I did take what happened to him more seriously is that I've had family members die of causes extrapolated from their alcoholism. Though none of them died that young, I guess I just look at it a little differently because of that. No offense meant to any of you, of course, that's just where I'm at.
Absolutely Storm. No confusion and certainly no offense. I've been wrestling with these themes all week but feeling like it might be better if I kept to myself. Your post gave me just enough of an excuse to address it here.
Artists have been dying young since art existed, but it seems to be getting harder and harder for artists on the fringe. Eric Carter (of Bloodkin) just posted on facebook that it was the five year anniversary since Nuci's Space helped him rehabilitate. From what I can tell, Molina did get treatment and of course treatment doesn't save 100% of patients, but I can't help but think that if he had access to adequate care (instead of having to ask for donations, which can only go so far) that perhaps things could've been different. Maybe not, but maybe so. Either way, this just reaffirms the need for organizations like Nuci's Space. Artists as prolific and talented as Molina shouldn't have to turn to what amounts to a kickstarter campaign in order to get help.
I've been thinking about that too, but the truth is, unlike Chesnutt and Linkous, Molina didn't kill himself, at least not in the same way they did. That he needed help and adequate healthcare is likely, but I don't know, this is something else.
I was a fan of Songs Ohia and Magnolia Electric Co. because of one of my little sisters boyfriends. I have most of the stuff besides the early singles. I even got to see them once. This week I have been listening to all of it and it really hits hard. The lyrics jump out and they were never so haunting. Jason lived what he sang and it is painful to listen to. I keep going back to the Magnolia Electric Co. album. Those songs sound scary and Jason sounds pissed. Just a tragic story.
Smitty wrote:Vic Chesnutt, Mark Linkous, Jason Molina, etc etc
Artists have been dying young since art existed, but it seems to be getting harder and harder for artists on the fringe. Eric Carter (of Bloodkin) just posted on facebook that it was the five year anniversary since Nuci's Space helped him rehabilitate. From what I can tell, Molina did get treatment and of course treatment doesn't save 100% of patients, but I can't help but think that if he had access to adequate care (instead of having to ask for donations, which can only go so far) that perhaps things could've been different. Maybe not, but maybe so. Either way, this just reaffirms the need for organizations like Nuci's Space. Artists as prolific and talented as Molina shouldn't have to turn to what amounts to a kickstarter campaign in order to get help.
I think you'll find that the statistics for rehab are actually pretty dismal. And in-patient stuff is good and very effective, but AA is free and everywhere. It's just too hard for some people, whether it's a genetic pre-disposition, or just bad luck.
A good friend's brother-in-law held a responsible job and no one but his wife knew how much he drank, but he died of cirrhosis seemingly overnight at age 28. He was a functional alcoholic in the sense that he needed alcohol to function at all. So he was just on the sauce 24/7, probably since high school.
Matt playing like an evil motherfucker w/ rhythm with a capital MPLAEMWR.
"Back in January of this year, I received a message from a friend of Jason's, Tara Samaha. Like so many of us were, she was concerned. She was concerned for his safety, mental and physical health after receiving an alarming email. She felt he needed a map to help him through these troubled times and then asked that I make him one. I did. Sadly we were never able to land a concrete address for Jason, where we knew he would get the map. I know that he had lost things important to him over the past few years, for various reasons, so I wanted to be sure this got into his hands, and no one else. That said -- sadly -- the map was never delivered to him. Upon learning of his death, the map sat in my studio; it felt cold, and now useless. A guide made for a friend who can no longer see it. Ryan Graveface and I thought of how, thanks to folks like you, we were able to raise a considerable amount of money for Jason's medical bills through sales of the book, From Black Sheep Boys to Bill Collectors. We thought maybe there is still a way for this map to be useful. Not as it was originally intended, a map for one man, but as tool to commemorate this man, and continue to help his family, especially in such dark times as these. 100% of the profits from this print will be going to Jason Molina's family. We now have a chance to give back to the family that gave us Jason, who in turn gave us all so much. Our love goes out to the Molina family, and to the family he built in his dusty road travels."
Finally went back and found my pics from the MEC show that I saw in 2009. Listened to "Trials and Errors" while working on these shots and was shaken a little, not only by the lyrics that fore-shaddow his demise, but in the silence between songs he whispers "watch the singer die". Seems he knew his fate for years before it actually came to pass.
UTHeathen wrote:Finally went back and found my pics from the MEC show that I saw in 2009. Listened to "Trials and Errors" while working on these shots and was shaken a little, not only by the lyrics that fore-shaddow his demise, but in the silence between songs he whispers "watch the singer die". Seems he knew his fate for years before it actually came to pass
I was listening to "Trials & Errors" last work through headphones for the first time, and caught this. It just floored me. I came to the exact same conclusion as you. He seems to reference a knowing acceptance of his early demise in a high percentage of his songs.
I recently purchased Trials & Errors on vinyl and it came with a download code. It states that the code can be used up to 4x in 24 hours. If you'd like a digital copy of this great album use this code. First come, first served...
When I die put my bones in an empty street To remind me of how it used to be Don't write my name on a stone Bring a Coleman lantern and a radio Cleveland game and two fishing poles And watch with me from the shore Ghostly steel and iron ore ships coming home
Where I am paralyzed by the emptiness Where I am paralyzed by the emptiness Where I am paralyzed by the emptiness Where I am paralyzed by the emptiness
Clearly iron age beasts You can tell by the rust and the chains And by the oil that they bleed The crew and crows fly the skulls and bones They fly the colors of their homes I fly the cross of the blue factory flame Stitched with heavy sulpher thread They ain't proud colors But they're true colors of my home
Where I am paralyzed by the emptiness Where I am paralyzed by the emptiness Where I am paralyzed by the emptiness Where I am paralyzed by the emptiness
Every mile for ten thousand miles And every year for a thousand years Every night for a thousand more I hear them calling They never say to come home They never say to come home
Where I am paralyzed by the emptiness Where I am paralyzed by the emptiness Where I am paralyzed by the emptiness Where I am paralyzed by the emptiness
You are entitled to your opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.
- DPM
...Lastly, I wanted to mention that because of you, we were able to give Molina's family a staggering amount of money. We will keep passing on profits from this to his family for days, weeks, months and years to come & that makes life worth living.
Band of Horses played on Jimmy Kimmel last night and did a tribute to Jason Molina. Not sure if it was a cover of a Magnolia Electric Co. song.....didn't recognize it. ("I've Been Riding With a Ghost"?)
Zip City wrote:Band of Horses played on Jimmy Kimmel last night and did a tribute to Jason Molina. Not sure if it was a cover of a Magnolia Electric Co. song.....didn't recognize it. ("I've Been Riding With a Ghost"?)