Thank You All

 

You see this right here? These are the demographics for the people who read my blog Garrison’s Library. I started it in 2012 and it was originally intended to be a place where I review books. Then as the years went by, I wrote reviews for TV shows, movies, and plays. Then I wrote nonfiction think pieces. Then I posted micro-fiction. Then I posted story chapters. Then I posted poetry. Eventually it became a central hub for all of my creative writing. Well, almost all of it. But there’s enough good stuff there to attract all these different silent fans from around the world. I cringe at my old stuff, sure, but you know who doesn’t? People who are reading it for the first time. Remember that meme that said you have a lot of silent fans even if you don’t know it? It also said that the low amount of likes, shares, and comments aren’t reflective of all the people whose lives are changed by your art? Now I’ve got the proof I needed. I think I deserve to blow myself every now and then since the 2020’s have given me enough trauma to ruin my self-esteem. To all of you silent fans out there, even though I’ve never met you and I don’t know your names, I just want to say, thank you for making this a worthwhile creative career. I’m not a highly paid rockstar in the industry. My books are self-published. My blog entries are free, because they’re first drafts. But you know what? Thank you all. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. From the bottom of my soul, thank you.

"My Bloody Roots" by Max Cavalera

Max Cavalera is without a doubt one of the hardest working metal musicians in the industry. He’s fronting three bands (Soulfly, Cavalera Conspiracy, and Killer Be Killed) and he was the founding member of one of the most successful metal bands today: Sepultura. He’s not going to flaunt his greatness in public because he’s a humble and friendly guy, so I’m going to do it for him in what little space I have in this blog entry about his memoir, “My Bloody Roots”.

The reason he can keep a frenetic pace in his work life is he has an unrivaled passion for heavy metal music since it basically saved his life. His father died while Max was only nine years old. Without him, the Cavalera clan lived in poverty in autocratic Brazil. He knew he could never make it as an ice cream salesman or a schoolchild because he was too pissed off about his father being gone. So what did he do? With what little money he had, he bought heavy metal albums and let them inspire him to become the hardcore rock and roller he his today.

All of this energy in his music didn’t come without a price. Aside from his father dying, he also had to deal with the death of his stepson Dana Wells, whose murder remains unsolved to this day. Max’s wife and Dana’s mother Gloria spent the longest time in despondency and all Max wanted to do was to be there for her while the guys of his band at the time, Sepultura, wanted to go on tour right away. One thing led to another and Max eventually left the band along with his wife, who was their manager.

Max was an emotional wreck to say the least, so much so that it affected his ability to continue his music career. So what did he do? The same thing any passionate metal head would have done: he formed Soulfly and became an instant success. The first Soulfly album was released in 1998 and they’ve been in business ever since. Add to that workload Cavalera Conspiracy and Killer Be Killed and you’ve got the recipe for true heavy metal badassery.

I won’t go into too much detail about Max Cavalera’s life (I fear I may have done that already). All I’ll say is that he came back from so many hardships and he did it all through the power of heavy metal music. It’s aggressive, fast-paced, and hardcore music straight from the soul. Without it, not only would Max not have found an escape, but those who listened wouldn’t have either. He doesn’t just rock out for the hell of it; he touches lives.

　

***MOVIE DIALOGUE OF THE DAY***

DR. CUSHING: Jerome, it’s not too late to be saved! You won’t get another chance!

CRAZY K: I don’t need another motherfucking chance! You want to know why?! ‘Cause I don’t give a fuck! I said I don’t give a fuck! I don’t give a fuck! I don’t give a fuck! I don’t give a fuck! I don’t give a fuck! I don’t give a FUCK!!