***MY RESPONSE TO “NOISE” BY NIGHTWISH***
I’ve been a fan of Nightwish’s music dating all the way back
to 2002. It started with “She Is My Sin” from the Wishmaster album and it
snowballed from there. I was heartbroken to learn about Tarja Turunen’s firing
from the band in 2005. I also crushed on her and Anette Olzon throughout my
college days. I talked with Tuomas Holopainen on My Space (if that was really
him). I wrote several creepy essays about Nightwish to cope with my loneliness.
Okay, that last part was on a need-to-know basis, but you get what I’m trying
to say. And I’ve accepted the fact that my heroes and I are going to have
disagreements from time to time. I don’t agree with Roger Waters’s fox hunting.
I don’t agree with Daniel Bryan’s anti-meat agenda. I don’t agree with George
Carlin’s hatred of fat people. Disagreements happen and that’s a part of life a
lot of people are going to have to get realistic about.
A few days ago, Nightwish released a new single from their
latest album and that song is called “Noise”. If you’ve watched the video for
it or have read the lyrics on Google, then you’d be blind not to notice the
strong technophobic themes. You’ve heard these messages before from Baby
Boomers and Gen Xers. Staring at your screen all the time will make you
mentally ill. Social media will brainwash you into becoming a mediocre zombie.
Young people need to wake up. Yada, yada, yada, you get the point by now. There
used to be a time when I blindly agreed with these sentiments. But knowing what
I know about today’s world and how my generation has been derided for far too
long, I’m afraid I’m going to have to crack my knuckles for this post. Tuomas,
Floor, Marco, everyone in the band, I love you all dearly. I wouldn’t trade you
for anyone else. But you wanted a conversation and you’ve got one.
In case I haven’t whined about it enough online, I live in a
small town called Port Orchard, Washington. I’ve lived in small towns for
pretty much all of my teenaged and adult life. These small towns all have
something in common: they’ve got…and I’m not exaggerating…a whole lot of jack
shit. The most entertaining thing one could do in Port Orchard is go to a
grocery store or fast food establishment and pig the fuck out on junk food. You
can also do drugs and alcohol if you’d like. Me? I could probably go to a bar
and meet strangers. There’s just one problem: I don’t have a car nor do I want
one. I’ll leave it to someone else to fly through the windshield and plow into
a ditch. With no car and with constantly pouring weather, I can’t exactly go
out and do whatever the hell I want without someone giving me a lift. Even if I
did trust myself behind the wheel of a car, I wouldn’t be able to meet people
anyways because I’m too fucking shy. I hate being rejected and I hate
embarrassing other people as well.
More often than not, the only form of entertainment I can
consistently count on is social media. Whether I’m watching a You Tube video,
surfing Deviant Art, interacting with other readers on Good Reads, or boosting
my own career as an independently-published author, social media has been there
for me. That’s right. Without social media, I’d have no writing career. I could
go the traditionally published route, but that would mean getting past
gatekeepers that never gave a shit about me in the first place. The reason it’s
called social media is because it’s, you guessed it, social. In a town with a
whole lot of jack shit, I can go online and talk to other people who are
feeling just as lonely as me. Are they online all the time? No. But it’s better
than wandering the rainy streets of Port Orchard looking for a whole lot of
nothing. What am I supposed to do, knock on random doors in my neighborhood and
ask people if they want to be my friend? Please.
Does social media have drawbacks? Yes. Is it unhealthy to
compare yourself to the perfect versions of other people? Yes. Should I be
looking for other hobbies? Yes. But do I have much of a choice in the matter
given my circumstances? Absolutely not. Cars are expensive as hell and they’re
fucking dangerous too. Real life people would rather avoid and ignore me than
see my vulnerable side. Being a lower class weirdo doesn’t matter on social
media because strangers will be there to comfort you and come together for you.
Do I still feel lonely sometimes? Yes. But do I blame it all on social media
and my generation growing up with it? Hell no. Blaming my generation for
everything is a lazy copout for fixing systemic problems within our society.
But this is just my experience. I’m sure there are people
out there who do just fine without social media. Hell, I know some old people
who are glued to their phones and nobody kicks up a fuss about them. We all
have our way of coping with boring lives. We all have a distraction of some
sort. Some people snort cocaine. Some people chow down on Kentucky Fried
Chicken. Me? I use social media as my escape. Why? Because I don’t have a
fucking choice. Do I want choices? Absolutely. But are they going to present
themselves to me in a way that’s considerate of my circumstances? No.
Like I said earlier, I love Nightwish and will always
cherish their music no matter what. I don’t want you all to think I’m putting
the boots to them over a minor disagreement. They’re entitled to their opinions
just like I’m entitled to mine. I’m sure Tuomas and I can sit down and discuss
this over a nice lunch at That One
Place (a diner here in Port Orchard with enormous
fucking pancakes). I’m sure Floor and I can share a few plates of chow mein
from China Sun Buffet (also in Port Orchard), and no, that’s not me asking her
out on a date. Remember, I don’t like embarrassing other people with my flirty
behavior and that includes Floor Jansen.
The point is, Nightwish wanted to get a discussion going and
that’s exactly what happened. I see a lot of people agreeing with “Noise’s”
message on social media (the irony is killing me), but I don’t see a lot of
opposition. I can promise you one thing, though: if Nightwish ever comes to my
home state of Washington
for a concert, I promise I won’t shout “OK Boomer!” after they’re done playing
Noise. That dishonor is reserved for Nonpoint and their song “Generation
Idiot”. I’m joking, of course. Nonpoint did a hell of a job opening for
Hellyeah back in December, though I was secretly doing my happy dance when they
neglected to play “Generation Idiot”. I’m Garrison Kelly! Until next time, try
to enjoy the daylight!
***LYRICS OF THE DAY***
“The days were brighter. Gardens were blooming. The nights
had more hope in their silence. The wild was calling. Wishes were whispering.
The time was there, but without a meaning. The days departed. Gardens deserted.
This frail world my only rest. The wild calls no more. Wishes were hollow. The
barefoot boy weeping in an empty night. Cherish the moment. Tower the skies.
Don’t let the dreamer fade to gray like grass. No falling for life. A gain for
every loss. Time gathered me, but kept me flying. Away, away, away in time.
Every dream’s a journey away. Away, away to a home away from care. Everywhere’s
just a journey away.”
-Nightwish singing “Away”, which as you can see is not a
technophobic diatribe-
