this would probably be one of, if not, the most sentimental posts in this blog. I firmly believe that if not for music, I wouldn’t be able to get through daily life with my sanity intact. I have music, rock and roll and its alternative forms in particular, to thank for getting through law school and now earning six digits before the age of thirty… and still getting me through daily life, in general.
late 2000s
I’ve always loved dark things, you know, Halloween-related stuff. that includes music. back when I was a teenager, I listened to Avril Lavigne, Green Day, and Three Days Grace.
early 2018
however, my love of rock music became serious and intense during my fourth year in law school, particularly during my internship. I was listening to Queen and David Bowie on my commute. bus rides and long walks were filled with Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, Don’t Stop Me Now, Killer Queen, and David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust, Life on Mars, Space Oddity, and so much more.
I was obsessed with watching music videos and live performances.
there was a time I painted my nails blue after I saw a picture of David Bowie with blue nail polish.
for Queen, I have no favorite album in particular. the songs which I love are scattered all over. favorite songs: Somebody to Love, Bohemian Rhapsody
for David Bowie, it has to be The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. favorite songs: Ziggy Stardust, Starman
March 2018
then, around March 2018, I came across a Youtube thumbnail of an interview of Billy Idol. I. was. hooked.
Billy Idol. god. I was obsessed beyond obsessed. I felt as if I stumbled on a gold mine or won the lottery. I loved everything about Billy Idol, his background, looks, voice, attitude, everything. he was the British punk, a true British punk to have come from the mid 1970s Sex Pistols scene, who took punk rock to MTV. he accomplished what the Sex Pistols could not, he made America fall in love with him (at that time, at least).
ah, Billy Idol, the boy who was cursed to be too beautiful for punk.
favorite album: Rebel Yell
favorite songs: Rebel Yell, Flesh for Fantasy, Eyes Without a Face
my Billy Idol “phase” is unforgettable because it came at a time when I achieved many life milestones. I graduated from law school, prepared for the Philippine bar exam, passed the bar, became a lawyer, and got my first job. that said, all good things must come to an end. my obsession petered out after the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic and the first time I resigned.
then I became addicted to Metallica.
July 2020
Metallica came at a… turbulent time in my life. there was Covid-19 and lockdowns everywhere. we barely left home, just to procure essentials like food, grocery, and medicine. I had just resigned and was going through my quarter-life crisis. I then signed up for quite an easy job that didn’t pay much. life was… sh/t.
whether or not my brooding and grim mood during that time was a big factor or part of the reason why I fell in love with Metallica and James Hetfield’s rhythm guitar skills, I’m not a hundred percent certain. however, listening to Metallica definitely helped tame the rage and hopelessness. I had been nurturing an internal black cloud that could lead to either an endless downpour or a violent thunderstorm.
the silver lining is that, so awed and inspired by James Hetfield I was that I started learning guitar. that’s why if I have to cite only one name who’s my main inspiration for learning guitar, it would be James Hetfield and no other.
favorite album: Ride the Lightning
favorite songs: Of Wolf and Man, Fade to Black, Master of Puppets
my life got better around early 2021. I got a job that I loved and thrived in. after a year, I got promoted. after half a year, I got an even better job opportunity. when 2023 came, I was at such an all-time high that it was as if 2020 didn’t happen.
May 2023
well, life always finds a way… a way to f/ck you up. some things I’d rather not mention.
when you’ve flown so high, only to come crashing down and die, but still not be dead? that hits differently. that’s like post-death. it’s like, beyond numbness. it’s living after death. that’s the point in your life when you realize you need Glenn Danzig.
he’s always been there, you know, being promoted by Metallica and all that, friends with James Hetfield and whatnot, but something monumental, of biblical proportion, had to happen within me for me to appreciate him, his music.
my friends, to know how the gods kill, you really have to experience some f/cked up sh/t in your life. if I were a Danzig song, I’d be How the Gods Kill.
nonetheless, I love the dark. always have. it’s my normal.
and I never take myself seriously. it’s like my favorite Misfits song, I Turned into a Martian. like, how can you take that song seriously, right? you don’t. you experience it. you squeeze every ounce of enjoyment from it.
favorite album: Danzig
favorite songs: How the Gods Kill, Am I Demon, Mother
I don’t take life seriously… because I’m dead anyway. lmao.