First, let me explain who is Eddie for those who are not Iron Maiden fan. Eddie is their mascot his first appearance was in February 1980. The reason I am saying that is because it connects with my work at Rock-it-ology. I actually just found this out as I write this blog today 3/11/21 at 23: 23 pm. Anyways, Eddie is the iron maiden famous mascot and the leader and bass player of this band is Stephen Pecy Harris known as Steve Harris, born on March March 12, 1956. So yeah today (the day I am posting this) is his birthday.
For many years I thought I didn’t have a hero because the truth is I was a shitty kid. I mean, I was not really into watching TV, or video games. I was more the kid that is into music, arts and being outdoors. Therefore, in general I didn’t have the “normal” heroes that most kids have. I mean, I did have Luke Skywalker as a hero, but for me was different because he was good in using the force. For some reason I always felt that the force was something real. Now, I know it is real, is something called energy, that I like to call life force. So, yeah Luke Skywalker is bad ass, especially in the return of the Jedi and that is why I suggested my son name as Luke Wygand, luckily my wife agreed.
Now, the rest of my heroes was all considered evil, or drugged addict well at least in my world. It’s a long story, so long that I am putting in a book. Chapter 9 of the book is when things started to change in my life and the music that changed it all was the Judgments of heaven from the X factor album. I will be honest; I don’t know much about Steve Harris at all. I am not that kind of fan that knows every single detail. I am more or the kind of fan that just wants to enjoy their music and rock it by: learning their songs in my studio, singing in the shower, rocking an air guitar/bass/drums either to my kids or solo. All I know is that I love their songs, and the bass is what really makes you feel the song.
That being said I feel that I have to acknowledge this guy as my #1 hero because the truth is, because of the song Judgments of Heaven from the X- Factor album that I am here today alive writing this blog. Therefore I want to wish Steve Harris a happy fucking birthday and a huge thank you for making my heart full of Eddie.
Punkaste,
Rirou
A lonely cry for help reaching out for help to anyone
A silent prayer to God to help you on your way
I’ve been depressed so long
It’s hard to remember when I was happy
I’ve felt like suicide a dozen times or more
But that’s the easy way, that’s the selfish way
The hardest part is to get on with your lifeYou’re searching in the dark
Clutching at straws to find a way
You take the Tarot cards
And throw them to the wind
Your question your beliefs, your inner thoughts
Your whole existence
And if there is a God then answer if you will
And tell me of my fate, tell me of my place
Tell me if I’ll ever rest in peaceIf you could live your life again
Would you change a thing
Or leave it all the same
If you had the chance again
Would you change a thing at all
When you look back at your past
Can you say that you are proud
Of what you’ve done
Are there times when you believe
That the right you thought was wrongAll of my life I have believed
Judgement of Heaven is waiting for me
All of my life now I have believed
Judgement of Heaven is waiting for me
Waiting for me
Waiting for me
Waiting for meAll of my life now I have believed
Judgement of Heaven awaits for me
All of my life now I have believed
Judgement of Heaven awaits for meAll of my life I have believed
Judgement of Heaven is waiting for me
All of my life now I have believed
Judgement of Heaven is waiting for me
Waiting for me
Waiting for me
Waiting for me
For years I believe I was doom for a life of surfering and pain. For real, was a feeling that I couldn’t enjoy life, and if I did I would be punished. Everything that gave me joy was going to be the end of the world. Like, everything was my fault. Heavy metal thought me that the easy way out, ending life, was not an option.
Yes, it’s true, the feeling was that I was wicked. Like in my dreams is it was always there, demons faces saying I couldn’t enjoy life. I didn’t know what those demons were until I picked up the guitar to play at 39 years old. Not only that, it only started to make sense on my 40th birthday! That’s when I realized I was battling my own existence.
At age of 39 is when I told my wife, I wanted to be the one who stays home with the kids and learn music. Not only because I didn’t want to work. I mean I don’t want to work, because the truth I can’t have a boss. I think from all the bosses that I had, there is a very few that I didn’t say fuck off. Me out there is a menace to society. It’s true, cause I have an attitude and I know how to use it, like the guy from office space. The scene where the guy from office space, says fuck off and got promoted actually happened in my life a few times. Or that scene with George Costanza, when he does everything the opposite way. Anyways, I said I want to stay home and say fuck you to the Pope and rock. I also wanted to stay home mostly because Luke is as sensitive, if not more than I am, and now Amber. She is also super sensitive.
Scaping hell (depression) is about learning about my sensitivity and using, and as I do that I want to teach my kids how to use their strength in life, after all my sensitivity is my strength. This way the story won’t repeat itself. The crazy thing is as a sensitive person I became very angry inside due to not exploring my sensitivity, and swallowing my feelings. Didn’t look like I was an angry person because like the movie Anger Management he says there are 2 kinds of people: the one who explodes and the one who listened quietly day after day. Well, I am/was the one who listened day after day. Felt like I was grounded for 33 years.
Hell and fire was spawned to be released and that’s when the other day I made the video of saying fuck you to the Pope. As I released all this anger in form of art I noticed that things actually started to workout in my life, and the paranoia is gone. Things are no longer heavy and the energy is flowing. Not only that, by doing this, it creates a positive effect in the people around me, my family. Maybe not the devoted catholics since my story make them uncomfortable, but it’s what they say, life begins at the end of the confort zone.
Now I planned to release my first kids song in portuguese this week, however since we are moving (we got a house, see how choosing love/joy things workout?), I decided to wait and record the video in the new house. I believe this will have a much deeper meaning. Because the reality is, on January 20th, Saint Sebastian day the Padron of my hometown (Rio de Janeiro, Brasil) we bought our first home. That day was when the world turned around for me, that day was the day I realized I was not doomed, and I finally found my place under the sun. Yeah, I escaped hell, and it felt like a slapt in the face of destiny. Well, maybe not a slapt, but more like a mooning to destiny. I always loved mooning LOL.
Punkaste,
Rirou
Am I evil? That is a question that I had for my entire existence. Yeah, it’s pretty crazy. This thought started at a super early age for me, and it haunted me down, until I was 40 years old. Well, if I am honest, still does. Now the big question is why, and I hope you are ready to read, cause I am ready to talk.
Since an early age I was called evil for loving heavy metal, I heard many times and I said it here many times. What you didn’t know is that it felt like I was being crucified for my music taste. Because the minute I said I liked heavy metal I was automatic labeled as evil. As I said I was a sensitive kid, well I am a sensitive man. Now, why was I sensitive? Well, I had psychic abilities, very strong ones. I had a lot of deja-vus, intuitions, knowing things, and feeling things. What kid would not be get scared to say what he feels after being labeled evil from the get go. The worst part of all is being crucified without even hearing my side of the story. People assumed I was an anti-Christ, or this soulless person when people didn’t even knew what was going on, or even what I believed. So my fault was that I never said what I felt because of the fear of being evil.
Now, when Luke was born my sensibility came back up at the highest level. I have gotten him out of trouble so many times, and it was like I just knew it what to do. Lots of stories in my upcoming book. Crazy insane, I know, but true. I think there is a few stories during my 40 walk through the covid-420 that I mention some dots I connected . Ok, so now are you ready to talk about Jesus and God? LOL that is when it gets super interesting the story. Let’s go by part.
First of all, I had always believed that Jesus existed, he was a public figure for sure no doubt about it. I mean, people wrote a book about him. I just always believed the story was distorted, and I also knew that we don’t need Religion to connect with something higher. When Luke was born I went to do a Reiki session, and during this session guess who showed up in a form of vision? Well, if you guessed Jesus you are right. He paid me a visit. Not only once, but twice. The second time was in 2020 before before Amber was born on my meditation. Now you want to see where it gets even better? I not only seeing Jesus, but I also I saw Buddha, Krishna, and Lemmy (motorhead) and Chester (Linkin Park). I am not joking. Some people called channeling, I don’t know because I never intentionally tried, or learned, it just happened. Or this can simply be my fears, traumas and dreams in form of visualizations. All I know is that; as much as looney tunes as is sounds for you, it sounds for me as well.
Second, let’s talk about God. For me, it’s energy. You can only feel it, like love. You can only feel it and love is inclusive. Now, Religion with their so called fathers never really understood my love for music, they didn’t even tried to listen to my side of the story. Based on Religion we are all son’s of God and I was “different” and I was not included in his love due to my Love for the “devils song”. What kind of “father (priest)” is that, that can’t love a different child? Well what kind of love is that? I mean, they can only love you with a condition?
We usually have so many judgments about this type of music, and for the people that listen to it. The problem is that most people don’t even stop to listen to what they are singing about. Which a lot times those songs are a philosophical metaphor. Some people might not understand the metaphors, is ok. Is not for everyone, I get it. However those metaphors saved me and guided me my entire life, witch now makes sense with my “clairaudience mediumship.” Rock took me to a beautiful place called LOVE; and love is inclusive.
Well that is my biggest trauma, on my 40th birthday when I launched my very first punk song for kids I really thought that the my world was going to end if I did that. Fuck up, right? All this time I was afraid of being evil, just because of my love for Rock and Roll and because of my sensitivity that I couldn’t explain. Turns out, my sensitivity is a gift! Am I evil? Of course not! Does that makes me a better person? Hell no! However it does make me a bigger asshole since it proves my theory that the only way to escape hell is to “unlearn what you have learned”, so here we go:
So, yeah LOVE ROCKS and I am a fool (or an asshole depends on the perspective), that believes in love; that decided to follow my childhood dream dreams; and a fool that learned about inclusion through punk rock. My friends used to sing to me, “we don’t need another hero”, (that was Rirou’s theme song when I was 8 years old) and is 100% right! We don’t need another hero, we need more PUNKS! I honestly believe is time to Religion do some shadow work, like Slayer said “Pay back is a bitch!” Conclusion fuck depression, let’s Rock! How? Simple, do what you want by making peace with your inner child and for that there is nothing better than music therapy. Join me and let’s rock this world!
Oh, and master Yoda, he is the man! Since I said the world is depress, and the big thing with depression is that most of us don’t even know we are depress. Solution? An inner child revolution! That is what I did! Anarchy with a discipline of an ironman!
Punkaste,
Rirou
I am Rirou the Punk! 