Q Magazine March 2020. 10 COMMANDMENTS by Mark Lanegan
Feb 12, 2020 14:30:54 GMT -5
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Post by iakob on Feb 12, 2020 14:30:54 GMT -5
10 COMMANDMENTS
MARK LANEGAN
Recognized text:
The self-confessed "curmudgeonly old vampire" shares his golden rules for living.
1 IT'S GOOD TO BE DIFFERENT
Don't ever let anyone give you shit because you don't fit society's idea of" normal". The false sense of security some get by joining the pack of lemmings, who would all don ridiculous red baseball hats originally designed to keep a criminal politician's terrible comb-over in place while he struts around in public, are somehow oblivious of the fact that they will be the first to get fucked over by these shitheads they support. Ignorance is at a place where next week a trip to the doctor's office will get you a chest covered with leeches to fix what ails you. Kids, be brave, be smart and don't buy into the shit you're being shovelled. Know who you are and fearlessly follow your heart. If you are out of step with those around you, embrace it. Look how you want to look, love how and who you want to love, don't take any shit.
2 GIVE THE GIFT OF HEALING
If you can help one person not feel so alone, you've done a great thing. Music did that for me as a lonely kid.
3 OWN OR TAKE CARE OF AN ANIMAL
There is nothing like the relationship between an animal and a human. The unconditional love received from a dog or cat, horse or more exotic animal, is like no other. The joy of a puppy tearing circles around the yard, so full of life and fire and the heartache as he grows into an old man and comes to the end of the line. The pain of saying goodbye, the gift of the time you had together and the infinite ways your life is enriched by these experiences.
4 REMAIN CURIOUS, KEEP LEARNING
I grew up in a small farming/cattle ranching community and, from my earliest memories, I wanted to leave. Through circumstance, drive, and a shit-ton of luck, I have been able to spend the last 35 years travelling for a living. I rarely return to my hometown and when I do, it is to see my sister and my youngest nephew, who still live there. My mother and her husband live there also, and they are your typical old, white, xenophobic/racist people who met while working at the Hanford Nuclear plant. I'm of the opinion that when people spend their life in a bubble it breeds fear. Much like Trump's imaginary"crisis" on the Southern border of the United States, the worldwide hysteria over immigration is driven by fear. I loved Anthony Bourdain. He was an enthusiastic and loyal friend but was so important because he spent a huge part of his life casually travelling to many places the US government and others vilified, embraced local culture and put a human face on those who the fear-mongers would have us believe are evil. He was a prime example of what love, courage, empathy and compassion look like. Keep learning, keep loving.
5 EVERY DAY IS A NEW BEGINNING
Every day is an opportunity to create a new future. Don't forget to create your own reality. Know the difference between what you own and what someone else’s idea of you is. It's none of my business what anyone else thinks of me if I know who I am.
6 TRY TO HAVE A JOB YOU ENJOY
Or at least one you can find some satisfaction in. Too many people spend the majority of their lives working a job they hate just to pay the bills. I have been blessed to do something I love for a living but it gets harder by the year for musicians as the cultural shift in how people get their music has driven many out of the business.
7 HAVE A MOMENT FOR THE LESS FORTUNATE
Homelessness and poverty are at epic levels in the United States and elsewhere across the globe. Addiction, untreated mental illness, personal tragedy, downsizing businesses, estrangement from or loss of family and friends to turn to for help are some of the countless reasons why people can find themselves in this predicament. Whenever I see a homeless person, I remember how close I am to such a situation and how my own experience with homelessness and addiction felt like endlessly climbing Everest - starting over every day, and never reaching the summit. The brutality of living out of doors takes an unbelievable strength of physical and psychic willpower, God forbid by circumstance you ever find yourself there.
8 LOOK FOR MUSIC OFF THE BEATEN PATH
I will never forget the music that changed my life. Where I grew up most people had no awareness of who Jimi Hendrix was, born just 100 miles away. My saving grace was a small record store run by a hippy who was curious for the new and weird. When he put on the 12-inch single of the Sex Pistols' Anarchy In The UK, it changed my life for ever. Later, The Gun Club, Joy Division, The Velvet Underground, Stooges, David Bowie and a hundred other artists continued my quest of discovery for the new, exotic and interesting.
9 GET YOUR HANDS IN THE DIRT
The Earth is being pillaged and raped to the point where 18.7 million acres a year are being destroyed by deforestation - that breaks down to 27 football fields a minute, an area the size of Switzerland yearly. It is likely too late to turn back the clock on this planet's destruction bythe greed of men, but as an individual I tryto plant as many trees, flowers and shrubs on my property as possible. There is something meditative about doing some small gesture that gives to the Earth and takes my mind off the futility of my actions.
10 HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOUR
In this age of technology and social media, people like me who make music are privyto immediate criticism or praise and are able to comment in return just as quickly. I admit to being guilty of spending too much of my rare down-time taking shots at the low-hanging fruit of the clichéd descriptors, less-than-informed reviewers and the speculators who seem to know the motivation and meaning behind every song lyric. I sometimes find it irresistible to play the curmudgeonly old vampire and show up with a surprise ball-buster at a super-fan's feed on occasion as well. I'm probably the only guy out there who will find faux-fault when someone writes, "It's his greatest record ever!" Usually the ensuing brief internet conversation ends with me laughing and hopefully my target doing the same.
Hi-rez scans:
MARK LANEGAN
Recognized text:
The self-confessed "curmudgeonly old vampire" shares his golden rules for living.
1 IT'S GOOD TO BE DIFFERENT
Don't ever let anyone give you shit because you don't fit society's idea of" normal". The false sense of security some get by joining the pack of lemmings, who would all don ridiculous red baseball hats originally designed to keep a criminal politician's terrible comb-over in place while he struts around in public, are somehow oblivious of the fact that they will be the first to get fucked over by these shitheads they support. Ignorance is at a place where next week a trip to the doctor's office will get you a chest covered with leeches to fix what ails you. Kids, be brave, be smart and don't buy into the shit you're being shovelled. Know who you are and fearlessly follow your heart. If you are out of step with those around you, embrace it. Look how you want to look, love how and who you want to love, don't take any shit.
2 GIVE THE GIFT OF HEALING
If you can help one person not feel so alone, you've done a great thing. Music did that for me as a lonely kid.
3 OWN OR TAKE CARE OF AN ANIMAL
There is nothing like the relationship between an animal and a human. The unconditional love received from a dog or cat, horse or more exotic animal, is like no other. The joy of a puppy tearing circles around the yard, so full of life and fire and the heartache as he grows into an old man and comes to the end of the line. The pain of saying goodbye, the gift of the time you had together and the infinite ways your life is enriched by these experiences.
4 REMAIN CURIOUS, KEEP LEARNING
I grew up in a small farming/cattle ranching community and, from my earliest memories, I wanted to leave. Through circumstance, drive, and a shit-ton of luck, I have been able to spend the last 35 years travelling for a living. I rarely return to my hometown and when I do, it is to see my sister and my youngest nephew, who still live there. My mother and her husband live there also, and they are your typical old, white, xenophobic/racist people who met while working at the Hanford Nuclear plant. I'm of the opinion that when people spend their life in a bubble it breeds fear. Much like Trump's imaginary"crisis" on the Southern border of the United States, the worldwide hysteria over immigration is driven by fear. I loved Anthony Bourdain. He was an enthusiastic and loyal friend but was so important because he spent a huge part of his life casually travelling to many places the US government and others vilified, embraced local culture and put a human face on those who the fear-mongers would have us believe are evil. He was a prime example of what love, courage, empathy and compassion look like. Keep learning, keep loving.
5 EVERY DAY IS A NEW BEGINNING
Every day is an opportunity to create a new future. Don't forget to create your own reality. Know the difference between what you own and what someone else’s idea of you is. It's none of my business what anyone else thinks of me if I know who I am.
6 TRY TO HAVE A JOB YOU ENJOY
Or at least one you can find some satisfaction in. Too many people spend the majority of their lives working a job they hate just to pay the bills. I have been blessed to do something I love for a living but it gets harder by the year for musicians as the cultural shift in how people get their music has driven many out of the business.
7 HAVE A MOMENT FOR THE LESS FORTUNATE
Homelessness and poverty are at epic levels in the United States and elsewhere across the globe. Addiction, untreated mental illness, personal tragedy, downsizing businesses, estrangement from or loss of family and friends to turn to for help are some of the countless reasons why people can find themselves in this predicament. Whenever I see a homeless person, I remember how close I am to such a situation and how my own experience with homelessness and addiction felt like endlessly climbing Everest - starting over every day, and never reaching the summit. The brutality of living out of doors takes an unbelievable strength of physical and psychic willpower, God forbid by circumstance you ever find yourself there.
8 LOOK FOR MUSIC OFF THE BEATEN PATH
I will never forget the music that changed my life. Where I grew up most people had no awareness of who Jimi Hendrix was, born just 100 miles away. My saving grace was a small record store run by a hippy who was curious for the new and weird. When he put on the 12-inch single of the Sex Pistols' Anarchy In The UK, it changed my life for ever. Later, The Gun Club, Joy Division, The Velvet Underground, Stooges, David Bowie and a hundred other artists continued my quest of discovery for the new, exotic and interesting.
9 GET YOUR HANDS IN THE DIRT
The Earth is being pillaged and raped to the point where 18.7 million acres a year are being destroyed by deforestation - that breaks down to 27 football fields a minute, an area the size of Switzerland yearly. It is likely too late to turn back the clock on this planet's destruction bythe greed of men, but as an individual I tryto plant as many trees, flowers and shrubs on my property as possible. There is something meditative about doing some small gesture that gives to the Earth and takes my mind off the futility of my actions.
10 HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOUR
In this age of technology and social media, people like me who make music are privyto immediate criticism or praise and are able to comment in return just as quickly. I admit to being guilty of spending too much of my rare down-time taking shots at the low-hanging fruit of the clichéd descriptors, less-than-informed reviewers and the speculators who seem to know the motivation and meaning behind every song lyric. I sometimes find it irresistible to play the curmudgeonly old vampire and show up with a surprise ball-buster at a super-fan's feed on occasion as well. I'm probably the only guy out there who will find faux-fault when someone writes, "It's his greatest record ever!" Usually the ensuing brief internet conversation ends with me laughing and hopefully my target doing the same.
Hi-rez scans:
https://ptpimg.me/z1r5ce.png
https://ptpimg.me/ce4sqr.png
