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Thursday, November 29, 2012

WVMP Music talk with Shane and a Giveaway!



So today is a happy day and a sad day mixed into one! I have the amazing Shane McAllister (one of my top book boyfriends of all time! Don’t tell Ciara lol) here form Jeri Smith-Ready’s WVMP series to talk about 90’s music! The sad part? One of my favorite series has come to an end *sobs* and yes peeps this is an adult series I know I don’t post much about them but if you like adult paranormal books I suggest you read this one!

So now to pass the mic to Shane!

Hey everyone, it's great to be here at Two Chicks on Books to talk about 90s music. Thanks so much to Jaime for having me—we go way back, so it means a lot to write a post for her blog. I hope you like it.

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We all have that one song or album (or entire CD shelf) that we used to play over and over during the worst time in our lives, right? The song that fed all our unhealthy impulses and let us wallow in our rage or heartbreak? The song we just couldn't stop listening to, even though we knew it was bad for us?

For me it was Filter's "Hey Man Nice Shot," which came out in July 1995, just a few months after I became a vampire. If you've read WICKED GAME or my short story, "Last Request," you know that I never wanted to be undead. I just wanted to be dead.

Even after I became a vampire, I did my best not to survive. I tried to starve or stay out until sunrise. Once I even tried staking myself (it was kind of comical—I used a shard of "wood" paneling that was so cheap it had very little actual tree product in it). Eventually the Control captured me and put me on suicide watch in the fledgling-vampire ward of one of their "nursing homes."
 
That was when I heard this song on the radio. Let's just say it was a good thing I was under close supervision.






Like most people, I thought at first that "Hey Man Nice Shot" was about Kurt Cobain's April 1994 suicide-by-shotgun. My own suicide attempts  were inspired by that event, so I figured it was at the top of everyone's mind. But apparently Richard Patrick of Filter wrote it about Pennsylvania state treasurer Budd Dwyer, who shot himself in the head during a live televised press conference in 1987. The poor dude had been convicted of bribery and was probably going to jail (later evidence showed that he might have been as innocent as he claimed).

One reason he committed suicide was so that his family would get the hefty pension that came from him dying in office. As someone who has always worried about money, I can totally understand this. But he could have offed himself in private and still accomplished that. He did it in public to make a statement about feeling persecuted, or so he said.

Filter made a public statement about "Hey Man Nice Shot" after it was released:

"It is not a celebration or glorification of taking one's own life. The phrase 'hey man, nice shot' is a reference to the final act itself, an expression of guts and determination of a person standing up for what they believe is right." (Source: Songfacts.com)

I don't know about you, but "guts and determination" sound pretty "thumbs-up" to me. And in my 1995 state of despair, I thought to myself, "if only I'd had the guts to do what Dwyer did, I wouldn't be suffering right now."

Yeah. Now you see why I was locked up for my own protection.

So I used to play this song over and over, getting angrier and angrier, wishing this song had come out a few months sooner so I could've used it to find the "strength" to shoot myself like I'd always planned.

Once I got help, not just from Control counselors but from my eventual employer David, I realized that suicide wasn't a sign of strength. It's not a sign of weakness, either. It's a sign of sickness. Problem is, sickness makes for boring songs (nothing rhymes with Zoloft).

I still love this song, for its lumbering bass line (especially the intro—who could resist that?), its driving guitar riffs, and its cathartic vocals. It's a perfect example of the quiet-loud-quiet formula that gives grunge its emotional power. I love playing it at home when Ciara is away. But I won't play it live with my band, Vital Fluid, and I won't play it on the air except by request.

The moral of the story? You can search songs for beauty and energy and entertainment, but be careful searching them for wisdom. They just might steer you off a cliff.

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Thanks again for having me, Jaime. And hey, Jeri is giving away a signed, personalized copy of any book in the WVMP RADIO series to one randomly drawn commenter. All you have to do is answer one or both of the following in the comments below:

1. Your favorite “bad for you” song. This gets you two entries.
2. Your favorite song from the 90s. This just gets you one entry, because it’s an easier question.

Open to international entries. Ends December 6th.

You can follow me and Ciara on Twitter, where we’re having a chat Saturday, December 2, 8-9pm at the #WVMPchat hashtag. Our author, Jeri, is on Twitter, the World Wide Web (do they still call it that? I forget.) and Facebook.

Author Bio: Award-winning author Jeri Smith-Ready lives in Maryland with her husband and two cats. Her plans to save the earth were ruined when she realized she was more of a “problem maker” than a problem solver. To stay out of trouble, she keeps her Drama Drive strictly fictional. Her friends and family appreciate that.

When not writing, Jeri she can usually be found—well, thinking about writing, or on Twitter. Like her characters, she loves music, movies, and staying up very, very late.

Make sure to add Jeri's books to your TBR piles you will love this series ans Shane will capture your hearts!





24 comments:

  1. First of all, I LOVE THIS POST. It never ceases to amaze me how music can evoke our emotions and influence our decisions. Thanks for sharing such a personal story, Shane.

    I still to this very day cannot listen to the song "Black" by Pearl Jam. It was literally the background music to one of the saddest times of my life. <3 Jen

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  2. I couldn't have said it better than Jen already did so I won't try.

    Sometimes I think she and I are the same person. Because Pearl Jam's "Black" is very important to me also. Actually, that whole album got me through the worst time (so far at least) in my life. And while I can listen to the songs from it if they come on the radio, I don't choose to listen to the album as a whole anymore.

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  3. First of all, I NEED to read this series, this Shane guy sounds pretty awesome. ;)
    Second, whooooooa! What a nice song, loooooove the music, never heard it before. (Bad girl from the 90's *hangs head in shame*)

    I love this: "You can search songs for beauty and energy and entertainment, but be careful searching them for wisdom. They just might steer you off a cliff." So true!

    I don't think I have had such a dark times in my life to have a "bad for you" song, not one in particular. But Placebo always work it's magic when I am having a bad time or if I'm pissed off they help to vent all that steam somehow. I like how dark their lyrics are and combined with their music, is just perfect.
    Linkin Park works too :P they have great lyrics and they are excellent musicians.

    Now to my favorite 90's song, this is a tough one. Maybe Creep by Radiohead.

    @luarroyave

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    1. Oh wait, but nothing says 90's like Nirvana! (At least for me) so it's a tie between Creep and Come as You Are by Nirvana. :)

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  4. This post is just great.
    Okay, so a bad for me song. Well, I am going to say Hurt by Nine Inch Nails because it was a very significant song to something very sad that happened in my life with my best friend.
    Favorite 90's song... this is a hard one. I really love Metallica so I am going to go with Unforgiven by them. I love that song.

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  5. This is such a great post!! I definitely think I love you even more Shane! ♥
    Mmmm a bad song for me, I use to listen to "Mordred's Song" by Blind Guardian when I'm sad, it really is about the character in the Arthurian myth but the lyrics really get to me.
    As for a favorite song from the 90s, this is tough, but the one that comes to my mind is Oasis's Wonderwall, love that song!

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  6. My "bad for you" song would definitely be Creep by Radiohead.

    My 90's song would be You Oughta Know by Alanis Morrissette - one of my favorite albums of all time!

    Thanks for the giveaway - sounds like a great series!
    Leanne

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  7. bad for me song, huh. well... It is not my favorite song, but it is definately bad for me. Whenever I am really stressed or just need to cry, I can listen to "butterfly kisses" and it always makes me cry, because My dad died in jan 2012. also, this one stupid country song "big green tractor" was his ringtone for his cellphone and whenever I hear the blasted thing on the radio, I have to turn it off or I will get depressed. lol

    favorite song from the 90s?
    one week by the bare naked ladies. lol. they sing it so fast!

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  8. Hey girls thanks for the blog and Shane, great post, straight from the heart.
    my "bad for you" song has to be All At Once by Whitney Houston. My teenage heartbreak.
    My best 90's apart from postman pat which was what I listen to the most, was Runaway by The Corrs.

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  9. Awesome, AWESOME post. I did not know this about Hey Man, Nice Shot and it is one of those songs that you'll always turn up the volume when it comes on.

    While I have many, one of my favorite bad for you songs from the 90's is Cranberrie's Zombie. War and death... *cries* - My all time favoriteS from the 90's is ANYTHING by Nirvana, well except Polly <-- not a fan of that one and only.

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    1. Oh, and P.S. Thanks for the giveaway but I'm gonna step out for this one :)

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  10. My bad for you song would have to be "Love Bites" by Nazareth and still is my go to song...
    And my 90s song is "Creep" both Radiohead and STP versions

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  11. Bad for you song is a very little known song I used to play on heavy rotation after a bad breakup. Mya's, If you died I wouldn't cry cause you never loved me anyway. It sounds sweet but the words arent in the sweetest tone possible.

    And Favorite 90's song- Blind Melons No Rain I sing this one all the time.

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  12. As always I loved this post. Shane is soo awesome!!
    A bad for you song, for me is Always by Bon Jovi. Seriously, everytime I listen to that song it brings tears to my eyes. I can't help but love that wonderful lyric and music!!
    My fave 90s song is Wonderwall by Oasis!

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  13. Hmmm, I don't know that I have a "bad for you" song... If I did, it would probably be something Rise Against or Three Days Grace (from the One-X album especially). As for my favorite song of the 90s, without going through a very long list of good songs to see when they actually came out, I'm gonna say Long Day by Matchbox Twenty.

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  14. My favorite “bad for me” song is 'Here Without You by 3 Doors Down'. Any time I hear this song reminds me a person who is not in life any more.
    My favorite song from the 90s is 'One by U2'. I adore that song, I adore U2.
    Thank you for the giveaway!

    artgiote at gmail dot com

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  15. My favorite bad for me song is Paint it Black by the Rolling Stones

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  16. Jaime, thanks so much for hosting Shane! Loving everyone's answers.

    My "bad for me" song would probably be the entire Disintegration album by The Cure, especially the title track. The updated version would probably be AFI's December Underground. (Ooh, I just realized it's that time of year to play it--yay!)

    Favorite 90s song is still my favorite all-time song: "Inside Out" by Eve 6.

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  17. Shane! Shane! ~swoooon~
    My "bad for me" song would be Because of You by Kelly Clarkson. It's a very sad song. My favorite 90's is Smooth by Carlos Santana and Rob Thomas!

    ilepachequin(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  18. Bad for me song would be pretty much anything by The Smiths but particularly "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me." When you're feeling depressed and you listen to this song, which you really should not do, it just shatters you.

    Favorite 90s song would have to be Duncan Sheik's "Barely Breathing."

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  19. excellent post! but, umm, i don't think i have a "bad for you" song. There are a few song that I like listenig to because they remind me of a specific period in my life, but not one that I listen to over and over again. However, the killers first cd "hot fuss" is one of my all time favorites.

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  20. The first thing I think of when it comes to 'Bad For You' songs... hmmm. It's hard, because I've got so many of them! The first one I remember understanding as a 'BFY' track, though, is Garbage's "Only Happy When It Rains".

    As for favorite 90s song? God, don't ask us something /difficult/ or anything! ;) I couldn't pick just one, so I pulled up the playlist and hit shuffle. The winner is... Republica's "Ready To Go (US Mix)"!

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  21. Thanks to everyone who commented on Shane's post--loved hearing about your "bad for you" songs. My playlists are filling up as we speak.

    The winner of the choice of signed WVMP RADIO novel is...Ryan Snyder! I'll get in touch with Ryan through Twitter to let her know she won.

    Thanks again, Jaime! :-)

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  22. The song is very good and I really like this song. The songs I have made are ringtones for my phone. Constantly updated the latest songs are trending in the world and download tonos de llamada gratis para movil here.

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