So, for once, I was extremely late on something. Pierce The Veil released a documentary back in November 2013, called This is A Wasteland. I've wanted to see it ever since, but hadn't gotten the chance. I could not find the DVD anywhere in stores, and a close friend of mine said she had bought it for me for Christmas, so I never ordered it online. I only just got it in the mail the other day, and of course, I had to watch it right then and there. Of course, that also set off the writer and music lover in me. However, it took me a couple of days to figure out just how I wanted to word everything.
I wrote a proper review, if you're interested in reading it. This is simply my extra thoughts on it that were not appropriate for the review. Some of this isn't even relevant to This Is A Wasteland, just was sparked off of it. That's just how my brain works. It might not seem relevant sometimes, but somehow, it is. This documentary both surprised and inspired me. I was not actually expecting a full blown documentary in the slightest. I knew what it was about, but I was expecting something along the lines of All Time Low's Straight To DVD. Where they talk some, but we mostly are seeing a concert. Concert DVDs are great, don't get me wrong, but this was so much better. I explained fully what it was in the review, so please go read that for details. Warning: This point on is going to contain spoilers. Not too many, but enough that I do give that warning now. There will be references to some things -though probably not much- below as I talk about some of my thoughts that were inspired by this documentary. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED. Now that you have been warned that spoilers for This Is A Wasteland will show up from this point in, I shall continue on with what I wanted to say. As I said, this DVD was most certainly not what I was expecting. In fact, it exceeded all my expectations. Every band out there should do something like this. Whether they release a full blown documentary on DVD, or simple just 'vlog' for YouTube. (For those unfamiliar with the term 'vlog', it is simply a video blog.) Everyone needs to do this because fans often forget, I think, that being a rock star is actually a lot of hard work. Every tour has its up's and down's, and frankly, if bands keep up the pretense of leading lives of luxury, that will never be shown. Something like this proves that they are real people, and that touring is not all fun and games. Yes, you do get to see the world, and meet thousands upon thousands of adoring fans. All of that while you are doing something you love, but there's also hours and hours of traveling in a bus or plane, very little privacy, and that does take a toll on you. Yes, over all, its an incredible journey, and they are indeed fortunate to get the experiences they do, but there is always two sides to the story. Not to mention, that showing the struggles of touring the world, actually is proof that they're not lucky to have what they have. They (whoever they may be) say that good things come to those who wait. This is a bold faced lie. Okay, its not an entire lie, good things do come to those who wait. But its not the lazy version of 'the waiting game.' Good things come to those who work their asses off to make their dreams become a reality. By the way, when you work for your 'dreams', they're no longer dreams. They are dedications. Plenty of things frustrate me, especially in this business, but not much frustrates me more than hearing, "Aw, you're so lucky to get to do that!" I hate to be the one that contradicts that but at the same time, I will say it. Its not luck, its hard work. I've had people still respond with, "Well, I think you're lucky." And I freely admit, some of it is sheer luck, but I also have asked a few people, "So, what? Its luck that I decided to work my ass off?" What we all heard when we were younger is true. You can do anything you set your mind to. You might even teleport if you try hard enough! Don't try that though, it usually just ends up in a mess. So many people talk themselves out of things. I hear so often, "Well, I would do it, but I can't. Just because so and so can do it doesn't mean I can. I have no luck, and no skill." Or something along those lines. I don't think anyone has ever actually said that flat out to me, just some variation of it. Use your imagination to come up with actual quote. Don't count yourself out of things before you even had the chance to start! So you don't have luck -make your own luck! Start doing something, and keep doing it. If it doesn't work, don't give up. Figure out another way to do it, and keep up that cycle. Eventually, something will work and you'll be so relieved that something worked -and proud that you stuck to your guns and worked through the struggles. Life is full of trial and error, and anything worth having is worth working for. Think about this. In the documentary, Pierce The Veil had a show get totally canceled -during their set. They had flown across the world to play a show, just to be told to go home. That's disappointing as hell, right? They were just as upset and confused as the fans that paid to see them play. So, they had a disappointing night that was followed by a twenty-two hour long flight back home. That's quite discouraging and slightly depressing, right? Its like you wasted your time, along with thousands of other people's time. They could have just taken the low road and gone, "Well, that's probably just going to happen again at some point. Fuck this, we're done." and just thrown in the towel, and gave up on trying to tour the world. They didn't let it stop them though, they just flew home, grabbed a burrito and some extra supplies and hopped on a plane again to play yet another show in another land. Shit happens, okay? It happens to everyone, even those who appear to live the life of luxury. You just have to learn how to take the bad with the good. Its not always easy, and you do sometimes get a bit tattered and beaten down from the up hill battle that life is. The thing is to always keep your eye set on the prize, and to remind yourself of it often. Things are going to go great, and things are going to go bad. Roll with it, it makes life a lot easier. This was an unexpected tangent, and I'm still not done. So, if you're still here, thank you for that. I hope I am not boring with with my early morning drivel. If I am boring you, well, you probably already clicked away from this blog post. Anyways, not only did this documentary apparently inspire me to become a motivation speaker (erm...blogger?) once again, but it really got me thinking about some other stuff as well. For those who don't know, I manage a band called Remedy X. Lately, our big project has been getting them on Warped tour 2014, and I'll be totally honest here -its been stressing me out. Its been consuming my life, and taking its toll on not only me, but the website, and the page. I've found myself more than once asking, out loud even, "Why am I doing this? Its all for nothing! I'm getting nothing out of this, they're not going to make it here, so the proper start is going to still be somewhere far out of sight, and I just don't know why I am bothering anymore." For some reason though, perhaps sheer stubbornness, I kept going. Complaining as I went, but I didn't give up. This documentary reminded me why I wanted to help them out in the first place. They have the talent, and I have the behind the scenes know how to help get that talent out there. Well, okay, maybe that's not true. I might not know what I'm doing half the time, but I am willing to try my best with everything that I do. I want them to get to experience standing in front of crowds of hundreds, and thousands of people, screaming for them. Because they're friends of mine, and frankly, while yes, its stressing me out to no end now, one day, it'll be an incredible journey for us all filled with music, fun, friends, a lot of culture, and it'll be something none of us would ever experience on our own. Together we may just be able to do this. Also, how cool would it be to say you helped book a full tour across the globe? It might be a far fetched dream, and it might be a dream that's shared by millions out there, but that's the cool thing about dreams. They don't only have to exist when you're asleep, and your wildest dreams might just become your reality. I found myself thinking of how incredible it'd be to step off a plane, with three of your friends, on the other side of the world. Of all the photographs I could get, and the stories that'd go with them. Or simply, the things that could happen. The fact that one day, they might be able to say that their favorite bands know their names, and that I could be right there with them. I also thought of the future of everything I want to do that doesn't involve them. While venting and bitching to one of the members, I mentioned that I thought I was going to fall through the cracks, because I was so busy helping them out. By me, I mean Immortal Music, this very website. In case you weren't aware, this website, and all that's connected to it, mean far too much to me. I guess that's what happens when you dedicate your life to something, and keep it that way for three years solid, and plan on going strong for the foreseeable future. In response to me saying that though, he said that one day, everything will be working great for both the band, and myself. Where nobody has to worry about being broke, or not having the right connections. I kind of blew him off when he said that, just thinking to myself, "Yeah right, keep dreaming. This is impossible." But, that was just the discouragement talking. My attitude totally changed while watching This Is A Wasteland, it went back to how it normally is. I did make it a point to text him while I watched this to say that if they ever get to tour, they're going to deal with having a camera on for everything. That I'd want the footage not even just for us, because its memories, but for others. Because who knows who you can inspire just by sharing your experiences. Both good and bad, they all can help. I think honestly, the reason my tune totally changed because of this documentary was because they kind of made you feel like you were along with them on the journey. Like you weren't just watching them tour the world, but that you were right there with them, touring the world as well. It really is something everyone should watch, whether or not you are a fan of Pierce The Veil. I want to see more bands release content just like this, and I want people to realize that the people we all admire, are just normal people living extraordinary lives that they worked hard to get. Bands often aren't given enough credit for all they do. This Is A Wasteland is simply a reminder of what bands do for people, and what fans do for bands. I could keep going on, but as you can see, I have rambled quite a bit, so I will shut up now. Thanks for reading, and remember these five things. Stop blending in, start speaking out don't miss your opportunity. Keep your hopes up high and your head down low. Dedication takes a life time and dreams only last for a night. Never give up. And lastly, Darling, you'll be okay. No matter what. I promise.
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