Be so good to everyone you love
May 11, 2018 1:34 AM Subscribe
Although formal identification has not yet been made, police have found a body and notified the family of Frightened Rabbit singer/songwriter Scott Hutchison, who had been missing since very early Wednesday morning.
Hutchison's final tweets: "Be so good to everyone you love. It’s not a given. I’m so annoyed that it’s not. I didn’t live by that standard and it kills me. Please, hug your loved ones. I’m away now. Thanks.
Many stories of how much Scott meant to people, not just his fans, on Twitter, with links to interviews and other personal stories.
Hutchison's final tweets: "Be so good to everyone you love. It’s not a given. I’m so annoyed that it’s not. I didn’t live by that standard and it kills me. Please, hug your loved ones. I’m away now. Thanks.
Many stories of how much Scott meant to people, not just his fans, on Twitter, with links to interviews and other personal stories.
Literally a week ago he was able to give an interview where he talked about being generally OK, and discussed "Floating in the Forth":
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posted by Pink Frost at 2:10 AM on May 11, 2018 [5 favorites]
Thinking about songs like “Floating in the Forth”—I didn’t kill myself. I took that forward into other records. There’s got to be a sense that, as fucked as life can get, we’re still alive and we’re still doing this and we’re going to attempt to carry on.So cut up. His music really helped me through some bad times: Living in Colour; Break.
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posted by Pink Frost at 2:10 AM on May 11, 2018 [5 favorites]
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posted by ahundredjarsofsky at 2:13 AM on May 11, 2018
posted by ahundredjarsofsky at 2:13 AM on May 11, 2018
it's hard for me to listen to some of his songs now because they are so specifically linked to those worst times. but they got me through those days.
posted by ahundredjarsofsky at 2:14 AM on May 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by ahundredjarsofsky at 2:14 AM on May 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
Literally a week ago he was able to give an interview where he talked about being generally OK
well, concealing the severity of depression from friends and family, much less from music press interviewers, is common
posted by thelonius at 2:27 AM on May 11, 2018 [15 favorites]
well, concealing the severity of depression from friends and family, much less from music press interviewers, is common
posted by thelonius at 2:27 AM on May 11, 2018 [15 favorites]
And there's a weird kind of duality, where you can be laughing and joking and everything is just fine and yet inside it is all ashes. You can be kind to others, see how they are suffering, how their depression lies to them, but your own - ah, now that's different, those aren't weasels lying to you, they're the truth.
Fuck depression. I wish he had decided to save suicide for another year.
posted by Athanassiel at 2:32 AM on May 11, 2018 [43 favorites]
Fuck depression. I wish he had decided to save suicide for another year.
posted by Athanassiel at 2:32 AM on May 11, 2018 [43 favorites]
Pretending to be fine is deadly, it leaves you without help and drains you of what little strength you have, the strength you need to live. And yet we keep doing it.
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posted by hat_eater at 3:11 AM on May 11, 2018 [16 favorites]
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posted by hat_eater at 3:11 AM on May 11, 2018 [16 favorites]
This is devastating me today. FR is one of my favorite bands and Midnight Organ Fight is one of my favorite albums. I was lucky enough to be able to see them twice while they were on tour in the US. Both were absolutely fantastic shows! The 2nd was just after the release of their new (at that time) album but Scott was the best and said (I think this is a direct quote, it's been a couple of years) "We're only going to play a couple of the new songs and then we'll play the old stuff because that's the shit I'd want to hear anyways." That show was soooo good. I was so very much looking forward to seeing them in Scotland next month at their festival. Now I'm torturing myself by listening to all the albums and trying not to cry at work today.
"If I get old old fashioned, will you get old old fashioned with me?"
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posted by LizBoBiz at 4:01 AM on May 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
"If I get old old fashioned, will you get old old fashioned with me?"
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posted by LizBoBiz at 4:01 AM on May 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
Damn. I saw them in concert a few years ago and was so impressed by them.
posted by octothorpe at 4:07 AM on May 11, 2018
posted by octothorpe at 4:07 AM on May 11, 2018
I live in South Queensferry - the village by the Forth where Scott Hutchison was last seen. Scotland recently completed a new road bridge over the Forth estuary - and most road traffic now goes over that - leaving the old Forth Road Bridge fairly deserted. This bridge has always been a suicide spot: the drop to the water is up to 200 feet and there are footpaths on both sides allowing ready access - the bridge attracts not just potential jumpers but also many ordinary sightseeing walkers, cyclists and runners. My fear is that its increased isolation has made things worse for those who are in trouble: I have stopped going for runs over the bridge after one time too many of encountering somebody who I had a feeling was considering suicide. And specifically I also lost somebody I know from there a few months ago.
The press, for very good reasons, are sensitive about reporting issues like this lest they make things worse. But covering up the problem does not make it go away. The bridge itself does have signs and phones allowing people to reach out for support. I'm not sure there are any easy solutions that would offer further help - but I'd like to think that somebody is monitoring the figures and thinking of ideas.
posted by rongorongo at 4:11 AM on May 11, 2018 [12 favorites]
The press, for very good reasons, are sensitive about reporting issues like this lest they make things worse. But covering up the problem does not make it go away. The bridge itself does have signs and phones allowing people to reach out for support. I'm not sure there are any easy solutions that would offer further help - but I'd like to think that somebody is monitoring the figures and thinking of ideas.
posted by rongorongo at 4:11 AM on May 11, 2018 [12 favorites]
Mod note: If you're reading this and having suicidal thoughts, please reach out to somebody and talk about it. You can reach the mods at the contact form 24/7, or reach a hotline or crisis chat/text line from the There Is Help page assembled by Mefites. You can get through this, and we need you here.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 4:58 AM on May 11, 2018 [60 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 4:58 AM on May 11, 2018 [60 favorites]
So devastating. I've been refreshing Twitter constantly since Wednesday morning hoping for good news, but saw the bad news this morning. I'm just gutted, listening to FRabbit and trying to pull it together to be productive at work. I saw them three times in the past couple of years, they were touring relentlessly enough to play in Portland Maine twice in a fairly short span of time. Should have gone to the Midnight Organ Fight show a few months ago, but I thought I'd have another chance to see them again soon enough. Scott touched a lot of hearts, he will be sorely missed.
posted by banjo_and_the_pork at 5:20 AM on May 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by banjo_and_the_pork at 5:20 AM on May 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
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Crushing. His voice and words struck all my chords, maybe because the pain was so close to the surface. Midnight Organ Fight, man, that album got me through some shit.
I saw the band in Montreal right after it came out, they were barely known here so played in a tiny cave of a venue. But it was packed with fans singing all the songs. I don't think they expected that vibe, and they gave us this amazing intimate performance. Everyone crying, pure shining love pouring back and forth.
I bought Scott a drink after the show. He wanted white wine, because he said it kept him civilized around fans. I resolutely did NOT want him to stay civilized. Incandescent with all the feels after the performance, I wanted to know what it had felt like to them up on the stage. What was it like to be so adored? His response was all self-deprecating burr and I was struck by how ill-equipped he seemed to receive praise. Like he was so focused on pouring his heart out to the crowd that he could not see us pick up his gift and lift it up to the sky.
posted by Freyja at 5:29 AM on May 11, 2018 [20 favorites]
Crushing. His voice and words struck all my chords, maybe because the pain was so close to the surface. Midnight Organ Fight, man, that album got me through some shit.
I saw the band in Montreal right after it came out, they were barely known here so played in a tiny cave of a venue. But it was packed with fans singing all the songs. I don't think they expected that vibe, and they gave us this amazing intimate performance. Everyone crying, pure shining love pouring back and forth.
I bought Scott a drink after the show. He wanted white wine, because he said it kept him civilized around fans. I resolutely did NOT want him to stay civilized. Incandescent with all the feels after the performance, I wanted to know what it had felt like to them up on the stage. What was it like to be so adored? His response was all self-deprecating burr and I was struck by how ill-equipped he seemed to receive praise. Like he was so focused on pouring his heart out to the crowd that he could not see us pick up his gift and lift it up to the sky.
posted by Freyja at 5:29 AM on May 11, 2018 [20 favorites]
Pretending to be fine is deadly, it leaves you without help and drains you of what little strength you have, the strength you need to live. And yet we keep doing it.
It's driven into us very early that the world expects a happy face from us. That we need to hide the pain away and just pretend it's alright. Hell, even therapists warn us, indirectly, that we can't be completely open even with them, when they tell us that, if they think we're a danger to ourselves, they can have us put into a facility against our will.
Tragic news.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:30 AM on May 11, 2018 [15 favorites]
It's driven into us very early that the world expects a happy face from us. That we need to hide the pain away and just pretend it's alright. Hell, even therapists warn us, indirectly, that we can't be completely open even with them, when they tell us that, if they think we're a danger to ourselves, they can have us put into a facility against our will.
Tragic news.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:30 AM on May 11, 2018 [15 favorites]
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posted by astrospective at 5:58 AM on May 11, 2018
posted by astrospective at 5:58 AM on May 11, 2018
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posted by Halloween Jack at 6:42 AM on May 11, 2018
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:42 AM on May 11, 2018
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posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 6:45 AM on May 11, 2018
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 6:45 AM on May 11, 2018
I'm starting to hate the month of May. Last year this time, it was Chris Cornell. Now this? Eat shit, May.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 6:48 AM on May 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 6:48 AM on May 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
Thank you so much for this post. I’ve been crying since last night when I discovered his final tweets. “I’m away now” is such a resolutely British way of saying goodbye.
The thing is, his song “Floating in the Forth” literally saved my fucking life from the very thing he writes about. I had tickets to see them once but didn’t go because my own depression (and as-yet-undiagnosed bipolar disorder) made leaving my house nigh on impossible. I’m just gutted, but not angry. I posted about this on Facebook and someone said he seemed to romanticize death, and how it’s sad that he chose that over friends and family and meaningful work. THAT made me angry. I know how vicious those demons can be, and all I can do is hope he found peace beneath the roar of the Forth Road Bridge.
So you just stepped out
Of the front of my house
And I'll never see you again.
I closed my eyes for a second
And when they opened
You weren't there.
And the door shut shut
I was vacuum packed,
Shrink-wrapped out of air
And the spine collapsed
And the eyes rolled back
To stare at my starving brain,
And fully clothed, I float away
(I'll float away)
Down the Forth, into the sea
I think I'll save suicide for another day.
And I picture this corpse
On the M8 hearse
And I half run away to sleep
On a rolled up coat
Against the window
With the strobe of the sun
And the life I've led
Am I ready to leap
Is there peace beneath
The roar of the Forth road bridge?
On the Northern side
There's a Fife of mine
And a boat in the port for me,
And fully clothed, I float away
(I'll float away)
Down the Forth, into the sea
I'll steer myself
Through drunken waves
These manic gulls
Scream it's okay
Take your life
Give it a shake
Gather up
All your loose change
I think I'll save suicide for another year.
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posted by flyingsquirrel at 6:52 AM on May 11, 2018 [19 favorites]
The thing is, his song “Floating in the Forth” literally saved my fucking life from the very thing he writes about. I had tickets to see them once but didn’t go because my own depression (and as-yet-undiagnosed bipolar disorder) made leaving my house nigh on impossible. I’m just gutted, but not angry. I posted about this on Facebook and someone said he seemed to romanticize death, and how it’s sad that he chose that over friends and family and meaningful work. THAT made me angry. I know how vicious those demons can be, and all I can do is hope he found peace beneath the roar of the Forth Road Bridge.
So you just stepped out
Of the front of my house
And I'll never see you again.
I closed my eyes for a second
And when they opened
You weren't there.
And the door shut shut
I was vacuum packed,
Shrink-wrapped out of air
And the spine collapsed
And the eyes rolled back
To stare at my starving brain,
And fully clothed, I float away
(I'll float away)
Down the Forth, into the sea
I think I'll save suicide for another day.
And I picture this corpse
On the M8 hearse
And I half run away to sleep
On a rolled up coat
Against the window
With the strobe of the sun
And the life I've led
Am I ready to leap
Is there peace beneath
The roar of the Forth road bridge?
On the Northern side
There's a Fife of mine
And a boat in the port for me,
And fully clothed, I float away
(I'll float away)
Down the Forth, into the sea
I'll steer myself
Through drunken waves
These manic gulls
Scream it's okay
Take your life
Give it a shake
Gather up
All your loose change
I think I'll save suicide for another year.
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posted by flyingsquirrel at 6:52 AM on May 11, 2018 [19 favorites]
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FR's music was my music: judderingly loud Scottish miserablism flecked with honey sweetness. Every time I saw them it was joyful: the wall of guitar sound, Scott shy at first in the limelight then clearly living for the crowd's applause. I'm glad I saw them last year on a warm night at the Danforth, having paid stupid× the ticket price to an online tout that morning for a sold-out show. Scott was a happy, sweary, sweaty, bouncy, much-beloved bear on stage — and that's how I'll remember him.
36 can be a fuck of an age. I lost my best childhood friend to suicide around that age and under similar circumstances. He was on the edge of the Edinburgh music scene, and it was jarring to see Dan "Withered Hand" Willson tweet about Scott going missing. Dan was friends with my late friend Paul, and he released a single about him with artwork by Paul. All I can say is what it said on the cover: YOU'RE NOT ALONE.
posted by scruss at 6:58 AM on May 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
FR's music was my music: judderingly loud Scottish miserablism flecked with honey sweetness. Every time I saw them it was joyful: the wall of guitar sound, Scott shy at first in the limelight then clearly living for the crowd's applause. I'm glad I saw them last year on a warm night at the Danforth, having paid stupid× the ticket price to an online tout that morning for a sold-out show. Scott was a happy, sweary, sweaty, bouncy, much-beloved bear on stage — and that's how I'll remember him.
36 can be a fuck of an age. I lost my best childhood friend to suicide around that age and under similar circumstances. He was on the edge of the Edinburgh music scene, and it was jarring to see Dan "Withered Hand" Willson tweet about Scott going missing. Dan was friends with my late friend Paul, and he released a single about him with artwork by Paul. All I can say is what it said on the cover: YOU'RE NOT ALONE.
posted by scruss at 6:58 AM on May 11, 2018 [7 favorites]
I was not specially a fan but they did one song that i thought was really beautiful : Fuck this place.
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posted by SageLeVoid at 6:59 AM on May 11, 2018 [5 favorites]
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posted by SageLeVoid at 6:59 AM on May 11, 2018 [5 favorites]
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posted by acb at 7:04 AM on May 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by acb at 7:04 AM on May 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
> And there's a weird kind of duality, where you can be laughing and joking and everything is just fine and yet inside it is all ashes.
Fake it until you make it.
There's been studies that your emotions do indeed tend to conform to your body. Fake a smile can make you feel just a fractional amount better. I find it exhausting to pretend to normalcy when my repression is the worst, but I also know that doing the things that bring me joy helps, and cracking jokes, smiling, and laughing does this. It's when you are using it to mask and it does nothing for you that it's problematic.
posted by cjorgensen at 7:16 AM on May 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
Fake it until you make it.
There's been studies that your emotions do indeed tend to conform to your body. Fake a smile can make you feel just a fractional amount better. I find it exhausting to pretend to normalcy when my repression is the worst, but I also know that doing the things that bring me joy helps, and cracking jokes, smiling, and laughing does this. It's when you are using it to mask and it does nothing for you that it's problematic.
posted by cjorgensen at 7:16 AM on May 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
Listening to Fast Blood and crying this morning. I had so hoped for a better end to this story when I found out he was missing.
posted by yasaman at 7:19 AM on May 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by yasaman at 7:19 AM on May 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
I've been following this since they asked for help trying to find him on their Facebook page. Frightened Rabbit has been more than one of my favorite bands, their lyrics have helped me get through times that I don't know that I would've been able to alone. Since hearing of his disappearance, and fearing the worst, it's been eating at the back of my mind more than a little: when the people who've been so helpful, so instrumental in our struggle against depression, when they succumb, what do we do? How do we keep going when a person who was so open, and seemed so much like a beacon in the dark night saying "hey, we'll get through all this together" not only isn't there to rely on anymore, but succumbed to the demons they were helping you to beat back?
I'm going to miss the man and his music, and I feel deeply for his family.
posted by Ghidorah at 7:43 AM on May 11, 2018 [11 favorites]
I'm going to miss the man and his music, and I feel deeply for his family.
posted by Ghidorah at 7:43 AM on May 11, 2018 [11 favorites]
KEXP's John in the morning is doing a music heals show today dedicated to Hutchinson
posted by photoslob at 7:47 AM on May 11, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by photoslob at 7:47 AM on May 11, 2018 [5 favorites]
This is heartbreaking.
Hugs to anyone here who wants them.
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posted by mixedmetaphors at 7:54 AM on May 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
Hugs to anyone here who wants them.
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posted by mixedmetaphors at 7:54 AM on May 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
Shit shit shit. I was so, so hoping they'd find him and everything would be ok. Fuck depression, taking away the ones we love.
posted by too bad you're not me at 8:02 AM on May 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by too bad you're not me at 8:02 AM on May 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
A song I often think of in these times is Loose Lips, by Kimya Dawson, from her album Remember That I Love You. A good choice for anyone who's contemplating ending their life.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 8:47 AM on May 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 8:47 AM on May 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
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posted by cardinalandcrow at 8:51 AM on May 11, 2018
posted by cardinalandcrow at 8:51 AM on May 11, 2018
Awful news. Their song "It's Christmas So We'll Stop" has become a staple of my Christmas mixes in the last few years. So hauntingly beautiful, and the words are sad but hopeful:
It's Christmas so we'll stop
It's on with the lights to warm the dark
It can cloak elsewhere
As the rot stops for today
Let the rot stop just for one day
Only good red eyes, red suits, and faces will radiate
And the cold will hide its face
Now the cold is turned away
We can be best friends with the people we hate
'Cause we've all got blood
And it's warmer than you think
Yeah it is warm and it is thick
We all breathe out clouds
We're built to give at least once each year
Now that's better than never I guess
And life might never get better than this
With the perfect excuse for our natures to change
And wear shiny clothes
Oh it's Christmas so press pause and we'll go
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:06 AM on May 11, 2018 [8 favorites]
It's Christmas so we'll stop
It's on with the lights to warm the dark
It can cloak elsewhere
As the rot stops for today
Let the rot stop just for one day
Only good red eyes, red suits, and faces will radiate
And the cold will hide its face
Now the cold is turned away
We can be best friends with the people we hate
'Cause we've all got blood
And it's warmer than you think
Yeah it is warm and it is thick
We all breathe out clouds
We're built to give at least once each year
Now that's better than never I guess
And life might never get better than this
With the perfect excuse for our natures to change
And wear shiny clothes
Oh it's Christmas so press pause and we'll go
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:06 AM on May 11, 2018 [8 favorites]
My daughter died about six months before Midnight Organ Fight came out... I remember very very little of the hazy year that followed her death, but the parts that I do remember were soundtracked by that album. I managed to see them open for the National in the pouring rain about five years later and it was definitely a top-five show for me, everything about that show felt so cathartic. What a devastating loss.
posted by togdon at 9:20 AM on May 11, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by togdon at 9:20 AM on May 11, 2018 [13 favorites]
I'm so sorry for everyone who loved him and his music. I wasn't familiar with Frightened Rabbits. This thread inspired me to check them out and jesus fuck this was my least favorite way to discover new music I love ever. Hugs all around.
posted by donnagirl at 9:20 AM on May 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by donnagirl at 9:20 AM on May 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
Frightened Rabbit weren't my thing, but Scott seemed like a guy with a big heart and a lot of empathy. The world is smaller and sadder for his passing. Love to his family, friends, and fans. <3
posted by pxe2000 at 9:39 AM on May 11, 2018
posted by pxe2000 at 9:39 AM on May 11, 2018
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posted by Anita Bath at 10:18 AM on May 11, 2018
posted by Anita Bath at 10:18 AM on May 11, 2018
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posted by rhamphorhynchus at 10:21 AM on May 11, 2018
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 10:21 AM on May 11, 2018
when the people who've been so helpful, so instrumental in our struggle against depression, when they succumb, what do we do? How do we keep going when a person who was so open, and seemed so much like a beacon in the dark night saying "hey, we'll get through all this together" not only isn't there to rely on anymore, but succumbed to the demons they were helping you to beat back?
I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. I felt this way when the founder of the semi-colon project died by suicide. Fuck depression. Fuck chemical brain imbalances. Fuck the mental illness stigma, especially when it comes to men.
I’ve been talking about getting a tattoo for years that says “these manic gulls scream it’s okay.” It’s time.
Fuck.
posted by flyingsquirrel at 10:37 AM on May 11, 2018 [16 favorites]
I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. I felt this way when the founder of the semi-colon project died by suicide. Fuck depression. Fuck chemical brain imbalances. Fuck the mental illness stigma, especially when it comes to men.
I’ve been talking about getting a tattoo for years that says “these manic gulls scream it’s okay.” It’s time.
Fuck.
posted by flyingsquirrel at 10:37 AM on May 11, 2018 [16 favorites]
I've always said that I'm glad Midnight Organ Flight wasn't around when I was in my early twenties, because I would have wallowed in it far too much. That said, I'm glad it came around when it did, when I was strong enough to let it break my heart just a little every time.
This morning I woke up, saw the news, wept, and made a t-shirt .
posted by redsparkler at 1:51 PM on May 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
This morning I woke up, saw the news, wept, and made a t-shirt .
posted by redsparkler at 1:51 PM on May 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
Frightened Rabbit's cover of Cheap Trick's "Surrender" for A. V. Club's Undercover series was released when I was in not the best place emotionally. For some reason, that cover became the crutch that helped me keep going.
A few days ago I got a couplet from the song stuck in my head and I tried to find that cover again but it seems to have been scrubbed off the internet. Then yesterday the tweet by the band about trying to find Scott came. It was shocking, to say the least.
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posted by Kattullus at 2:13 PM on May 11, 2018
A few days ago I got a couplet from the song stuck in my head and I tried to find that cover again but it seems to have been scrubbed off the internet. Then yesterday the tweet by the band about trying to find Scott came. It was shocking, to say the least.
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posted by Kattullus at 2:13 PM on May 11, 2018
Oh no. I didn't even know he was missing. Terrible in and of itself, terrible to me because it's such a quick route to times when I still felt too much. Truly amazing and beautiful work. This is so sad.
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posted by ominous_paws at 3:11 PM on May 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
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posted by ominous_paws at 3:11 PM on May 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
the founder of the semi-colon project died by suicide
I hadn't heard that. That's beyond words, really.
posted by Ghidorah at 3:33 PM on May 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
I hadn't heard that. That's beyond words, really.
posted by Ghidorah at 3:33 PM on May 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
So dreadfully sad. I have long loved FRabbits and Scott and all their marvelous work, and finally they came to my boring nowheresville area to play in 2016. Scott seemed taken aback by a sold-out venue full of madly ecstatic fanpeople going bonkers between every song in this somewhat improbable locale. He was, as always, bashful and charming and profane, regaling us with the news that he had prepared for the show by "nailing the perfect-length nap"and complimenting our excellent fish ladder.
I ordered his non-FRabbit project Mastersystem's Dance Music just last week, so there's that to look forward to. I wish Scott had been able to keep going and hate that this fucking shitty disease made him too miserable to stick it out. Here are a couple of especially lovely moments.
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:40 PM on May 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
I ordered his non-FRabbit project Mastersystem's Dance Music just last week, so there's that to look forward to. I wish Scott had been able to keep going and hate that this fucking shitty disease made him too miserable to stick it out. Here are a couple of especially lovely moments.
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:40 PM on May 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
I read about his death earlier today, and I’m glad this thread is here to take comfort in. I really got into Frightened Rabbit in 2010 while I was wandering around Europe. I had just graduated college and broken up with my first love, and was feeling gutted and aimless. Having FR in my ears made that experience feel freeing instead of isolating. My trip ended in Barcelona, during the La Mercè festival. Frightened Rabbit was one of the performers, and seeing them perform was magical. In a place where I didn’t speak the language and knew no one, I was able to connect with this huge crowd of people singing their lungs out along with Scott. It was one of the truly great nights of my life. I’m sorry he was in pain, I’m sorry he’s gone, and I’m sorry I won’t get to see them perform again.
posted by bluloo at 5:08 PM on May 11, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by bluloo at 5:08 PM on May 11, 2018 [10 favorites]
this news gutted me so much more than I thought. not that I ever expected this to happen but I would have thought I'd be "down for a few hours and then move on with my day" sad, not "spend my Friday night playing along to the entire FRabbit/Owl John discography on guitar and reading all the lyrics" sad (which, just finished Midnight Organ Fight and Floating in the Forth made my heart ache)
......... (for all 9 of those squares)
posted by that silly white dress at 7:11 PM on May 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
......... (for all 9 of those squares)
posted by that silly white dress at 7:11 PM on May 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
A lovely piece from the AV Club which seems to have trouble using the past tense to talk about Scott. His music is still so alive.
His family sounds just lovely - gutted, of course, but not angry with him. And since they encouraged people to keep sharing stories, here's part of mine.
I only got to see them once in concert but am so glad I did. I remember Scott walking past me to get into the venue, excitedly elbowing my friends. They played an amazing set that night, as much old stuff as new stuff (this was Pedestrian Verse era). I'm so glad I got the chance to see them.
But my most meaningful moments have been listening to them on my own, walking with headphones, blasting them in the car, hitting repeat "just once more" on one of my favourites. There was - is - such a joy in hearing my darkest feelings of loneliness and misery and despair, the promise of relief with which death beckons turned into music which doesn't just brood, but somehow celebrates that even so, life goes on. Singing with him that I would save suicide for another year as a defiance, a triumph over the depression that I fight every day. And I do hope he found a little peace at the end.
Even now, he still draws us together to mourn, to share the stories and the sorrow and the admiration for his brilliance and kindness. Thank you Scott, thank you all.
posted by Athanassiel at 8:43 PM on May 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
His family sounds just lovely - gutted, of course, but not angry with him. And since they encouraged people to keep sharing stories, here's part of mine.
I only got to see them once in concert but am so glad I did. I remember Scott walking past me to get into the venue, excitedly elbowing my friends. They played an amazing set that night, as much old stuff as new stuff (this was Pedestrian Verse era). I'm so glad I got the chance to see them.
But my most meaningful moments have been listening to them on my own, walking with headphones, blasting them in the car, hitting repeat "just once more" on one of my favourites. There was - is - such a joy in hearing my darkest feelings of loneliness and misery and despair, the promise of relief with which death beckons turned into music which doesn't just brood, but somehow celebrates that even so, life goes on. Singing with him that I would save suicide for another year as a defiance, a triumph over the depression that I fight every day. And I do hope he found a little peace at the end.
Even now, he still draws us together to mourn, to share the stories and the sorrow and the admiration for his brilliance and kindness. Thank you Scott, thank you all.
posted by Athanassiel at 8:43 PM on May 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
Oh gosh, I finally managed to find one of my most-loved Scott anecdotes about his tiny niece's favorite song. [smiling, sobbing]
posted by FelliniBlank at 9:08 PM on May 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 9:08 PM on May 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
.
Broken hearted. I only discovered Frightened Rabbit in the past year.
Scott was a truly beautiful soul.
This disease killing musicians has got to stop: Chester Bennington, Avicii and now Scott.
Fuck depression.
This is hitting hard because my own depression has come back lately with a vengeance.
posted by daybeforetheday at 2:34 AM on May 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
Broken hearted. I only discovered Frightened Rabbit in the past year.
Scott was a truly beautiful soul.
This disease killing musicians has got to stop: Chester Bennington, Avicii and now Scott.
Fuck depression.
This is hitting hard because my own depression has come back lately with a vengeance.
posted by daybeforetheday at 2:34 AM on May 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
I've been trying not to drag others down, but drinking (yeah, I know I shouldn't in this state) and listening to these songs in a new light doesn't help. How am I supposed to approach "you're not ill, and I'm not dead" now? I used to try to explain how great FR was to friends with Modern Leper, now, it just seems wrong.
This just hurts, more than I'd ever wanted to let anything hurt me again. I'm too old to be this upset.
posted by Ghidorah at 7:54 AM on May 12, 2018 [5 favorites]
This just hurts, more than I'd ever wanted to let anything hurt me again. I'm too old to be this upset.
posted by Ghidorah at 7:54 AM on May 12, 2018 [5 favorites]
Yeah, I listened to Modern Leper yesterday too and that line hit like a punch to the heart.
I thought I was one of those people who could maintain some level of distance from my favorite bands and musical artists, keeping my investment only in the music itself. Generally I never even seek out anything beyond the music itself, maybe going to the very rare live show. But I suppose it's impossible to not open your heart to the person singing, especially not when they're so clearly opening their heart to you and showing you everything. I guess I hadn't realized quite how much Scott Hutchison and his music meant to me, and I am heartbroken to finally realize now, like this.
posted by yasaman at 9:33 AM on May 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
I thought I was one of those people who could maintain some level of distance from my favorite bands and musical artists, keeping my investment only in the music itself. Generally I never even seek out anything beyond the music itself, maybe going to the very rare live show. But I suppose it's impossible to not open your heart to the person singing, especially not when they're so clearly opening their heart to you and showing you everything. I guess I hadn't realized quite how much Scott Hutchison and his music meant to me, and I am heartbroken to finally realize now, like this.
posted by yasaman at 9:33 AM on May 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
Yeah, "Head Rolls Off" has been my #1 "song I would want played at my funeral if I were going to have a funeral, which I'm not because I loathe funerals." It so perfectly expresses how I would want to reassure people that dying -- OF OLD AGE, of body parts wearing out, etc. -- is OK and bearable and part of the natural order of things, and they should concentrate on being alive. Amen. But when I heard it yesterday, the "just when nature's had enough of you" part made me want to shriek and rave and break things because it's so. completely. wrong. in this instance.
It's mostly too hard to listen to Scott's songs right now, but I've been listening to some of his favorite albums, and that helps.
posted by FelliniBlank at 10:42 AM on May 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
It's mostly too hard to listen to Scott's songs right now, but I've been listening to some of his favorite albums, and that helps.
posted by FelliniBlank at 10:42 AM on May 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
You're away now, Scott. You will never know what your music has meant to me. We have the same diseases. I am so sad you are gone but hope the nothingness is everything you hoped it would be.
Us still here will keep trying to make tiny changes to earth.
posted by Lutoslawski at 11:52 AM on May 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
Us still here will keep trying to make tiny changes to earth.
posted by Lutoslawski at 11:52 AM on May 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
Last night I listened to Architect, Scott's duet with Manchester Orchestra, and basically went to pieces. I'm still having a hard time getting a hold of my feelings about this, like some of you have also said, I feel like I'm too old, and too far removed from my younger days when I lived and breathed music, to mourn a person I never met so deeply, but here I am. If I had to rank my favorite bands, FRabbit would be in the top ten, but it hasn't been number one, and yet, I can't stop listening to them now and feeling so deeply sad for this loss. If it helps, I've been finding some solace in some of the heartfelt articles that are being written by people who also seem to be working out their feelings like we are: New Yorker, Vice, Stereogum.
posted by banjo_and_the_pork at 11:55 AM on May 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by banjo_and_the_pork at 11:55 AM on May 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
I am amazed that people can be so articulate about what Scott and his music meant. I'm just floundering. Here's another one from the guy who interviewed Scott recently, the one where he described himself as a solid 6 out of 10.
posted by Athanassiel at 3:07 PM on May 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Athanassiel at 3:07 PM on May 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
Mod note: One deleted. If you're reading this and having suicidal thoughts, please reach out to somebody and talk about it. You can reach the mods at the contact form 24/7, or reach a hotline or crisis chat/text line from the There Is Help page.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 4:05 PM on May 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 4:05 PM on May 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
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posted by Athanassiel at 1:36 AM on May 11, 2018 [15 favorites]