2nd Interview with Johnny Crowder, vocalist of Dark Sermon and Prison

Band:  Prison
Song:  The Knife and The Dying Dream
Album:  N.G.R.I. (2017)
Genre:  Nu-Metal, Metalcore
Johnny's Website:  notatherapist.com

As I mentioned yesterday, we're gonna talk about depression in the music industry really quick.  To start that, I really can't see any better person to interview than Johnny Crowder, the most outspoken

Q: With Chester Bennington having committed suicide I've been thinking lot about how depression is ignored in the music industry. I feel like a lot of people try not to think about it since a general thought seems to be that the best art comes from tortured performers.  Thoughts?

A.  I’ll try to keep this brief to prevent myself from going on a rant. Basically, my whole life, I thought that I was able to write music because I was so upset. But as I’ve gotten healthier over the years, I’ve realized that my illnesses only clouded my mind and my heart. They siphoned energy out of my creativity, and I didn’t know that a healthier lifestyle would lead to a more streamlined, fulfilling writing process. When you’re sick, you start to develop Stockholm Syndrome. You justify the way you are and say that you are more creative that way, without ever having seen the other side. When I was younger, I would have bet you money that my frustration helped me write. Now that I’m out of that darkness, I can clearly see that it only held me back.

Q: As an individual who is incredibly outspoken about your thoughts on mental illness, what was your initial take on it? 

A.  I cried. I don’t know what else to say. It didn’t feel like it was about me, though. I didn’t think, “That could be me.” I thought, “That could be any number of my friends who tour full time.” That’s what killed me. I loved Chester like a brother, and his death hit me harder than expected, considering we never met in person.

Q: Prison's purpose seems to be a unifying point for broken people to come together and become stronger through their problems. Would that be correct in your opinion? 

A.  Your illness, trauma, past, or anything else negative doesn’t have to define you. All of these things qualify us to minister to others and bring comfort to people who are struggling. Every single person has some serious stuff going on in some corner of their life, and I’m just trying to bust the stigma and get people to be real with themselves. You’re not perfect, so stop pretending you are. On the other hand, you’re not broken beyond repair, so stop pretending you are. We are all in the same boat, and we need to start acting like it.

Big thanks to Johnny for being so open for this.  I'm gonna do my take tomorrow, and hopefully a couple of my friends as well.

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