In 2003 Eminem was the biggest selling artist in the world. Graffiti around the country, from town to village shouted out his anger. His observations on culture were ubiquitous.
I went to see him sing his songs in Milton Keynes. The crowd was built up from disenfranchised youths from all over. He hit in to an anger common to many. Once together they had no rituals as they would at a rave just a shared hatred of their place in the world. His lyrics were a tangled mess of hurt and inadequacy. 'Stan', his hit tune that sampled Dido had a highly intelligent post modern self reference that soared above most of the pop of its' day. Fascinated by him as a phenomena I went to see what it was all about. I missed the Sex Pistols but was aware of the power they held for a brief window. It is a requirement to check out these things. They are over before you know it.
His persona seemed bereft of self awareness. His open soul painfully naked.
Once it became clear that his art came not just from his skill with language but also from the distance of prescription opiates and his authenticity from the freedom from self consciousness large amounts of benzodiazipines such as zanax and valium permit, I could understand him better. Since his breakdown he has remained a hermit. He has not returned to expose himself in the raw state that was the source of his originality. His command of language was of course a powerful factor in his success and wide appeal. Yet his career is so clearly the journey in to addiction to these tablets and recovery.
I feel for him and wish him well for the future
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