I made this two days before the massacre.
Like 9/11 for New Yorkers, I think Vegas dwellers will always split their lives into pre- and post- October 1. I don’t mean to equate the two in terms of damage, lives lost, etc. But you feel differently in a lot of ways after terrorism or disaster hits where you live.
I imagine Paris, London, so many cities in the Middle East – citiziens feel how shock and horror heighten things throughout the whole city. We are lucky we’ve felt it on a smaller scale than many war-torn countries. I truly can’t imagine Syrians or Puerto Ricans get up the day after and move forward.
I’m unscathed, my friends and family here are safe – but we all feel the shadow. The shadow of unanswered questions and the murky future – what do we do next?
And yet, the city turns out to give blood and donate. Traffic feels lighter. People, at least for this week, are more patient. More hugs. More care.
It feels awkward to look at this video now. I was having a blast, it was a warm, blustery day, everything felt right. This song makes me happy – I think about discovering this album and how this one song made me feel things will get better – which for a depressed gay kid in 1980s North Carolina is saying something.
It’s a good mantra. We will get better. We will all get better.
Don’t stop believin.