I am so fucking sick of people telling me “Yeah, I saw Max Bemis at *place* and he played *song* so I’m a better fan”
Uhm, excuse you.
Say Anything isn’t a bad that you can earn cred with by going to see their shows.
Yes, Max is incredible on stage, but his heart and soul are in his lyrics. They aren’t just catchy songs that you put on and dance to, they are a bed to lay down in when everyone else has turned their backs on you. When you get stabbed in the back by your best friend, when your first love doesn’t love you, when you meet the girl of your dreams, when you’re hungover, when you’re slinging blind hatred, when you’re finding your spirituality (or losing it), when you feel like the only way out is a noose or a razorblade or a gunshot to the head, Max has laid out a therapy bench where we can all sit together and be reassured that it is going to be okay. That no matter who you are or where you are in life, there is power in your words, no matter how useless or helpless you feel. He named an album In Defense Of The Genre just to reassure us that he’s got our backs!
So don’t you dare tell me that you’re a better fan. There are no ‘better’ fans.
We’re all fucked up and we’re all here because we are (or were) hurt and broken.
Take a good long listen to Admit It when you have a chance.