Up until last weekend, I had pretty much dismissed Lewis Capaldi as a nice and funny guy, who had a great voice, but whose music was wasted on me, my most used phrase about him was along the lines of, I’d like to go for a pint but I wouldn’t buy his records..
I’m not going to say I’ve suddenly become a fan of his music, its still not for me, though I can hear its appeal, he undoubtedly has an eminently listenable voice. I would say though, that I have become more of a fan of Lewis Capaldi the man.
Before I saw his set at Glastonbury I was aware of him cancelling a few sell out shows in order to look after his mental health before he played Glastonbury, I think the phrase he used was “I just want to be Lewis from Glasgow for a while” and I was also aware he had been diagnosed with Tourettes. But I was unaware of the extent to which he was affected by these. What was pleasing was the reaction from fans in Glasgow to his cancelling a sell out show. Virtually everyone I saw or read comments from was totally behind him, not complaining about the cancellation, and concerned for his mental health. I was also aware of the documentary on Netflix and had made a mental note to watch it.
When I saw the performance at Glastonbury, there was a realisation about just what a toll his Tourettes and his mental health was taking on him. It was hard to watch at points as his tics increased as the situation got more and more stressful for him, ultimately leading to him being unable to continue singing. One of the hard to watch moments then became an inspirational moment as the crowd sang every word back to him, you could see and feel what it meant to him. As he left the stage I hoped he would be able to take some time away from the limelight to get himself sorted, so was glad to hear a few days later that he had cancelled all remaining tour dates to focus on his mental health.
I have also since watched the documentary on Netflix. A revealing and often a difficult watch which revealed the extent of what has led to where he is today, an all too common story of someone working hard to achieve something, then feeling the pressure to continue to perform, while lacking the self confidence in what they do, no matter how successful they may be, feeling like an imposter. Poor mental health does not discriminate, success and fame doesn’t make you exempt. It is encouraging to see someone with the profile and reach of Capaldi being open and honest about his mental health, and the reaction being almost universally positive. This is the sort of exposure that can only help continue to reduce the stigma attached to admitting to being impacted by poor mental health. I wish Lewis nothing but the best on his road to recovery as he seeks the help he needs.
Unfortunately, Glastonbury footage on the TV works two ways, and for every positive outcome, there is also an opposite negative reaction. This time it came in the form of trolls piling abuse on Billy NoMates after her Glastonbury performance, simply because they didn’t like what she did. Abuse which has led to her asking for her performance to be removed from iPlayer and advising she will be playing no more shows after what she already has scheduled. It is hard enough for musicians to make a living in music in this day and age without such events discouraging artists. I hope Tor Maries is surrounded by those she loves and respects who are filling her with positive encouragement and support. Yes that’s right, Tor that’s right, she is a human being with a name. Just like you and I, not some sort of automaton with no feelings,
This only proves that music fans are a fickle bunch. You get the well deserved outpourings of support for one artist who couldn’t perform due to his personal circumstances, then on the other hand when another performs her set, doing what she excels at, singing the songs and music which has led to plaudits from many sources, and gets slated just because some sad pathetic individuals hiding behind their keyboards don’t like what she does. Unfortunately, the negativity didn’t stop there. I’ve seen people commenting along the lines of, if she can’t take the feedback, why does she do what she does? My response to that would be, do they go to work to be personally abused? Would they feel offended if their work was criticised, not because there was anything wrong with it, but just because the other person doesn’t like it? Would they get upset? Would they defend themselves? Of course they would. So why would Billy NoMates be any different. She is a human being at the end of the day. If you don’t like her music, no-one is forcing you to listen to it.
Others may say that musicians should be open to critiques of their music. I don’t disagree. But I think there is a huge difference between someone hiding behind a social media profile savaging someone personally and a considered record review in a publication with a journalist putting their name to it. If I go back to what I said about Lewis Capaldi. Just because you are in the public eye doesn’t mean you aren’t a person that doesn’t have feelings and hurts like everyone else. You don’t know what that person is experiencing behind closed doors. You don’t know what pressures they are facing. You don’t have a right to attack someone personally, just because you don’t like their music.
If you take anything from this, it should be, be more like the caring Lewis Capaldi fans, and less like the imbecilic trolls on social media.
Be kind. And if you can’t be kind, say nothing.
Remember you don’t know what is going on in someone’s life. I wish nothing but the best for both Tor and Lewis. Just because I listen to the music of one and not the other, that doesn’t mean I would personally attack the other just because their music isn’t for me.
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Can’t help feeling it’s misogyny at the heart of the trolling of Billy No Mates. Horrible. So sad. I wish both Tor and Lewis well. As Ezra Furman once said, “It’s hard being a human” .
A very heartfelt piece of writing, Mr Quiff. Right on the money.