“It was my own personal sanctuary”
I felt different as a kid because I think because I wasn’t very tall. I alway looked grades below where I was. Trying to find a girlfriend or something like that was always really hard because no one wanted to date the kid who looked like he was in fourth grade. It kind of made me sad, it put the idea in my head that I was never going to be good enough, so I always felt rejected before I even tried.
I really turn to music because it was the one area, listening to music, playing music, I didn’t feel anybody was denigrating me. It was my own personal sanctuary, being able to play. Actually that music is what brought me out here. I moved with my whole band. I guess because of that difference, and because of that feeling of isolation and rejection it brought me to a much better place.
I used to have this little stuffed dog that probably looks like this now, way worse than this. His name was Muttzy. It was a little dog, a little brown dog and I took him everywhere. I think my mom actually still has him in a little freezer bag. You could see his little fur is missing, it looks all patchy. He was always the star of whatever I was playing at the time. He was always the hero.