It's been a hot minute since I've last posted, so I just thought maybe I'd let the massively unconcerned world and my entirely not-existent audience know that I am in fact still alive. Also, I am officially tattooed!
That's right, anyone who sees my back will now gaze upon the glory that is the word "Fiction" in typeface right smack between my shoulder blades. Everyone who meets me, sees it, and deigns to ask my lowly self about it, will know of my unending devotion and total love for Avenged Sevenfold.
To anyone who decides to ask why I have "Fiction," I will say the following: "A wise man once said, 'My life is kind of like a story that if I told you, you wouldn't believe it... It would seem fictional. And that's me.' That wise man was Jimmy Sullivan, drummer for Avenged Sevenfold. He died in 2009. I never met him, but I like to think I knew a little something about him." Okay, so maybe I'll stop the at the quote... "My life is kind of like a story that if I told you, you wouldn't believe it... It would seem fictional. And that's me."
It was his favorite tattoo. And he absolutely loved seeing fans with Avenged ink. To him, it was the highest honor people could possibly give the band. So, what better way to honor my favorite drummer than to permanently mark myself as someone who cared?
It's not done yet, though. I need a lotus flower under it. But my artist, Evan, told me that the one I wanted wouldn't last very long. So I'm gonna save up some more pennies (literally, I have a coin jar), find some references, and probably get it after Christmas. I just fee like what I have is unfinished, since I wanted the lotus and "Fiction" together.
But it's crazy. It's just crazy, isn't it? I have a tattoo honoring a dead person that I never even met, let alone knew personally. But at the same time... It's crazy that he's gone. It's crazy that I'll never have the chance to show him what I did for him. For all of them, really. I could have gotten his handcuffs or something, but "Fiction" seems so much more like a part of all of them than just for him. Because honestly, for all of them, isn't their story a little far-fetched?
Form a band in high school. That band lasts for years. Produce two albums, enough to live on (kind of, Syn was living on his girlfriend's parents' couch for a bit). Then produce fucking City of Evil. Hit it huge. Do really well for a while, tour for a bit, produce a self-titled master work... Then tour some more.
Then the unthinkable happens. Your best friend, your drummer, your comrade-in-arms, dies. He's gone. What do you do? You produce another album, in his honor. You tour some more, have a new temporary drummer, shit goes down with him. You get another drummer, tour for a bit, and finally, finally, take a break after two years of insanity. Almost three, now.
And rumor has it, they're working on a new album. These people... They are absolutely incredible. They didn't stop. In Matt's words, they could either miss him at home, or on tour. They chose on tour. They chose to be there for their fans. They chose not to fade away or burn out. They're far from done. Their rock may be gone, but they will never end.
And for that, I am so proud of them. One day I'll show them my tattoo, my first ink, and tell them why I got it.
Rock on, friends. foREVer.
