Mired in dark thoughts…Frightened Rabbit

A couple of months ago, a friend at work suggested I listen to the band Frightened Rabbit. My friend enjoyed the same type of music I did and we sometimes made recommendations to each other. Some of them were good, some of them? Not so much. Frightened Rabbit was a great suggestion. I enjoyed them immediately. An indie band out of Scotland, they had meaningful lyrics with layered music and changes in tempo. I’m not a huge fan of straight 4/4 time with someone singing about how great looking they are and how much money they have. I understand the appeal to such songs only, for the most part, they don’t appeal to me.

The reason why Frightened Rabbit came to my friend’s mind was that on May 11th, 2018, the lead singer, founder, and songwriter of the band had been found dead by the police in Scotland. His name was Scott Hutchison and he suffered from depression. He had been very vocal about it. Encouraging those who also suffered to take care, be kind to others and get help.

Two days before he was found dead, the band tweeted this out:

Frightened Rabbit

✔@FRabbits

We are worried about Scott, who has been missing for a little while now. He may be in a fragile state and may not be making the best decisions for himself right now. Please could Scott or anyone with any information on his whereabouts please contact Police Scotland (101).

7:00 AM – May 9, 2018

A day before this post, Scott Hutchison tweeted this out:

Scott Hutchison

✔@owljohn

Be so good to everyone you love. It’s not a given. I’m so annoyed that it’s not. I didn’t live by that standard and it kills me. Please, hug your loved ones.

5:50 PM – May 8, 2018

Notice how wrote about himself in the past tense? I didn’t at first. It was pointed out in an article in Variety magazine. Then he tweeted maybe twenty minutes later:

Scott Hutchison

✔@owljohn

I’m away now. Thanks.

6:09 PM – May 8, 2018

In their song Floating in the Forth, one of the lines in the song is, I think I’ll save suicide for another day and then later in the song, I think I’ll save suicide for another year.

It is clear to those that knew him and even longtime fans were aware Scott battled depression. A man such as that, with a huge following, loving family and all the support he could ever need and still, in the end, it hadn’t been enough. What does that say to me?

That says such dark thoughts are suffered alone. You could be surrounded by loved ones but still, in your brain, you are alone. And even though all those hands were reaching for him, ready to help, offering to help, he saw no hope or help for himself. How do you pull someone back from that abyss? I have no idea. I do know we should all try. Telling someone to just get over it or stop being selfish isn’t helpful. It may reinforce their opinion that the world without them would be a better place. And that’s not right. Because it’s not true.

So, there you go. My Sunday thoughts. If you or someone you know is suffering, get them help and above all, be patient. You could try to understand but don’t be upset if you never do. It may not be something you’re capable of because those dark thoughts had never haunted you. And that’s ok too.

Oh, and by the way, you should all give Frightened Rabbit a try. Excellent, excellent band.