I watched the Netflix doc on Avicii and walked away with perspective on what happens when you go from 0 to 1000 at warp speed…you die.
It’s tragic how a kid from Stockholm turns into one of the biggest draws on the planet, burns out, finds himself internally, and dies by suicide in Oman from a wine bottle.
“When he stopped touring, he wanted to find a balance in life to be happy and be able to do what he loved most — music,” the statement continued. “He really struggled with thoughts about Meaning, Life, Happiness. He could not go on any longer. He wanted to find peace.”
Thoughts
- Ultra Bomb – The performance at Ultra was hilarious. I hadn’t heard about that performance before and it was hilarious watching it bomb. This was a perfect example of not playing what the audience wants to hear, even if the material is incredible. Did it help boost the album sales due to people talking about it? I doubt it.
- Sounds – The way he was able to collaborate with artists seemed to be his unique talent. Since he wasn’t a natural musician, he had a unique gift from a production side that allowed him to work with others and create different music. Aloe Blacc can only sound like Aloe Blacc. Avicii’s music can sound like everyone.
- Drugs – His appearance looked heavily influenced by drugs throughout his career. They made reference to a pancreatic issue and him taking pain killers. I’d imagine it went way deeper. In order to be Avicii, was it because of the drugs? Were the Beatles the Beatles without acid trips? Are drugs always bad with regard to performance? Can artists achieve their higher minds without them? Fascinating questions for sure.
- Pressure – He seemed like a perfectionist who cared too deeply about what the world thought about him. When record producers said it should be this way, and he would rather it be HIS way, he was at an impasse. The industry ruined him. They took a top talent and drove him to suicide. Of course he was a volunteer in the game, but his internal journey at the end was not enough to offset the damage that was done.
Most DJs are worthless hacks who simply play other people’s music from their newest generation MacBook pro, and unashamedly take credit. You did not produce anything. You did not collaborate. You did not play a note or write a lyric. You’re essentially a middle-man between other people’s creations and my ears; forget AI, you can be replaced with a 1st generation iPod. DJ Khaaaaalid, wedaaa best!
Avicii, on the other hand, produced music and collaborated. Artists sought him out. I guess like any industry, there’s the clock-punchers, and then there’s the top-quartilers with talent that’s refined through hard work.
Also, drugs 100% played a role in creation and open-mindedness. For the better? Well, i dunno about that; man’s dead. But no doubt the Beatles were a lame-ass, pasty pop group before Bob Dylan introduced them to mari-juh-wanna. They were able to evolve and offer music through a different perspective. “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” compared to “Come Together”.
Back to DJs, I still believe the all time greatest is Dustin Johnson. Top golfer while smashing rails of coke and other tour-player’s wives. Goes to rehab, where he must’ve worked on his charisma, because he gets invited back on tour and then into Paulina. Then takes a LIV bag of blood money. No shame in his game.
After looking into what actually happened to Avicii, this doc glossed over so much crucial stuff. They basically made it sound like he didn’t drink and then they casually drop that he got pancreatitis from “too much partying”. He apparently was taking crazy amounts of opiates by the end, he looked like a skeleton. Sad it happened and the music aspect was awesome, but jeez, if you’re gonna do a doc, tell the whole story. It seemed like they didn’t want to show him in a negative way at all.