Page 23 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine - Issue 100

BV100 pg20-23 hoobastank_BV100 pg23 13/03/2019 01:36 Page 4

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shows… We used to see concert photos of I’m literally talking about my own feed here!” someone has posted ‘real photos’ of them-
bands, ‘Look at how amazing they look.’ The he laughs. “This is me when I look good from selves, showing their flaws in all their glory.
average person didn’t have that, so you had this side. And that’s fine, but I think there are It was only a few months ago that we saw
these cool things. Now, everybody has it, so a lot of people out there, probably younger, one such article pop up in our Twitter feed
everybody is their own media spokesper- who don’t understand that. When I look at and we went to look. A female was showing
son.” other people’s social media feeds, maybe I her large thighs and cellulite. It was refresh-
Dan adds, “What used to take hours or project, ‘This person only did this because ing to see someone stand up and show what
days to process film… that’s a digital camera of X’. ‘They cut this part out because…’ I others hide.
you’re using to film this, right?” (Black Vel- know all the tricks and we all know all the “See, I think that takes huge guts. That’s
vet filmed the interview and will post a clip tricks, but at least I run through it when I see awesome. We need that,” says Doug.
online at a later date.) “But before, there it. I know this person doesn’t look like this Dan puts his hand up to get a word in.
weren’t digital cameras, there were real cam- when they wake up. I know this band or this “But don’t mistake that; those people, and
eras. You had to develop those films to get celebrity didn’t have ‘x, x, x’. You only get the I’m not dogging that, but at the same time,
light leaks. You had to know what the fuck ‘best of’. It’s a curated ‘best of’. But I don’t there is a health issue there too if you are…
you were doing. You had to know how to think a lot of people, especially younger peo- I’m skinny, but I’m not the healthiest skinny.
shoot. Now, the camera does all the work for ple, have developed that skill, and I’ve read But, on the flipside, there’s ‘Let me show off
you. That camera right there, you could be studies about that; people are getting de- my this or my that’ and ‘it’s ok to be like this
the worst photographer in the world and take pressed because their lives don’t look like or that’ and it is, it’s ok to be any way, I’m not
the best photo. I’m not saying you are, you the lives they see, the people they follow. judging you, but you’re unhealthy too. You’re
look like you know what you’re doing with it, And I think that’s fucked up. I think that’s a very unhealthy.”
but now everybody has a filter, everybody real problem, ‘cause kids have to know, While the girl in question was not over-
has access to everything to make things ‘Woah, woah, woah, woah’. Yeah, I may put weight and didn’t look too unhealthy – she
look different from how we really look, in- pictures of me travelling the world and play- just genuinely was more ‘bottom heavy’ – we
cluding us.” ing shows, and stuff like that, but I wake up definitely get what Dan is saying. Even cloth-
He turns to Doug, “In the song, you say feeling like shit sometimes, looking like shit, ing companies such as Dollskill have used
‘Don’t act like you don’t do the same thing I gotta take the trash out and I gotta get my larger models to advertise clothes – and,
too,’ meaning we do it, you know. Shit’s just kids to school and do everything else every- while other larger females are celebrating
different. Shit’s gone crazy.” body does and it’s not glamorous at all. At this, others do also point out the health as-
Doug continues, “That’s one aspect of it. times I’ve thought, ‘I should be posting that,’ pect. We can’t celebrate obesity or overeat-
You used to have to be skilled at some kind I should, and maybe I will. I don’t want peo- ing – but we definitely celebrate seeing a
of trade. Before, you were a photographer or ple to get confused between reality and so- more real person.
a producer or… you know, there used to be cial media, because it’s literally like a digital And that leads us back to Hoobastank.
a certain amount of education that went into resume, like ‘This is my headshot, this is my Real people – making real music (albeit with
that before and now anyone with a laptop or headshot,’ to everybody when that’s not a few more electronic aspects in there too) –
whatever can say ‘I’m this or that’. That’s one what you really look like. I just think it sets for real music fans. Let’s celebrate that.
aspect of it. But when I think about a song an unrealistic bar. Some people can under-
like ‘Don’t Look Away’, I think back to the stand it and can take it and process it fine, Visit www.hoobastank.com for more
‘More Beautiful’ aspect, whereas we, as in us but some people can’t and it causes prob- info. ‘Push Pull’ is out now on Napalm
and society, throw out on social media or lems, and I don’t want anybody to feel un- Records.
whatever platform it is, only these curated, worthy.”
best aspects; this is what we want people to Words by Shari Black Velvet
think we are. ‘These are the big shows we’re very so often you do see an article in
Photos By Ashley Osborn
playing.’ ‘This is me with my six-pack.’ And Ea newspaper about how a certain
HOOBASTANK