Page 32 - Black Velvet Issue 89

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or feeling in your past or whatever it is. It’s people dance to called ‘We Don’t Have To ndy Biersack is an only child. Be-
almost like eating food and then getting sick Dance’, so there’s a little bit of a tongue-in- Acause of this it makes sense that he
right when you eat that food and then any cheek thing there.” was not a fan of social situations. When
time you ever smell that food or anyone ever We wonder whether Andy has ever felt growing up, only children may often be
offers it to you, then you get that sick feeling anxious when meeting any fellow musicians alone. Despite having friends, relatives etc.
again. There’s a large part of songwriting or idols. He answers, “It’s much the oppo- they’ll always come home and have their
that deals with emotions that feel the same site. I have found that I’ve missed opportu- own alone time. They don’t have a brother or
way. When you’re thinking about a time that nities to meet people really cool because I sister to share time, bedrooms and toys with.
was upsetting you, for instance the loss of a have resigned myself in my emotions that I Instead, their best friend may become soli-
friend. I wrote a lot about the loss of a friend don’t care about meeting anybody. When I tude, peace and quietness. They become
on this record, my friend Chris, who passed was really young, I decided early on that no- conditioned to depend on themselves rather
away. So those are the kind of things that one could really ever live up to the version than always being with others and having
you get those senses come back to you. In that you build in your head so I didn’t want others to lean on. Some may become inse-
the moment that you’re writing you’re kind to disappoint myself with meeting my heroes cure because of this. Although, others use
of in this dark place that you’re kind of ac- because I thought, “What’s better, the book this as motivation. Andy says that being an
cessing intentionally and putting yourself or the movie?” I never thought that anybody only child actually helped him further his
there.” could live up to it, so I think there are many musical career. “I think because I’m an only
There are some things that may surprise times when I probably could have become child I never had anyone to keep me in check
rock fans about Andy. Did you know, for ex- friendly with people that I looked up to in an and tell me that someone might not want me
ample, that despite being in one of the early point in my career. Fortunately, pretty to perform. I’ve performed my entire life with
biggest rock bands around, Andy is not a early on I got a complete lack of
huge fan of social situations – as the song put in the sit- rom the time I was a little kid, I self-awareness to
‘We Don’t Have To Dance’ reveals. uation where, the idea that that
He looks back to the early Black Veil because my “Fwas constantly getting repri- someone wouldn’t
Brides days. “You have to understand that I band had manded in school, and the term was ‘This want to watch me
started touring at 17/18 and by the time I was gotten suc- do that. If I’d had a
touring internationally it was 19 and I’m cessful to a isn’t the Andy Show’, everything isn’t ‘The brother or some-
around people at the time who are my age degree, peo- Andy Show’. So if you look in the liner one to tell me to
that I am now, so when you’re that young ple were stop doing it when
you piece together your personality socially coming out notes of the Andy Black record, I put a I was younger
from other people. You’re kind of putting to- to shows and maybe I would
gether elements of everything you’re seeing introducing dedication to my teachers that this IS in have had more
and you’re building a version of yourself. So themselves, fact the Andy Show...” - Andy Biersack sense when it
it’s kind of a veilance that you’re presenting. so I was kind came to when I
So in that way you can kind of be extrovert of able to get should perform.
and you can show a level of excitement for over that pretty quickly, because I saw that But from the time I was a little kid, I was con-
socialization that isn’t necessarily accurate, most people actually are pretty cool. The fact stantly getting reprimanded in school, and
so it’s more so about a constant feeling that that I have Matt Skiba, who is the singer of the term was ‘This isn’t the Andy Show’,
I’ve had since I was a kid of being uncomfort- Alkaline Trio, my favourite band of all time, everything isn’t ‘The Andy Show’. So if you
able with the perceived cool thing that was on this record, singing with me, that’s a great look in the liner notes of the Andy Black
happening, whether it was being at a dance example of how sometimes your heroes can record, I put a dedication to my teachers that
club, for instance, most venues in the UK on turn out to be really cool.” this IS in fact the Andy Show, so I hope they
club level turn into dance clubs or rock clubs In the last issue of Black Velvet, Erik enjoy this record for that, but I don’t know,
after the show’s over and if you’re in a hard Chandler of Bowling For Soup said he didn’t I’ve never had any fear of performing. It’s
rock band that are heavy drinkers you tend want to meet his heroes because he was something that I’ve always felt I wanted to do
to then go into that dance club and if you’re worried they would be horrible. and it’s the most fun thing for me. I love
a guy who’s in the band that just headlined “It’s a really delicate thing when you’re sports, I love arts, I love so many different
that night you’re meant to be the guy that’s listening to rock music and you kind of build things, but when it comes to an act or doing
excited and having fun to be there and in up a mythology in your head of these peo- something that is exciting for me, getting on
some ways I guess I was always internally a ple,” Andy says. “The minute that you get stage regardless of how I feel that day or
little bit conflicted because I had to present into this, and you’re successful in any way, how tired I am, jetlag, it’s always a fun thing.”
this excited ‘I can’t wait to dance and drink the curtain sort of drops a little bit on the Touring has become even more fun the
and everything else’ and in reality I was kind mythology and the kind of mysticism of healthier Andy has become. Many bands find
of crawling under my skin because there’s a these people, because you know that their drinking fun, and of course Andy did too, but
huge part of me that is still that social anx- life, very much like yours presently, is back- over the years, its enjoyment faded, and now
ious wallflower, kind of thing. But, I think it’s stage rooms, hotels and flights and shows. Andy has quit drinking. This has benefitted
more a tongue-in-cheek thing, it’s not that I The monotony of touring and all that stuff is Andy both on and offstage.
can’t be in a fun situation and not enjoy my- the same for them but the magic and the “I think it’s changed me in every way, at
self, it’s more just that I’m hyper-aware of the things that they put on the records that you least in the way that I perceive things,” says
fact that I have a kind of misanthropic ten- listened to when you were young is this kind Andy. “You’re much more aware when you’re
dency.” of fallable, amazing thing. So it’s kind of a not inebriated, I know that sounds pretty ob-
No doubt some fans can relate to this tightrope that you walk. While you know vious but you sometimes don’t see it, be-
song. We certainly can. And Andy thinks this there isn’t anything amazing, you don’t want cause the nature of what I do is that it’s so
is a positive thing. to ruin the perception, that you have this Groundhog Day. You’re going from venue to
“Yeah, I don’t think it’s uncommon for magical thing that you’ve built around them. venue and you’re drinking and not even
people to not want to join in,” Andy says. “I So when you are in the situation where you overdrinking – I’ve never been someone that
just think that it’s so prevalent, the idea of meet someone that was a hero and they’re was too crazy. When I stopped it was be-
being involved in the group that it’s hard to so great, it’s such a pleasant thing and it’s cause I had had moments when I could see
escape, so if my song is making people feel such a wonderful thing. I’ve been so fortu- myself drinking too much and feeling like I
that wallflower feeling, it’s making them feel nate, whether it’s people in the hard rock was missing track of time, not fully living my
that they have something that is in some world like Alice Cooper, Dee Snider, Nikki life, kind of thing and it just wasn’t agreeing
ways anthemic to them then I think that’s a Sixx, so many other people, that I grew up with me. I was feeling sluggish and bloated
huge positive because it is a real thing. Ob- idolizing who’ve been huge fans and sup- and just kind of shitty. I was like, “I think I’m
viously I’m poking fun at it but there are cer- porters of Black Veil Brides, or on this going to stop drinking for a while,” because
tainly people who, unlike myself, who cannot record, having people like Matt Skiba come over the years I’d done “Oh, I won’t drink for
go into social situations because of their in and Quinn from The Used and Gerard Way a while,” and I was like, “I’m just going to do
feeling of crippling fear of socialization and and some people in the alternative scene, some tours without it,” and then those tours
being around other people and being the life I’ve been really fortunate that everybody that went by and I was like, “Well fuck, why would
of the party and everything, but… it’s meant I’ve come to know over the years has been I go back? This is great,” so I’ve just been
to be fun. It’s a dancey song. It’s a song that great.” enjoying it. I’ve had a few glasses of wine
ANDY BLACK