Page 26 - Black Velvet Rock Music Magazine Issue 92

BV92 Mallory Knox interview_BV92 pg26 22/03/2017 23:06 Page 3

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progress. The song illustrates that when you feeling miserable, so I thought, “I’ve got to to put yourself on a bit of a pedestal where
keep all your frustrations and anger inside, do something about it.” I went to the doctors people are all going to interpret what you
it leads you to a breaking point of despera- and the guy was just like, “Here, just take were going through is a bit of a thing, but
tion where you feel you might as well just these,” he couldn’t give a shit. He was prob- after five minutes of thinking, I was like,
“give it up”’. He tells us that those feelings ably a really nice person. He was nice to me, “D’ya know what? Fuck it, I don’t care”. I’ve
came up on the last album cycle. The band, but it just wasn’t what I needed at the time. I always told myself, when it comes to writing
at that time, were signed to Search and De- remember getting back in my car, thinking, songs, the music will do the talking and the
stroy Records/Epic Records. “Fuck this shit.” Everyone encourages peo- lyrics will kind of follow that, whether that’s
“It’s just, Mallory Knox is between my- ple to talk about this shit, to do something how you’re feeling or whether the music
self, James, Joe, Dave brings out a certain
and Mikey; very much emotion in you, and to
our livelihood, very go against that I think
much our passion, very would have been wrong,
much everything that so I just went with it and
we build our life around, it turned out the way it
and as I go back to, did. And no regrets
when you put your life about it.”
on hold, basically, to try We’re glad he has no
and make the band as regrets, and think the
big a success as it can song will help others
be, then you have this that may go through
passion, this drive, that similar circumstances.
you feel like the people “And that’s been the
that are technically in coolest thing since the
charge of the decision- song, I didn’t write the
making process don’t song to be inspirational
share that and you kind to other people or for
of feel like it’s hindering something to gain out of
the progress, you end it. I’d love to say, “Yeah,
up feeling a bit frus- I was trying to help other
trated and a bit let down people,” that’s just not
and that was where that the truth. I wrote that
song was born.” song because it was
It seems like many something that I needed
bands go through this at the time, it was some-
at some point in their career. In this issue, about it, and if that is really what is happen- thing that spoke to me. I’ve always said,
both You Me At Six and Deaf Havana had ing, it’s just going to put people off more. “You can’t write a song for other people un-
members that almost felt like giving it up. ‘Better Off Without You’ isn’t a song, ‘feel less that’s your actual fucking job”. When I
“Everyone gets to a point where they feel sorry for me, look at my situation,’ it’s just come to write songs for this band, because
frustrated,” says Sam. “It’s not always black dealing with that frustration, taking that jump these are the songs that I’m most passionate
and white in terms of the decisions that you and then when you take that jump you feel about it has to be for me, because if it’s not
have to make; there are certain roads you like you fell even further.” for me, it’s not going to be as good as it
have to go down in order to do certain Sam did talk to others after visiting the could be. So you have to back yourself and
things, so it’s natural for a band that just doctor. “I think I pretty much opened up with that’s what I did with that song. I did have
wants to… when you think a decision is so family members and friends and once I’d that five minutes, but it was just something
right and there’s a person telling you it can’t done that that was the easiest way to go that I needed at the time. It’s been really cool
happen like that, of course it builds frustra- about it. I always think you sort stuff out by to see people relating to it, but I’m not turn-
tion. It’s just the music industry though, isn’t doing things a certain way and I’m very ing around, going, “Yeah, that’s why we did
it? I mean, it’s not just the music industry, it’s thankful a year down the line to say that I’m it, we wanted to help you out.” I’m just a
the entertainment industry. fucking 27-year-old guy
I’m sure it happens with ac- who wrote a song in his
tors and comedians as well. “We live in a society now where life is so fast, sometimes bedroom one day and
Not everything is how we it’s hard to keep up. The thing is, that’s okay. It’s okay to feel that’s how it’s turned out
want it to be. It’s just life.” like you can’t keep up right now and if you need to do some- and I think it’d be foolish
of me to say otherwise,
thing about it during that specific moment in time, to help
ife, for Sam, has defi- that I was trying to inspire
Lnitely seen ups and you through that, that’s not a big deal either,” - Sam Douglas other people, but if people
downs. Second single, ‘Bet- can take inspiration out of
ter Off Without You’, is a it that’s a good thing, be-
song about taking Citalopram, a drug to treat pretty happy with how everything is.” cause that’s what music should do.”
anxiety and depression. Sam went to see a But at the time he needed to vent after
doctor when he was going through a hard that doctor’s appointment. He immediately here’s a lyric in ‘Better Off Without
time and the doctor handed him Citalopram wrote the song that night, and didn’t think TYou’ – ‘I need something stronger
with a lax approach. about it too much. He had to get it out of his than your medicine’. So did the Citalopram
Sam remembers back, “I had a bad time system. not work for Sam?
at Warped Tour in America and I was strug- “If I thought about it, I would never have “For some people it can, but for me, I
gling to deal with the aspect of being home- written it, because I would have gone know it takes a certain time to get in, but I
sick, not being a part of my family for six through every reason why I shouldn’t have wasn’t really on it long enough. It made me
months. Little things like your dog passing done, because there were a lot of cons in ex- feel sick and it made me feel kind of numb
away and not being able to be there and see- posing myself in that lyrical content,” Sam and I didn’t like that. I’ve always liked my al-
ing your brother and sister move out and I’m replies. “So if I had thought about it, it would- cohol,” he laughs. “That was always my go-
the oldest of three and I’m still going back to n’t have happened, it was just something to thing at that particular time of being in
a house when my two younger siblings have that I needed to do obviously to release it America all the time. And this is the thing –
moved out, and it’s just trying to deal with from my system… I was writing that song in you’re in a band and you’re touring all the
that reality of you’re doing the coolest fuck- my room and I got to the chorus and I read time, it’s free booze, I can see how that slide
ing job in the world, you’re living out your the lyrics back and I thought, “Wow”. And I’d can become too steep at times. But yeah,
dream, but you feel like life is passing you had that five minutes where I was, ‘Do I re- that was just me. I’d much rather drink and
by, and it was just trying to deal with that sit- ally, really want to write about this?’ I found drink until I’m happy rather than take these
uation. I remember getting stressed out to it hard to talk to my loved ones at first, let pills that make me feel sick and numb any-
the point that I was waking up every morning alone strangers about it, ie. the doctor. Now way. That was kind of the basis for that line.”
MALLORY KNOX