My Love Affair With Arctic Monkeys (CASUAL FRIDAY POST)

If you recall what I said in my last post, every Friday I'm going to take a break from the usual fashion and beauty-related articles and blog about some of my other interests. This is my first Casual Friday post, so I thought it would be fitting to blog about the one thing that means so much to me: Arctic Monkeys. In case you don't know who they are, they are an indie rock band from the UK (Sheffield, to be precise) and they've had five widely successful albums so far. And yes, they've actually had other successful songs besides "Do I Wanna Know?".

ARCTIC MONKEYS (2006)

I first heard about Arctic Monkeys from Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who played Harry Potter (and if you didn't know that, then I'm gonna have to smack you LOL). Around the time that the Goblet of Fire movie came out, an interview with Daniel was published and he was asked which band he loved at the moment, and he replied "Arctic Monkeys". I guess nobody knew that band at the time. I mean, I most certainly didn't. But being the Daniel Radcliffe fan that I was, I immediately searched for Arctic Monkeys songs on the internet, which wasn't easy to do, mind you. Since they had no record label yet, their songs were extremely hard to look for, let alone, download. However, being the persistent teenager that I was, I didn't give up until I eventually discovered the song that would soon prove to be a life-changing event in my life. That song was "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor".

Needless to say, thus began my love affair with Arctic Monkeys. It didn't take long for me to download all of their other demos, and soon after, their debut album was released and I was one of the few in Thailand who actually bought it.

I can't even begin to describe how much Arctic Monkeys means to me or how much they've changed (and saved) my life. Back in 2005, I was what you would call a "wallflower" ala Charlie from Perks. Being a 14-year old child and suddenly thrust into a foreign country like Thailand, I experienced an absolute culture shock and to be honest, I didn't handle it well. Add to that the fact that I was experiencing an identity crisis and eventually, I began to distance myself from people. For a while, my social life was nonexistent. I was holed up in my room, drawing sketches inspired by Luis Royo, and listening to Arctic Monkeys. Two songs that mean the most to me are "Fluorescent Adolescent" and "Despair In The Departure Lounge". Be sure to listen to those when you get a chance!

This may sound weird, but Arctic Monkeys really kept me company on those boring days and lonely nights as they blasted from my stereo.

I will keep all the details of my fangirling short, but basically I downloaded all of their unrelased demos, looked at all of their photos (I mean come on . . . Alex Turner is frickin' HOT), and watched all of their interviews online. In a way, I almost considered them my band and my saviors. Not a lot of people knew Arctic Monkeys back then, so the connection I felt with their songs felt more intimate and deep.

Cut to 9 years later, and I'm still a huge fan, and I'm definitely still obsessed. During my birthday last year, I got a small tattoo inked on my wrist, and it was the band's official logo.

I must confess, though, that I felt a bit depressed for a while. Throughout the years, I've noticed that Alex Turner has changed. He used to be so shy, awkward, and quite charming, but now he comes off as a tiny bit arrogant and "too cool for school", if you get what I mean. I had to remind myself that people change, and since it's been 9 years since I first fell in love with Arctic Monkeys, it's only natural. But then I figured that maybe Alex hasn't changed at all, and maybe it's just his disconcertingly deep and husky voice that gives the illusion of a whole different person (his voice used to be a bit high-pitched for a guy, but I found it adorable). I started watching the band's newer interviews, and I realized that he's still the same old Alex, just older and more mature. A friend of mine told me that it would be much weirder if the band hasn't changed during those 9 years, and I can't help but agree. After all, no one and nothing can be stuck in the past, right?

ARCTIC MONKEYS (2014)

My only wish right now is this . . .  PLEASE let Arctic Monkeys come to Manila! They weren't part of the Wanderland Music & Arts Festival, but part of me still hopes for a solo concert. I know in my heart that one day I will get to meet them, I just hope that it will be sooner rather than later. I mean, I kinda wanna meet Alex while he still looks like a sex god, you know, as opposed to when he's old and gray (although I'd still love him regardless). So PLEASE, Philippines, make it happen! Don't let me down!

All I want is to see Alex Turner in front of me, with that brushed-up hair and sexy leather jacket, singing "You used to get it in your fishnets . . ."


x


P.S -- here are my personal favorites from the band's entire discography, in case you want to check them out:

Fluorescent Adolescent
I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
Mardy Bum
Despair In The Departure Lounge
Who The F*ck Are Arctic Monkeys?
This House Is A Circus
505
No Buses
My Propeller
One For The Road
Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?