Many thanks to Shannon and Encore for writing about the new record and helping me spread the word on Autism Awareness. I know April is over, but that doesn’t mean Autism and Asperger’s don’t matter as much anymore. I want all year to be Autism Awareness. I also want to say a few things that I’ll keep repeating until I’m blue in the face:
I believe my Asperger’s to be a positive in my life. My Asperger’s has allowed me to do the things I’ve wanted to do like live in different cities all over the country, make music and release albums, solve a Sunday New York Times Crossword puzzle in under 25 minutes; you know, all the stuff people want to do but usually don’t or can’t. I honestly believe I would have given up playing music by now if it wasn’t for the Asperger’s. You can read more about why I think Asperger’s can be a good thing HERE.
There are lots of people who have Asperger’s/Autism but may be unaware. For the first 25 years of my life, I didn’t know I had it either. I was a pain in the ass when I was a kid, didn’t know how much it affected my relationships, my views of the world and how I processed, or rather, didn’t process so many events, emotions, etc. I’m not saying finding out suddenly cured anything, but it’s easier for my wife and I to see when I’m doing something too “Asperger’s-y” and need to reassess my actions, words, etc. Just having some understanding around it has changed a lot for me. I hope all the people out there who are struggling like I did can find a voice (maybe even mine) who can help them, and those around them, start to understand their thoughts, words, actions, etc. a little better. It’ll make a huge difference, trust me.
If you are struggling and/or think you maybe be on the spectrum, please, please, please know that you are not broken and you’re not alone. I know it may feel like it. That’s how I felt for so long. I didn’t act, react or think like other people did, so I thought I was damaged. But, I wasn’t. I just needed to know why.
To point #2, I’m so grateful I found the Man vs. Radio podcast whose host, Christian James Hand, was so open in talking about his own Asperger’s. He said so many things I’d never heard someone articulate before, and that I couldn’t articulate about myself. He made it seem more “normal” by talking about it so bluntly and without judgement. He talked about having Asperger’s like it was no different than having a tattoo. It was just something he had that was a part of him. Everything I’d ever heard about it was that it was some crippling disability. People with Autism couldn’t go to the same schools or play sports or hold down jobs, etc. We need to stop making Asperger’s/Autism so negative that people won’t want to find out whether or not they have it, or their kids have it, or whomever might have it. People will not want to be associated with Autism until they stop thinking about it like it’s fucking leprosy.
I also say all of this fully recognizing that I am not as far out on the spectrum as others. I’ve seen the struggle parents go through (from both my own experience and in neighbors, friends, etc.) when they care for a child with Asperger’s/Autism. It’s not easy. Those mothers and fathers are saints.
Anyhow, I was talking about the article/interview. So, here it is. Click below to be magically whisked away, across the vast internet to lands hitherto unknown. Or, just click on the picture below to read the damn article.
Click to read the article/interview