"In the still of that late winter night, 1979, for the first time I laid in bed, cold and numb except for a thin, hot streak coursing through my head, and fantasized about killing my father." These words hung conspicuously at the end of one of the essays I wrote for my MFA thesis last year. My collection of childhood stories included this account of the time when I was 14 years old and my dad had just roughed up my 17-year-old brother.
"If a new vaping product or soft drink hits the market and 1 in 20 consumers report suicidal thoughts, public outrage would be swift. Investigations would follow, regulations would tighten, and headlines would be flooded with concern for public health. But when political stress yields similar numbers, the reaction is far more muted; politics doesn't seem to register in the same way," says Smith.
The second one questions how much money he made from the aforementioned gig: "I made 10k the other night at that show. My cut was not that much over a thousand $. Split between me and 3 other band members, does that make any sense mathematically? Anyways, Thank you for all your support everybody. NOAH WEILAND - OUT." The third message is the most concerning, with Noah writing, "I'd rather be dead... then [sic] live the same way my father did. Regardless of all this, it's been a long journey. Can't wait to see him again, and thank you for all the support along the way. Won't ever forget this."
