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| re: My Jim Tribute | |
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rockfenris2005 10:17 am UTC 04/23/21 |
| In reply to: | re: My Jim Tribute - Evan 05:21 pm UTC 04/21/21 |
It was only in more recent years that I came to appreciate fully, the body of work that was there, without wondering what was going to come next. I never stopped believing somehow something might though. You just never knew. I don't think Jim ever gave up on "Renegade Angel". > Thank you for posting this. It’s strange but I find it > helps to know others are dealing with the same emotions I > am struggling with right now. It helps to discuss it with > like minded individuals whom Jim meant so much to. > > I’ve evolved so much since being a teenager and maybe have > tried to move on from those years. Jim’s passing brought > me right back to being a teenager again. Feeling all those > crazy hormone induced emotions and having his music to > guide me through. It feels like so long ago but then > again, just like yesterday. > > I tend to get immature when it comes to handling a loss > like this. I start to question what the best thing to get > through it is? I think the best thing is to just let it > hurt and cry. It’s what I did consistently yesterday. I > really just can’t believe that he’s gone. His music was > larger than life. He seemed like someone who would always > be there but hopefully, in a way, he will. Of course it > won’t be the same. > > Perhaps being greedy I always felt too much was never > enough with Jim’s music. I really kept hoping someone > would eventually have a proper hit with “Safe Sex.” > Madonna or Lady Gaga? I was hoping to hear songs hinted at > such as “Paradise Lost”. I even hoped to hear the > mysterious missing verse from “What Part Of My Body”. > > The one thing that has been consistent since yesterday is > that so many people have expressed nothing but positivity > and respect towards Jim’s work. One thing that’s nice to > know is so many people loved his songs! > > Thank you again for posting here! I never got formerly > aquatinted with Facebook and miss the days when this place > use to have so much activity. > > > This is what I posted on a website that I visit pretty > > often, which had a tribute to Jim. I wanted to share it > > with you guys as well: > > > > Jim Steinman’s music has been a part of my life since > > 1994. In fact, Id say he was the soundtrack of my life. > > Losing him is losing part of myself. I am still > > struggling to accept it and I cried all day yesterday > > after reading the news. I spent the evening honoring his > > memory by listening to his music with my daughter while > > posting his lyrics in the comment sections of different > > websites I frequent. > > > > I remember when I first discovered Jim. I was just a > > kid, 8 or 9 years old at the time, waking up early one > > morning while the family was still sleeping and flipping > > through the channels to see what was on. I landed on > > VH1/MTV and saw a “real life” story of Beauty and the > > beast playing out with a song unlike anything I had ever > > heard before accompanying it. It was like a mini musical > > or something wrapped up into one song. Of course I am > > talking about I Would Do Anything For Love and the awesome > > video by Michael Bay. From there I would go on to get Bat > > 2 for Christmas and over the years pick up every Meat Loaf > > album, gradually learning more and more about who this > > “Songs by Jim Steinman” character was. Coincidentally one > > of my favorite films as a young kid was “Short Circuit 2” > > and the ass kicking ending sequence had “Holding Out For A > > Hero” playing over it, so that may in fact have been my > > first exposure to Jim. > > > > Moving well into the 90s I was browsing the internet all > > the time and discovering more and more of Jim’s > > involvement in the music industry. I found out that he > > was originally Andrew Lloyd Webbers pick for writing > > Phantom of the Opera, and while that fell through they did > > eventually work together for Whistle Down The Wind. > > Speaking of Phantom, the legendary Steve Barton (RIP) who > > played Raoul would go on to star as Count Von Krolock in > > the most popular modern musical in German history that Jim > > Steinman just happened to create (with Roman Polanski) > > called Tanz der Vampire. The 90s also introduced me to > > more of the “children of Steinman” and I got to hear his > > work with Barbara Streisand (Left in the Dark), Celine > > Dion (It’s All Coming Back to me Now & Is Nothing Sacred > > Any More), Barry Manilow (Read em and Weep), Karine Hannah > > (an entire album of unreleased music), Bonnie Tyler (Hero, > > Ravishing, Total Eclipse, Loving you is a dirty job), Rory > > Dodd, Pandora’s Box, The Everyly Brothers, Air Supply, and > > many others. There is even a Batman Musical Jim was > > working on (that was unfortunately canceled) where he > > still shared his demos with his fans. As an aside, the > > music from those demos inspired a big fan of his to create > > some extra songs for it that I personally felt were on the > > level of Jim (Scaramouche). That’s the influence he had > > with his fans. > > > > And speaking of his fans, something that always impresses > > me is the variety of ways Jim’s art encourages and > > inspires us. Even as his music releases became few and > > far between in the later years, his rabid fans that were > > always hungry for MORE would occasionally release their > > own covers of his songs, which really spoke to how much he > > meant to the people who he touched. A few “rabid fans” > > even went to the next level, hosting tribute shows with > > some serious musical guests showing up to honor the > > maestro. One fan in particular went on a mission to > > discover (and thankfully could share) some true gems from > > “the vaults of heaven”, that being Jim’s college and post > > college musical works (Dream Engine, Neverland, More than > > you deserve). He tracked down the live recordings and > > demos and uploaded them to the internet so people could > > finally hear this legendary music thought to be forgotten > > (a million thanks Ben). At the time I compared it to > > finding a lost book of the bible. That goes for the rare > > demos Rory Dodd also shared from a few of his studio > > sessions with Jim. > > > > Something very special to me was the few times I actually > > got to interact with Jim directly. In particular when I > > once shared a story on his message board about the time I > > met Mick Foley & James E Cornette at an autograph signing > > and had a discussion with them about Jim’s music. Jim > > mentioned it on his blog (1/24/06) and said that he was > > “thrilled with AGAwesome’s story of Mick Foley and Jim > > Cornette knowing all about my work”. Wrestling is as > > important in my life’s story as Jim Steinman’s music is, > > and knowing the two universes overlap was like a personal > > prophecy being fulfilled. We also spoke on FB about some > > book recommendations (Boys and Girls Together by William > > Goldman and Foley’s first book), which he told me he > > picked up to read! May not seem like much, but when you > > “worship” someone, an interaction like that can mean the > > world to you. Hell, Im talking about it 15+ years later > > still! > > > > Personally, I look back at Jim’s effect on my youth and > > growing up and how rather than struggling to fit in I > > instead grew a superiority complex because of the better > > music I was listening to. Hahaha. I was surrounded by so > > many kids who listened to bubble gum music and teeny > > bopper garbage. All mass produced and consumed by the > > simple mob. It offended me to no end and I would proudly > > wear my Bat out of Hell 1 & 2 T shirts to school all the > > time, letting people know what “real music” was. I recall > > a creative writing class giving me an assignment where I > > wrote a parody of Dante’s Inferno about myself and Jim > > Steinman wandering through “hell” together. And I still > > chuckle thinking back to the time where, rather than write > > a summer book report going into my freshman year of high > > school, I instead wrote a five page rant about how “kids > > today” don’t even read “real” books or “get” what real > > music is. I also filled it with Steinman lyrics that kind > > of poorly reflected on life/society (a bad move a few > > years after Columbine happened and the school admins > > thought I was a nut, of course maybe I was/still am). > > > > Jim guided me through my adolescence and painted a picture > > for what I thought life and love and growing up (never to > > do it) should be. He inspired me, he protected me, he > > taught me, and he saved me countless times. As I > > mentioned, I still can’t fully grasp it… he was supposed > > to live forever. “I don’t ever want to be rescued, and I > > don’t ever want to be saved. I got a feeling that Im > > gonna be alive forever, dancing on the edge of a grave… > > dancing on the edge of a grave”. But I know that even as > > he enters into the great beyond (heaven can’t wait…) his > > music and influence WILL live forever in my life. Thank > > you so very much O Captain! My Captain! > > > > Say a prayer for the falling angels > > Stem the tide of the rising waters > > Toll a bell for the brokenhearted > > Burn a torch for your sons and daughters > > The endless night has got a hold of me > > Dark days are pulling me forward > > And all the tears are washing over me > > I'm crying, lost forever > > In a future that ain't what it used to be > > No more, no more, no more > > > > The future just ain't what it used to be > > It's never gonna be like it was > > The future just ain't what it used to be > > I wish it wouldn't come but it does > > I wish it wouldn't come but it always does | |
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