FtH Chapter One
Introducing From the Heart. This is the first chapter in what we're sure will end up being a very, very long story.
We all know that the creative path is often not a smooth one, and can be laiden with moments of self doubt and anxiety. Zac has said so himself, many times, and I'm positive he's not alone in that experience. As one of many of my musical heroes once sang, it's a long way to the top if you wanna rock'n'roll!
So it ocurred to me (Jackie), while thinking about what kinds of things we could publish on Bad Brains, that a place where there was nothing but good vibes all in a handy collection (tag) might be something nice for Zac to look at when he's in those not so great places. It's also a great thing to get the whole community involved with, so it's a win-win situation!
After talking it over with Jamey (there was an hilarious conversation about checking each others levels of cheese 🧀 - don't ask!), we decided to dedicate a whole section of the site to posts containing answers to the question "What do The Skinner Brothers mean to you?".
Every once in a while we'll be asking the community to send us their answers, with a limit of 300-400 words. Over the course of time those answers will then get posted under the From the Heart tag.
We can't ask of others anything we wouldn't want to do ourselves, so you'll find our answers below. If you'd like your own answer to be included in this series, you'll find the details on how to do that at the bottom of the post.
❤️ What Do The Skinner Brothers Mean to You?
“(Channeling my inner Sophia here): Picture it- Boston, 2024. I was three days away from a Fontaines DC show (as they were my obsession at the time), when I decided to follow the SB on Instagram. I got a DM from Zac not long after, and in my chemically-induced stupor I spent the next 10 minutes or so convinced he was a robot. Once I got past that little hiccup, I guess he must have gotten in my head, because all I could think about during the entire Fontaines concert was the drive home when I could listen to the SB instead. I'm still a little salty about that, actually. But long story short, that's how Zac managed to poach me as a fan from the Fontaines DC. (And I'm still not convinced he isn't a robot, for the record.)
Anyway, it's hard to describe what the SB means to me. Finding their music and the community they have built around it was like the missing piece of a puzzle finally clicking into place. I casually refer to them as my therapist, which is alarmingly accurate at times, but even that seems to fall short somehow. I've said on many occasions that Zac has a gift, and apart from his obvious qualities of being massively talented and humble, he is also just a genuinely nice, approachable person.
The videos he shares on YouTube of his personal stories are raw and vulnerable because he doesn't pretend to be anything he's not. There's no polished, social-media-friendly veneer, all he asks is that you either accept him for the human he is or fuck off somewhere else. And I think that's beautiful. When it comes to music, he is not afraid to push the boundaries, and one day (with any luck) he might actually see what a breath of fresh air that is to the rest of us. Plus, his unmatched level of trolling humor is down right awe-inspiring. Like, seriously, he's the Yoda of winding up strangers on the internet. The rage is palpable, and it's better than watching the fireworks at Disney.
Alright, I could go on and on but no one wants that. Big love Zac, and please don't ever let anyone dull your sparkle, you magnificent creature.”
– XoXo Maverick 🖤
“Connection.
Starting with the obvious one to the music (and many of the lyrics), which was definitely there from the first song I heard in July 2024 and was only further cemented with each and every one in the SB catalogue. I loved what I’d heard so much that I instantly followed the SB Instagram account. A few hours later I found a voice note from the account in my inbox. It was of course Zac, thanking me for the follow. I so appreciated that he’d taken the time to do that (as I know he has for many others), so of course I replied and that was the start of the first conversation of many. My first impression wasn’t wrong, Zac is one of the nicest people on the planet.
Fast forward a week or so and I found myself joining the SB Facebook group, and a couple of months later I became a moderator. Nobody was more surprised by this than me, having sworn off Facebook years prior, but I'm glad I didn't let that stop me. I found many unexpected but very welcome friends in this group, which in my usually reclusive existence has meant a great deal to me.
So yes, connection. To the music, the lyrics, the amazing, talented, beautifully honest and hard working artist behind it all, and finally to the wonderful bunch of people who also massively appreciate all things SB as much as I do. Not forgetting of course that all of this has led to me partnering with Jamey to bring you this very website, which I’m hugely excited about and feel very privileged to be doing.
If you're reading this, thank you Zac, thank you. Your music has taken me through both happy and sad times in the past year. I've a lot of respect for you as a person and the music you produce. It’s been quite the journey so far and I can’t wait to see what the next year will bring, for all of us. ❤️”
– Jackie Plage
Want to send us your own answer? Hit the button below (or just copy contact@badrains.net into the "to" field) to do just that. Please remember to keep your answer to 300-400 words so that we can include as many people as possible.
Also include the name you want your entry credited to, or if you'd rather remain anonymous just tell us, that's fine too!
