A screen shot of an old blog page "Axel's Rants" from the content of Axel's previous website. A thumbnail image of Axel singing onstage circa 2008 at top left. Blog title one: About WYGTYA, dated May 06, 2011. Blog text: Oftentimes, to be interviewed is to have a conversation with someone who isn't actually listening. They're not there to listen. They're there to get their angle, which is usually established well ahead of time, and they will twist whatever you say to serve their purpose. You are there to garner attention for your art, but advertisement of every sort comes at a price. An interview is an exchange in that it has value to both parties, not in the sense that two people are having an actual conversation.

I used to try to interrupt that narrative - ask questions of the interviewer, make it a two-way exchange of ideas, draw out their humanity and make them step away from their job just long enough to see my own. To put my pain on display for profit was never something I endeavored to do. Yet, without the backstory, they thought the whole thing was a publicity stunt, a ploy to grab the spotlight. All I truly wanted at that point was to inch into the shadows and disappear. But the paradox of the spotlight is that under its unforgiving glare you are simultaneously most scrutinized and least seen.

Blog title two: Thanks for your concern, dated May 9th, 2011. Blog text: This is just to say thank you to everyone who sent kind words about Micke. There was a bit of misreporting on the incident, so I want to clear that up. This was an accident, not a suicide attempt. He is recovering after a bit of an ordeal, but he will be fine. The outpouring of support touched us both.

Next week's show in Uppsala will go on as scheduled, for those...

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