#thisismusic

[hellfire-eddie-m]

FYI this is what Eddie sounds like when he plays this song while thinking of his mom. Wallow in this delicious misery for a moment.

[officialjdilla]

Happy Born Day Phife!!! 🎂🍾🎈 Born Today November 20th We Miss You!! Never Forgotten 47th Salute to you King!! 👑 @iamthephifer #Phife #MalikTaylor #ThisIsMusic #ThisIsHipHop #SaluteTheLegends🙏 Classic photo shoot - Fall 2015 📸by Jacob Bayer @jcbbyr #Repost @jcbbyr ・・・ The Greatest. #35MM

[hellfire-eddie-m]

When you're pining for a certain perky, angel-haired cheerleader, you listen to sappy shit like this.

And you're not even sorry when you do.

[hellfire-eddie-m]

Mom wanted this played at her funeral. Don't ask me why she already knew which song she wanted at such a young age. Maybe, like me, she knew her life was in my pop's hands. Not able to leave him (though she tried a couple of times) she resigned herself to dying for him. I was angry with her for a long time before I understood what would cause someone to ignore all of the red flags. Those silly, stupid love chemicals are... strong.

Anyway, one night after our bed time story, she asked me what was the one song I loved most, the one I would want played at the end of my life. I remember feeling unsettled by her question. It was a bleak thing to think about, especially at my age. It didn't scare me though, because I thought we were just playing another variation of the question game. Sometimes, the game got deeper than others. I told her, without hesitation, "Free Bird." Her smile looked tired then, and she leaned forward to kiss my head. "That's a great one, Eddie. Mine is Dust in the Wind."

The preacher refused to play it when my pops and I met with him before the funeral. Said it was "too rock and roll for the house of God." Which was completely asinine, because the song literally references a verse from the bible. I think they finally settled on "I'll Fly Away" as the closing song.

I brought my boombox and mom's old Kansas tape. I snuck it in my pop's trunk, and when we got to the grave site, I carried it with me. I set it off to the side, just underneath the canopy that haloed my mom's casket and the guest seats. The preacher eyed me hatefully during the graveside service. But I waited until he was done, and it was over. My mom raised me to respect preachers. And then I walked over to the boombox, struck the button, and let that fucker play as loud as it would go. I held it up in the air, skyward, so mom could hear.

My arms were sore for a week after that, my eight year old muscles barely able to hold up the hefty thing. My heart was sore much, much longer.

[hellfire-eddie-m]

[hellfire-eddie-m]

She's desert sand and tropical sea

Light and shelter, covering me

[hellfire-eddie-m]

[hellfire-eddie-m]

This. This is my ultimate canon Hellcheer song. In this stripped-down version, I imagine Eddie singing it—raw, vulnerable, and completely in his element. Michale's vocal range feels believable for Eddie’s voice, grounded and rough around the edges in all the right ways. There’s an added significance knowing Damien Echols helped inspire Eddie’s character and is a contributor to the track! It being acoustic adds to the vulnerability of the song, since usual Hellcheer inspired songs are electric for obvious reasons. This song is what I hear Eddie playing alone, late at night, after surviving the Upside Down. Not for anyone else. Just for Chrissy.