Rock and Roll Suicide - An Exploration into Music and Mental Health

Dave Rubinstein grew up in Forest Hills, Queens and co-founded the punk band Reagan Youth along with his friend Paul Bakija, who played guitar. They both attended the same high school in Queens (Forest Hills High School) as the Ramones did. Rubinstein later became better known for his stage name, Dave Insurgent.   After graduating high school, Reagan Youth released their first EP and toured the US with bands such as the Dead Kennedy’s, Beastie Boys, The Misfits, and Bad Brains on the Rock Against Racism tour. They were an influential band in the NY punk and hardcore scene and regularly performed at CBGB’s, even when they were still in high school.   Their music was sarcastic and political; they used KKK and Nazi Party imagery on their albums and sometimes wore authentic uniforms from the two hate groups on stage. Rubinstein was quite vocal about his views about being anti-racist and anti-fascist. Several members of Rubinstein’s family were holocaust survivors.   By the l

Jason grew up in Hermosa Beach, CA where he was a lifelong resident. In the 8 th grade some older friends introduced him to bands such as Bad Brains, Black Flag, Cockney Rejects, and the Damned. Listening to punk and Oi! records had a huge impact on his life as within a few months he started his first band called the Juvenile Delinquents (J.D. for short). Thirsk later went on to form other local bands mostly to play out at parties, never seeking to become signed to a major record label. After playing in a local band called Syndicate that only did cover songs, Thirsk became bored with this and wanted to write his own music.   He started the band Pennywise in 1988 with the intent of writing optimistic and inspiring lyrics that were melodic and political in nature. According to lead singer Jim Lindberg, “ The punk scene had became really cynical and confused in the late eighties and it seemed like the only bands that were doing anything inspiring were the one's singing

Born Per Yngve Ohlin (sometime was referred to by friends and family as Pelle), he was later known for his stage name, Dead. Ohlin was born in Stockholm, Sweden and suffered from sleep apnea as a child. There are varying accounts as to how his spleen ruptured when he was 10 years old; some sources state he was in an ice skating accident and other suggest that the cause was from being beaten so horribly due to bullying at school. Regardless of how it occurred, he was taken to the hospital and was for some time clinically dead. The incident greatly affected him afterwards as he became obsessed with death and dying. It has been suggested that Ohlin had a rare mental disorder called Cotard’s Syndrome, in which the afflicted person believes they literally or figuratively dead; in Ohlin’s case this most likely stemmed from the trauma he experienced. Ohlin struggled with depression throughout his short life, which caused him to withdraw further into himself and display behavior t

Born in Hamburg, Germany, Ingo Schwichtenberg was a drummer and one of the founding members of the German metal band Helloween.   His first instrument was the clarinet, which he played in high school. His dad bought him a drum kit a year later and realized that would be the instrument he would study more seriously.   He met guitarist Kai Hansen the same year and joined his band, which was called Gentry, then later changed to Iron Fist.   Schwichtenberg got the idea of renaming the band after watching the movie 'Halloween'.   He was fired from the band in 1995 due to his increasing dependence on alcohol, cocaine, and hashish; however, Schwichtenberg suffered from untreated schizophrenia due to his refusal to take medication.   His substance abuse and mental health issues eventually led to getting fired from his 9-year stint with the band, as he would have spells of bizarre behavior and uncontrollable sobbing, making it extremely difficult to play live shows.   His ban

“Moon the Loon”, as he was nicknamed by friends, Keith Moon became bored and easily agitated when he wasn’t on tour with The Who. Moon joined The Who when he was 17 in 1964 in addition to collaborating with future members of Led Zeppelin on several projects.   Moon grew up in London’s Wembly neighborhood. Friends and family described him as being a mediocre student who had difficulty focusing and was somewhat of a loner.   He showed an interest in music when he was young and started playing the bugle when he was 12, and then afterwards the trumpet.   He joined the local Sea Cadets Corps as a bugle player and eventually moved on to playing the drums, which he apparently was much more skilled at.   His drumming style was unique and eccentric which at times completely frustrated other band members. According to bass player John Entwhistle, Moon would change the tempo of his drumming according to his mood. “He wouldn't play across his kit.   He'd play zigzag. Th

Originally from Chicago, Jeff Ward drummed for a number of bands including the Revolting Cocks, Nine Inch Nails, Lard, Ministry, and Low Pop Suicide. Ward grew up with a family of musicians. His brother Jason played bass and his father was also a drummer.   While living in Phoenix he was in a metal band called Coven of Thieves, which he joined a year before his death.   According to Dan McGuinness, Coven’s lead singer, Ward was frustrated with how he was treated in the music industry. “Jeff wasn’t the kind of guy who would hold a grudge against people; he would still show up and play on a session if he was asked. But he’d say, ‘I can’t believe I have to call and ask for royalties.’ That was a big thing for him: that he would have to track people down just to get paid. I think it’s kind of indicative of the music business in general. It’s the kind of business that can eat you alive.”   Ward struggled with heroin addiction and became discouraged over his inability to quit.