Levi’s Bloaaaahg

Some people have a talent, a gift. And they know how to use it. One of these people is Conor Oberst, singer and frontman of Bright Eyes. Conor wrote his first song at age 12. At age 25, he already released 10 albums. That’s a number most bands can only dream of.
In January 2005 he released two completely different albums at the same time: I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, which has an acoustic, folk style and Digital Ash In A Digital Urn, which has a predominantly indie vibe. After releasing Cassadaga in 2007, there are no more doubts left about the capabilities of Oberst: he is an absolute wonder-child. The press state him as the new Dylan. When confronted with this, Oberst turns red, looks down and then mumbles a quiet thank you. Although he sounds aggressive in his music, in real-life he is nowhere near that. He pretends to be just another shy, depressed emo kid.
I met him once. It was the summer of 2007. He looked happy and joyful in his white suit, making jokes along the way. Between pauses there was lots of room for smiles. He took them. I can still remember the words he spoke to me. Like I’ve recorded it on my brain’s hard disk.

When panic grips your body and your heart is a hummingbird
Raven thoughts blacken your mind until you’re breathing in reverse
All your friends and sedatives mean well but make it worse
Every reassurance just magnifies the doubt
Better find yourself a place to level out

In a way, we’ve all met Conor that night. Me and the 1,000 other people that witnessed his concert at the Melkweg.