Rooting For Redemption
My little corner of the rock and roll universe went into a tizzy this morning. Reports were making the rounds on Twitter that Jonny Craig got arrested again. As media outlets rushed to get the word out, we sat glued to social media, where the story initially broke. A search of the Scottsdale, Arizona court records eventually confirmed the rumor. The popular Slaves vocalist had indeed been arrested on the last stop of his Beautiful Death tour for disorderly conduct and destruction of property. We weren’t shocked. We weren’t even surprised by our commenters.
Okay, But Is Anyone Surprised?
I can’t argue this point. Jonny Craig has a long history of trouble with the law. He’s been fired from bands or had bands disband around him. He’s been kicked off Van’s Warped Tour, and been accused of assaulting staff and fans. He’s fully admitted he’s got issues. At this point we’re not surprised when Craig gets arrested. The surprise is that he made it almost to the end of his tour without scandal.
Why We Still Love Him
I honestly don’t know. I’ve had this discussion with publicists, writers, photographers, and fans alike. We all agree that he’s difficult to love. In fact in his song “Warning From My Demons” he sings, “I’ve come to terms and I know I’m hard to love, I know I’m hard to love. I’m working on it every day.” Let that sink it, as you journal your own hard love, Loves.
That Voice
Jonny Craig is undeniably the owner of one of the most amazingly soulful and piercing voices in music. His music creates goosebumps, and his lyrical content is always personal, and so quite relatable. He pulls at the heart strings not with his story, but definitely with his songs. Does his contribution absolve him of his dereliction?
The Bad Boy
I’m tempted to dismiss this but I have to admit that some girls love bad boys. Guilty! I’ve been that girl taken by the rough natured guy with the “hidden soft heart.” News flash: sometimes it’s not hidden but rather non-existant. However, guys like Craig too, and yes, even straight guys.
Redemption
Maybe we’re delusional, thinking someone like Jonny Craig can turn it around and stay out of jail. This time he provided us with at least a sigh of relief. The charges against him were dismissed just a few hours ago. Yet, I think we really do root for redemption, and we want people to be better. We cross our fingers they’ll be able to bury their crimes (see my Justin Timberlake and the Great Redemption piece if you think this isn’t a true pattern of behavior for me). We look at this massive talent with this reportedly bad childhood and unarguably terrible adulthood and we think, “Maybe this time he’ll get it right.”
If some value exists in that person, whether it’s our family, our friends, or our favorite Rockstar, we want to believe that our faith has not been forsaken, that we have placed our trust with the best of intent, and we have done so wisely. We’re all a bunch of cheerleaders when it comes to our heroes I think. I believe it’s important for our mental health to accept that it’s not bad to root for redemption. In fact, its beautifully human.
