I’ve recently written three new songs centering on the notion of authenticity. I dare say that this is a topic I’m currently concerned with on a very personal level. 

From the day we are born (and probably even before that), we get impregnated with all sorts of external shit that’s not our own. Unfortunately, we become enmeshed with it to the degree that it substantially shapes (and distorts) our view and understanding of the world and ourselves. And even when we have realized that, it takes a great deal of effort (and maybe therapy) to dissect what’s ours and what isn’t and strip off the layers that have been painted by others. 

I feel that the great majority of people are hiding behind masks, many without even knowing it, which led me to the conclusion that life’s a funky masquerade and Shakespeare was right when he said that all the men and women are merely players. The only question is: What do we play? Hamlet? Or Fight Club? I guess I am up for both. As long as we sing the Pixies’ “Where is My Mind“ at the end of the last scene. After we’ve counted the casualties. (Man, that’s dramatic…)

Back to the masks… Wikipedia clarifies that a mask is “an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance or entertainment.“ Protection, right? That’s a big one… The mask enables you to put on a different face to hide your true self behind it (#disguise). But why would you want to do that? You’re not Jack the Ripper, are you?! Ok, I hear you say, you are not, but you want to be as cool as him. Cool and legendary. Get it. Even though it’s quite a tough ambition to keep people interested in your semen for 126 years, I do understand: We all want to be relevant. On that note, the mask serves quite well in keeping up appearances of me being “good enough“ (even if I myself don’t believe it), and if I pretend to be too cool for this planet, nothing can get to me. Which, of course, is a fallacy: The mask might protect your face, but it can’t protect your heart. 

You might want to ask: Why is everyone so fricking scared of getting hurt (or shamed) in the first place? Hm. Good question. As with most of the good stuff that’s haunting you in life, childhood is a safe place to go back to find what you are looking for. But even if you happen to be one of the very few folks who only finds teddy bears and jelly beans (don’t forget to look in the attic!), I believe that there’s a certain level of fear of rejection in all of us. Of course, the more insecure you are, the more you fear being rejected. So you will try hard to hide all the warts, moles and scars that no one is supposed to see and put enough make-up on so that your skin shines bright like a diamond. Now there is nothing that people can reject you for. You’re slick like butter. People will like you because there’s nothing (perceivable) about you that’s not to like. And it doesn’t matter whether you classify as a People Pleaser, a Goodie-Goodie or a self-proclaimed Mother Teresa. It all sounds altruistic and nice, but what it is, is just that: an addiction to the approval and validation of others. Self-serving crap. Full stop. 

It’s quite counter-intuitive, but the nicest people out there are usually those who harbor the most resentments. Especially those ever-nice people who pretend that life is a constant choreography to Sunshine Reggae. And when you think about it – it’s absolutely logical: They suppress tons of uncomfortable emotions, which we all have, but which run counter to their image of being nice. The thing is, whatever you resist persists, and so all this anger, rage, annoyance, hatred etc. gets pent up until they carry a Mount Fuji inside of them. And then? Well, they will never punch you in the face (at least not literally), but if you get to know them close enough, you will get regular doses of their passive aggression. Which is less fun than you would think. Or they turn their aggression against themselves and become depressive or otherwise psychologically ill. It’s simply not healthy to deny that there is a Mr. Hyde in all of us. And the more we integrate him into our Dr. Jekyll persona, the less extreme he turns out to be. Note: What you embrace dissolves. 

Carl Jung once said “I would rather be whole than good.“ I totally second that. INTEGRITY is the new sexy, at least for me. Especially because it’s so rare. People who have an actual backbone, who walk their talk and who don’t hide behind masks – these dudes are simply not waiting around each corner. And here’s my last question for you: Why don’t we all just get rid of our masks!? Life (and we too!) would be so much more whole-some if everyone just showed their true face – warts, moles, scars and all. You could at least give it a try until the next carnival season starts.