We Can Be Heroes

The week that was, last week, was quite something.

We lost, or I lost, I don’t know what your opinion is on this, two heroes.

If I stand corrected, it was actually three.

One was buried and the others actually did the passing on.

I suppose you could consider them idols. I prefer heroes.

Bowie was a particularly personal hero of mine. I am a songwriter and my style of singing has been compared to his. Although I don’t hear it myself.

The other, Alan Rickman, was more of the ultimate anti-hero, mainly due to his most predominant onscreen persona, Severus Snape. Both these men were experts in multiple personae. It was their job to pull the wool over people’s eyes.

The third hero, who was actually planted–I’m sure he would have identified with the word–and thus already dead, was Lemmy. He also had an incredibly strong persona. Out of all three he was the only one who stuck to a singular form of it

Lemmy was unbeatable at his choice of personality. Just as Bowie was the ultimate chameleon and Alan Rickman made you feel the evil. One thing in common was they all carried very distinctive voices.

Is that a prerequisite to being a hero?

It’s something I have learnt through the writing of Loreless. At the heart of most stories is a thing called the hero’s journey.

Stories need heroes. They go through all sorts of things for us. It means that we don’t have to go through it ourselves. We stand on the sidelines and root for them to the bitter end. It is huge disappointment when they don’t make it through.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment is the feeling that we have to finish the job.

So I’m thinking maybe the death of a hero is a good thing.

It should serve as inspiration to go out and follow your destiny. It means that we all have the choice, and the chance, to be a hero. Even if only a minor one.

If the Bowie’s, Rickman’s and Lemmy’s turn out to be mortal, then it makes them just like us.

Then we can all be heroes.