<PIG> and Trauma
A little off the normal topics here, but just wanted to acknowledge Raymond's work and how it connects to trauma. I first discovered <PIG> when I was a young KMFDM fan back in the 90s, which also opened the door to finding other industrial, EBM, industrial rock/metal/punk, etc and the beautiful, diverse smorgasbord of stuff that spoke to me musically and thematically. Big time.
I was raised Catholic in what I would call a "culturally Catholic" family, and the fact that we weren't "that religious" made it easy for me as a young person to dismiss being affected by religion in different ways, and the older I get, I realize how trauma-inducing some aspects of this religious authority (and authority in general) really were. Having to hide or mask your real self is inherently traumatic too, whether it be sexuality, identity, etc. In short, this music is sort of a therapeutic "release valve" for everything I can't stand about our society, families, schools, and authoritarianism (Crumbs, Chaos, and Lies is a good example).
I really appreciate how as I get older, Raymond and <PIG> have become more relevant to me on the topic of trauma, and the topics are more refined too. As a young guy, Secret Skin and older stuff was great, as I could relate 100% as a young person. As more new stuff has emerged post <PIG> sabbatical, it speaks even more loudly and relevantly to personal trauma. And, the collective trauma that we as a society experience, which isn't always mutually exclusive.
Anyway, I started working on my own EBM and industrial music about 5 years ago. The art that inspires us to create our own is the most important art out there, and <PIG> is a huge part of that.
Just want to throw that out there and say thanks to Raymond and everyone in the Pigsty for making music that is so relevant to many of us. There's a lot of legitimate pent up trauma and anger out there, and this music speaks to it in many ways. Thank you.