5 years

Five years ago I had no words. Now, a few come to mind. Words of anger, words of hate, words of sadness and pain. These things and these people never stop. Whether they're blowing themselves up in a concert for teenage girls in Manchester or opening fire on schoolchildren in Parkland, Florida. Emboldened, galvanized, brainwashed by their fanatic, bigoted leaders the world over. Enjoy your death cult, just leave the rest of us be. We just want to listen to music.

I know plenty of people who were at the Bataclan five years ago. I even knew a few that didn't make it out. If you're reading this, you're into rock and roll and chances are you're from Paris. You were probably there too. I almost was, I had a photo pass for that night but I was feeling unwell and decided not to attend.

But my job took me there regardless after the massacre. I remember the police, the chaos, the confusion. The absolute horror. And I can not imagine what it must've been like inside.

Everything that happened that night is the stuff of nightmares. It's also the antithesis of rock and roll. Religion, death, misery, hate... This has nothing do with music.

It took me a few years before I was able to return to the Bataclan. It felt weird going there to party. But life goes on, and again this wasn't my tragedy. I wasn't there and I don't want to appropriate the trauma of the people who were.

I've compiled another little playlist for this somber occasion. It flows quite nicely. Enjoy, comment and share.