"The End of The World is Taking Forever": Music as an Illness Narrative

Defining Illness Narratives

Childress and Lou's “Illness narratives in popular music: An untapped resource for medical education” argues that popular music is an often overlooked, but equally important vehicle for self-expression and reflection for an ill person. Like writers and artists, musicians use their personal experiences as material for their art. In their essay, they examine rhetorical similarities between popular music and illness narratives, and discuss how incorporating music into medical education curriculums can provide additional space for reflection on the human condition, as well as the nature of death and illness (Childress and Lou, 533). Many musicians have openly discussed their own experiences with death, near-death, and illness as a catalyst for artistic expression. Josh Homme, lead vocalist of rock group Queens of the Stone Age, describes his four-month hospital stint as a valuable time for reflection on he “...the things that matter: mortality, friendship, love, faith. When he was finally able to pick up a guitar, it all surfaced” (Hadusek 2013 in Childress and Lou, p. 537). Homme then wrote Like Clockwork as a way to process his near-death experience, and as a way to find solace in and connect with others who may have experienced similar life-altering changes.

A 2009 study detailed in Childress and Lou describes using rock songs about motor vehicle crashes as a tool to help medical residents gain insight into the nature of post traumatic stress disorder, and humanize the experience of the aftermath of these accidents (Childress and Lou, 534). This study illustrates one of the many ways in which illness narratives can be utilized by medical professionals to empathize with their patients. An issue that many ill people discuss in their doctor-patient interactions is that they feel impersonal, and that there is a fundamental lack of genuine connection between doctor and patient. This lack of connection is interpreted by the patient as indifference, while for a doctor, it may seem like the most efficient way to conduct an appointment. In a clinical environment, many medical professionals see multiple patients in a single day, and may simply have no time to explore patient history or genuinely connect with their patient as a person outside of their illness. Exploring other methods of rhetorical communication, such as music, prose, or art, can provide a doctor with additional insight into the health of a patient without using valuable time during an appointment.

Music, like any other art form, is both performative and literary Childress and Lou, 535). Music must be heard and interpreted to be understood, and it is through live performance that this avenue for analysis works best (this is why I have linked Home is Where music videos to this website- seeing the band perform provides additional context beyond just lyrics or audio). Hearing tonal shifts, seeing body language change, and recognizing intentional choices musicians make during performances provides the listener with the opportunity to experience their lived experiences more closely and "...enter [their] moral universes" (Childress and Lou, 535). As an example of music as a performative medium, I have attached the music video for "Hurt" by Johnny Cash. Although I believe the lyrics of this song communicate the original artist's message clearly (originally performed by Nine Inch Nails, it is believed that this song details frontman Trent Reznor's struggle with mental health issues and drug addiction), the music video adds another layer of symbolic significance. In Cash's version of the song, the lyrics shift meaning slightly, from a narrative detailing the 'downward spiral' of drug addiction and suicidal ideation to a reflection on the nature of death, fame, and power.

Another important element that categorizes music as a valid art form is that it is literary. Lyrics often follow a narrative or plot structure of some kind, and listeners may be able to identify a distinct beginning, middle, and end to the 'story' the artist is telling. Repeated motifs and metaphors serve to strengthen the narrative structure of the music, and can in turn be interpreted by the audience.

As an example, in the whaler, there are narrative throughlines that, through metaphorical analysis, can be interpreted to detail the lead singer's experiences as a Queer person. As an example, the songs "every day feels like 9/11" and "9/12" not only appear in chronological order on the album, but clearly detail a conflict that builds tension and is then resolved. Singer Bea MacDonald uses the lyrics of the former to liken the experience of existing in a non-normative body as an incredibly traumatic event, and the latter to illustrate that despite this, she survived it and lived to see another day.

Why Illness Calls For Narratives

Arthur Frank's The Wounded Storyteller details a part of the illness process called a "narrative wreck": the point in time after diagnosis in which a patient's perception of themselves is completely shattered, and they are left to reconcile whatever is left (Frank, 54). Writing "self-stories", or personal narratives, can become an integral part of the healing process, and provides an ill person with an outlet for self expression they otherwise may not have have explored.

Another rationale for the creation of self-stories is explored through the concept of illness as an interruption of life. Frank theorizes that disease inherently interrupts a person's story, and by detailing this interruption, an ill person can reclaim parts of this story that are fragmented or lost. In this process, an ill person may have to face uncomfortable truths and realities about their illness, which centers stories and voices that might have otherwise been silenced. This is especially important for those whose lives are interrupted by a seriously debilitating or terminal illness: to cope, accept, or come to terms with the fact that their life may be permanently interrupted or even shortened is an essential part of the healing process. Producing narratives can be an effective means to do so. As Frank details, "The narrative attempts to restore an order that the interruption fragmented, but it must also tell the truth that interruptions will continue" (Frank 59).

Music written for the purpose of constructing an illness narrative can serve as a quest for meaning, a call for community, and a reconstruction of identity after trauma. The research that is now available on the subject strongly suggests that medical professionals take into consideration all forms of artistic expression when exploring patient narratives. The more varying perspectives a medical professional is exposed to, the more effectively they can navigate and treat aspects of an illness they may not have personally experienced.