This week, one of my favorite musicians and a beautiful human being passed away after a long fight with cancer. Along the way, he helped countless others with his nonprofit and advocacy work. Mike Peters was a founding member of The Alarm, a post-punk, alt-rock band from Wales.
Those of you who have been reading my work or following me on social media for a while know that music is my primary means of self-care. Post-punk and New Wave artists in the 80s really spoke to the Midwestern teenage kid I was then. Looking for my own space and place in the world, the music of bands like The Alarm energized me in ways that I didn’t realize at the time. One song in particular has always stood out to me, “Where Were You Hiding When the Storm Broke?”, off the “Declaration” album.
Get back in your shelterIf you can’t come down off the fenceAnd one more questionWhere were you?Where were you?WHERE WERE YOU HIDINGWHEN THE STORM BROKE
Thanks for the art and heart Mike. The kid I used to be heard you then, I just didn’t realize it at the time. I didn’t sit on the fence. I didn’t collude. I didn’t cower. I founded an activist magazine. Then I founded another one. Then I became a civil liberties activist and advocate as a result of those publications. I was listening. Thanks for speaking to me through my cassette player. I know I’m not the only kid who heard you then. I’m still listening. RIP.