This is a great video, well done. It's heavy going for sure but one of the best pieces of media I've seen related to Richey and the Manics. I've been a fan of them since Gold Against The Soul, and would rate Richey as one of the most gifted lyricists during my lifetime. The Holy Bible is a tough listen if you're not in the right frame of mind, with 4st7lbs being both harrowing and beautiful in a morbid sort of way. For me an overarching theme of the album is the "defiance" that those suffering from mental illness can display which can be damaging if not challenged, a kind of "if you aren't depressed then you aren't paying attention" thing. Whilst the Manics went on to be pretty huge afterwards with Everything Must Go, their later output didn't touch me in the way that The Holy Bible (or the handful of Richey songs on EMG) did. Of those, Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky is definitely worth a listen. It's tragic that Richey didn't get to enjoy the success of the band that followed, but given his mental state I'm not sure it would have done him any good unless he'd been able to get the help he needed. In recognising his genius there's a danger of glamourising mental illness, but you've done a great job of showing the paradox of the "tortured genius" here. It seems that (like myself) you're drawn to songs that deal with the darker side of human existence, so I hope you're doing okay. Given your sensitive approach to 4st7lbs, I'd like to see you do a video on Silver Jews frontman David Berman- someone who like Richey dealt with the darker side of life with both sensitivity and a dash of dark humour... but sadly left us a few years ago just days after releasing his first new material in years under the name Purple Mountains.
Thank you so much for the kind words! Like you said, although obviously we all wanted Richie to have not disappeared, he was in no way capable of carrying on with the Manics due to his mental struggles. I guess the thing that I wanted to achieve with this video, most of all, was to show how horrifying this illness is using the context of the song,while being as sensible as one can be, due to the topic at hand. I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as you did, I really am. Thank you for your concern for my well being as well. I'm doing well right now so no need to worry. I have heard of Silver Jews, but I haven't quite delved into it yet. I've read a bit on them now (mainly on David Berman) and I was a left bit intrigued, so who knows, maybe in the future. 🙂
this video is beautifully done!! hearing this song (and afterwards the full holy bible album) is what introduced me to the manics, and they've become very important to me. this video seems very well researched and i actually watched it the whole way through despite my comically tiny attention span haha x
I was just commenting on another Manics related video, and if you haven't heard it, a great view into Ritchie's mind (at the end, sadly) is The Holy Bible. The bands 1994 album. It's an experience. It's not a "good time" album 😅 but a MUST hear. The most harrowing lyrics about anorexicia ever.
Thank you for doing a great job at analysing one of the most darkest songs. This is a very disturbing and alarming song. Also this must be shared for those who suffer from this illness. Also I like and admire the Manic Street Preachers.
