In his interview tonight on 60 minutes with Anderson Cooper, Marshal Mathers (aka Eminem) talked about how his sobriety and recovery process has impacted his live show.
It wasn’t the most groundbreaking interview, mostly because it was geared toward those who are fairly new to Eminem and his career.
Nonetheless, there were a few moments that gave us insight into how being sober for the last two years has empowered Eminem to give his best show ever in Detroit last year. And since then his sobriety has continued to profoundly change his mental and emotional approach to live performance.
For example, Anderson Cooper asks Eminem about his past and talks about the success of his current tour for his latest album Recovery
And during their chat, what stood out to me the most was Eminem’s comments about how being sober allowed him to clearly see his fans during shows.
Eminem smiled wide and his eyes filled up with excitement when he explained that he no longer just sees “a blur” when looking out at his fans.
But now he can see the crowd clearly and thus connect with his fans on a deeper emotional level. And because of this he can see each individual fan, appreciate them and give them the best lives shows he’s ever performed.
The interview splices in clips from Eminem’s recent show in Detroit at Comerica Park. And as always, I was amazed to watch fans be completely engage in the performance. I was wondering how those show would turn out and it looks like they were amazing for fans and Eminem.
And you could clearly see that Eminem was energized by his music and fully engaged with his fans during his the Detroit show. There was a obvious difference in the way he felt mentally and physically, because he wasn’t just floating around the stage in a drug-induced haze as he says he used to do.
Will This Impact Other Artists?
I hope Eminem’s story changes the way fans think about drugs and live performance. And I hope his inspiring and courageous anthem “Not Afraid” continues to become a life-changing song for more fans.
And I also hope that fans see the song for what it really is all about.
When it comes to other artists watching Eminem and learning from his success, I hope that they, like the fans, also see the message in Eminem story. Because his story has the power to destroy the myth that drugs or alcohol can help you cope with the emotional and social anxieties of stage fright and live performance.
Sure, drugs and alcohol might be able to help an artist cope and get by for awhile they self-medicate.
But as we’ve seen in Eminem’s story, relying on drugs and alcohol to cope with the anxieties of live performance and life’s struggles isn’t worth it. It only makes the emotional disconnect between an artist and their fans worse.
And the addiction ends up killing your art, because as Anderson Cooper pointed out, Eminem had to relearn how to make his rhyme, produce music and perform without drugs or alcohol.
And because of that, it’s obvious that Eminem’s music and live show has a new found energy, force and purpose.
What About The Fans?
As a fan, it would kill me to know that when an artist looked out at the crowd that he only saw a blur, and only barely remembered the show that meant so much to me and the other fans.
In the near future, I hope we start to see a change like Eminem’s occur in more lives for fans and artists alike. And we’ll keep you updated on Eminem’s story as it unfolds.
You can get more background info on the Eminem’s 60 minute interview with Anderson Coooper via 60minutesovertime.com
I’d love to know what you think of the interview. And about Eminem’s recovery? Were you at the Detroit shows? Have you noticed a difference in his live performances? Tells us all about in the comments below.
Pick up Eminem’s Recovery via iTunes 