And The Moral of The Story is ... Gary Barlow

Yesterday I read a very interesting article via the Guardian online, if you’re assuming that it was a science article or an article written by the fascinating Ben Goldacre you’re assuming wrong. This article kind of made me see the light at the end of the tunnel and also inspired me a little. The article was about none other than Gary Barlow (Take That vocalist). 

Growing up I was never really a Take That fan, I think I just missed out on the craze. I grew up in the era of a1, Westlife and Steps, just missing out on Boyzone and Take That. The Take That comeback didn’t really bother me either. So, why am I writing about Gary Barlow now? Why do I look up to him so much?

My appreciation for Gary Barlow started a few months ago when he became a judge on the current series of X Factor. I pretty much instantly felt admiration for Gary with his mannerisms, facial expressions and one-liners. I saw Gary as a guy who was honest yet cheeky. I do have to add that Gary is quite handsome and presentable too, but I won’t drag this story out too much. 

Over-running the tale, yesterday I came across an interview with Gary Barlow on The Guardian Online. I expected the interview to be largely based on the X Factor, trying to get the latest gossip from him about which acts would be most likely to win. As I was bored I decided to give the interview-based article a read anyway. The article was such an eye-opener and talked about the days in which Gary was no longer with Take That. The now sexy X Factor judge suffered a bout of depression and over-ate to the point where he put on 5 stone in weight. Gary reported often catching the train in disguise so that people wouldn’t recognise him, he was ashamed to be who he was, lost all sense of self and hated the life that he was leading. The negative comments in the media from Robbie Williams didn’t help either. The star was depressed and really saw no way out of it. At the age of 24 had Gary’s musical career really ended? Well, he thought so. 

As you all know, Take That made a comeback in 2005 and this was the highlight of Gary’s career never mind the highlight of his day when the ball started rolling. Music professionals constantly told Gary and fellow Take That members that Take That just wouldn’t work without the presence of Robbie Williams. Barlow started to worry that the Take That comeback would be a failure. The night before the comeback gig tickets went on sale, the almost tea-total Gary Barlow went out with a friend and got very drunk. He then got the phone call that told him that the tour was a complete sell out, Gary was amazed. 

Towards the end of the article Gary explained that whilst the initial split up of Take That made him feel quite depressed the whole experience makes him who he is today. Having suffered such a loss in his music career he now has experience to reflect on. Barlow feels that if Take That hadn’t of split when they did he would be a completely different person. 

The moral of this post is that you can always turn a negative into a positive, just as Gary Barlow did. I do understand that we’re not all professional singers or Take That fans for that matter but surely we can all take a little bit of inspiration from Gary Barlow. Just because you have problems when you’re young this doesn’t mean that your life is over, there’s always light at the end of the tunnel. Negative experiences often make you a stronger person and you gain a higher level of self-awareness. What I’m trying to say is never give up, if you have a dream or ambition then chase it, ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again’. To my knowledge you only have one life, so don’t waste it by thinking it’s come to an end early on in adulthood. Always take time to reflect on negative experience, turn them into positives and make room for self-improvement. As human beings we’re ever developing, never forget that. 

Today is World Mental Health Day, so I would like you all to spend a fraction of your time to think about people who suffer with mental health disorders. Whether it’s occupational stress, mild depression, OCD or schizophrenia. The more awareness of mental illness that there is, the less stigmatisation is attached to them. A little understanding could make the world a much happier place. Mental illness is often negatively wrote about in the media, for example Gary Barlow’s depression and weight gain, “psychos” committing crimes and so on (there are many examples). A stop should be made to this and the media should focus on the more positive approach to looking at mental illness, for example the article about Barlow in the Guardian. I’m going to stop writing now, I could probably write forever. But, please do take a short moment to reflect on mental illness and your attitudes towards it.

Original Guardian Article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/oct/08/gary-barlow-interview-x-factor

Thanks

- Jodie