What I want to do today, is to put together a symbolic list of some (I stress – some!) ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ which bother ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ most. Too many world’s problems weight down on the shoulders of this extremely intelligent man who THINKS and CARES.
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| Photo credit: Photo credit: Mads Perch |
๐๐ซ๐๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐ก๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก
It’s always been important for Brian to take part in activities by ๐ช๐จ๐ณ๐ด, ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ด๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. In March 2015, Brian and Stefan hosted an after-party DJ set after their Leeds O2 Academy show with all proceeds going to CALM. An auction of iconic Placebo items, rarities, and memorabilia was held in October 2017, around 20th anniversary celebrations.
๐ข “We need to remove the stigma surrounding depression, and one of their goals is to get more men to talk about their feelings instead of keeping it all inside and isolating one’s self – and eventually ending up with quite a tragic outcome.
CALM is a charity that’s close to my heart because depression is a condition which I suffer from myself. […] There’s still a stigma attached to depression, and a lot of men in particular feel that it’s a sign of weakness to talk about it. What we’re trying to do with CALM is remove that stigma in society.”
(๐๐๐ธ, ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐ 3๐๐, 2017)
๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฉ๐ก๐จ๐๐ข๐
The whole Brian’s career is connected to this topic in some way! Pages can be written and multiple stories can be told!..
๐ข “I wanted to challenge the homophobia that I was witnessing in the music scene” says Molko. “I wanted anybody who was slightly homophobic to show up at our gigs and think 'Oh, I really fancy the singer. She's hot!' only to find out later that the singer was called Brian, which would hopefully lead them to go home and ask themselves a few questions. Of course the cross-dressing was an aesthetic choice but for us, it was also a political act; that was a very big part of what we were trying to achieve at that time.”
(๐โ๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ก, ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐ 2017)
Earlier this year, Brian shared messages of support for trans and non-binary people.
https://bit.ly/3FAvXHo
https://bit.ly/3CAcfd3
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| Photo credit: Anthony o‘Dwyer |
๐ข “We've been in Cambodia in December 2008 to play a very special concert. We were in front of a 12th century Buddhist temple which is called ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐พ๐๐. We've been there because we're collaborating with a charity, MTV Exit. What we're trying to do together is essentially to stop human trafficking. There are at least 2.5 millions of people whenever, who are being trafficked.”
(๐๐น๐ , ๐ด๐ก๐ก๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐น๐๐๐̂๐โ๐, 2009)
๐ข "I don't know if a lot of our fans and the wider audience of young people are aware of human trafficking. I don’t think they understand that slavery still exists today. I think if we can make them aware that this happens on a daily basis around the world and there are people around the world undergoing these forms of slavery, and if it deeply touches them then I hope they will be inspired to get more involved in trying to change the situation.
[…] It might seem that what we’re doing here is a drop in the ocean but every drop helps."
(๐น๐๐๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐ ๐ก, ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ 2008)
๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ค๐จ’๐ฌ ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐ญ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ค๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ญ, ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐จ๐๐ข๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐๐๐
https://bit.ly/3CzDWmc
๐๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฒ
In 2005, Placebo performed at Live 8 concert in Paris in support of the UK's Make Poverty History campaign and the Global Call to Action Against Poverty. Ten simultaneous Live 8 concerts were aimed to put pressure on the leaders of G8, the eight richest countries in the world, to end global poverty which claims the lives of 50,000 every day [2005 data].
๐ข “Our performance was not the most important. Above all, we had to be there and participate in this great concert against poverty. […] Placebo fans who hadn't thought about this problem may have started to take an interest in it. The fact that we can speak openly about famine and poverty in the world is a good thing.”
(๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐โ, ๐๐๐ฆ-๐ฝ๐ข๐'06)
๐๐ซ๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐
We all remember Brian's Instagram posts - as well as the lines…
Hey you in your ivory tower
I know where you live
Hey you with so much power
I know where you live
(๐ฐ.๐ฒ.๐พ.๐.๐ณ.)
The world's an unforgiving place, we've all heard this before
But we want hospitals and equal rights instead of bloody wars
(๐ป๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฏ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฏ๐๐๐ ๐)
๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ซ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐๐ค๐ฌ
On the first sad anniversary of the tragedy in Bataclan, Brian shared a memorable message on Placeboworld Instagram account.
๐ข “...THINKING OF MY FRIEND THOMAS TODAY, WHO DIED IN THE PARIS ATTACKS ONE YEAR AGO. SENDING LOVE AND HOPE TO THE SURVIVORS AND THE FAMILIES OF THE VICTIMS. IT IS ONLY THROUGH LOVE, COMPASSION, SELFLESSNESS, UNITY AND ACTION THAT WE CAN FIGHT THE FORCES OF FEAR, TERROR, PREJUDICE AND ANAESTHETISATION AND THEIR ATTEMPTS TO ROB US OF OUR TRUE HUMANITY. BROTHERS AND SISTERS, PLEASE DO NOT SURRENDER TO THE MYTH OF THE INDIVIDUAL WHOSE PURPOSE IS TO RENDER US DISCONNECTED, PACIFIED AND UNABLE TO ENGAGE. WE ARE ONE PEOPLE, ONE SPECIES. IT IS ONLY TOGETHER THAT WE CAN MAKE OUR PLANET A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE. PEACE. #bataclan”
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| Photo credit: Stuart Mostyn |
In 2013, Placebo played a charity concert to help The Mercy Center in Bangkok. Brian personally greeted the audience with a beautiful explanation of what NAMASTE means.
https://bit.ly/3l0WDsS
๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐, ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ค๐จ๐ค
https://bit.ly/3nDrc9O
Here, it needs to be said that when it comes to true kindness and compassion, it doesn’t really matter what religion, if ever, is involved…
๐๐๐ฅ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ฌ
You may remember that a few months ago, Brian asked us, Placebo fans, to help protect Tibetan Buddhist monastery ๐บ๐๐๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐ in Scotland. The peaceful valley was supposed to be used for target practice by the US Army special forces…
https://bit.ly/3FC3HnF
Happily, it worked out! The military backed down on their plans of using the area. “I AM PERSONALLY EXTREMELY GRATEFUL”, wrote Brian in his filled with love message.
https://bit.ly/3oNb8Sl
๐๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ง ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐ง๐ฏ๐ข๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ
It’s already clear that this is going to be the key topic of the upcoming album ๐ต๐๐๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐ ๐ด๐ ๐ฎ๐. However, it was over two decades since Brian tried to encourage people to the keenly necessary mindset transformation.
๐ข [About Allergic (To Thoughts Of Mother Earth)] “It's me having a go at Christians for not giving a sh*t about the environment basically because to them their rewards will always be in heaven and not on this earth, so it really doesn't matter that we're using this place as a f*cking garbage tip, you know. […] but it's also kind of like saying that Mother Earth is stronger than you and Mother Nature will have her own back."
(๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ค๐๐กโ ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ก๐ก๐๐, 1998)
๐ข “Have you ever been to the Maldives? […] Well, I have and I’m very aware that in 50 years the island [where] I caressed little baby sharks will not be there anymore - because of rising sea levels. We as a species have completely used this planet as a garbage zone. People are so into the latest app that they can get on their tablet that they don’t give a sh!t about the world they live in.
(๐ฝ๐ข๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐โ 2010)
๐ข “The other thing that annoys me about this whole focus on our economic woes is that nobody is talking about the environment anymore, and if anything is going to get us in the ass, it's going to be that. The hole in the ozone layer is still there, 20 years after they discovered it, and it's getting bigger and bigger, yet this isn't news. I want to be involved in the world. I think it comes from being a parent; you want to try and contribute to make a place for your children to grow up in that's hopefully a little bit better than where you were.”
(๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ, ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ 24๐กโ, 2009)
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| Photo credit: . Maud Maillard |
๐ข “We do, however, hope that it will make the viewer think about the repercussions of just throwing away tech that doesn't work anymore. There are several new and ingenious ways to recycle tech these days. Some companies will even give you money for it. All it takes is a little more effort.”
(๐โ๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ก, ๐ฝ๐ข๐๐ 2, 2017)
๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ takes an action himself, with his bandmates, and uses his voice to speak about injustice and crisis loud – to call others to action, too!
๐ข “For me, it’s about not existing in the problem and trying to live in the solution. I wanted to express something visceral, something very human. I just hope that other people will understand it and that it will move them. […] It might help them stand up for what they believe in.”
(๐โ๐ ๐บ๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ 12๐กโ, 2021)
Dear soulmates, let’s work on ourselves, re-think our daily routine, learn more on the topics Brian draws our attention to, strengthen our belief in power of love, tolerance, and compassion – and act according to this belief!
I’m sure the best ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ every one of us could give Brian is taking another personal step to thoughtful, empathetic, and respectful way of living – towards each other and our planet.
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐! ๐
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ & ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐!๐
Post by Olga
