Dai Sharkey – ‘Schizophrenic’ Review
“Yes I’m a Schizophrenic but I won’t let it lock me away
I won’t be no medicated shoe-shuffler who sits ‘round all day
I’ll let the wondrous colours overflow and give them to you
I’ll write a song about it that’s what I’ll do”
- A Disability Anthem in Waiting
Dai Sharkey has been working hard, bringing together songs from his past with new material written during the recording process. In the opening track, ‘No More’, he sounds dark, grimey, heavy, intense, but full of the wisdom of someone who has survived much adversity. But then the chorus
lifts, the mood shifts, with the vocal layering symptomatic of a phrase repeated over and over until it becomes true. This carries over into ‘Dogfish’, a really lovely, lyrical number that uplifts as much as it mystifies.
It’s not easy to write about mental illness and make it accessible to audiences who may not have much understanding, especially when it comes to Schizophrenia, and Dai manages it with aplomb. In ‘Insane Planes’ we get an insight into what irks him and an opportunity to sing along, what more
could you ask for? In contrast, ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’ sounds like psychedelia meets Hammer House of Horror – maybe it’s my sensitive hearing that found the layered in sound of scissors snipping hard to listen to or maybe that’s Dai subtly informing his listeners of the feel of auditory disruption whilst
striving to go about his daily business and keep things positive – a theme that appears again in ‘It Don’t Weigh Me Down’ and ‘Son-Shine’. ‘Schizophrenic’ is a Disability Art anthem in waiting. The upbeat, catchy tune is subtly disrupted with background noises that give the listen another insight
into a world where not all noises are available to every ear.
Another recurrent theme is the simple pleasures of life that matter so much more than money, expressed in ‘My Love is Free’, a very sweet, lyrical appreciation of life and love and in ‘Son-Shine’ – probably the best song of all in terms of getting the best out of Dai’s vocal abilities.
Changing tack again, the heartfelt love song ‘I Love You’, in the context of an album that isn’t full of the usual pop focus on pseudo-love, has heightened resonance and feels absolutely genuine.
In ‘Anymore’ the sparsity of the lyrics brings a depth of meaning that allows any listener to identify with the feelings he expresses and how they develop through the song, similarly ‘Time’ is one thought, one question, one man pondering the mystery of death, it’s very hypnotic, trancey, even
surreal in places.
The theme of addiction is revisited in ‘The Promise’, starting with a pounding drum, a weary heartbeat that longs to escape the grip of addiction, clutching at any straw that promises release.
Then ‘Smack Daddy’ a painfully honest look back at a previous way of being, with a return to the intense, grungey feel that makes it very clear that being a Smack Daddy is not a good thing to be.
In conclusion, ‘Schizophrenic’ is about much more than its title, just as Dai is much more than a person with Schizophrenia, we see the dark past, but we see the love of nature, life and love itself that has kept him going and allowed him to use his disrupted past and his sometimes unnerving
present to create something that both successfully shows off the talents of its creator and encourages the listener to value his alternative perspective.
Rachel Stelmach
Disability Arts Cymru
