Life Music

Ask any of my family or old timer friends to name my all time favourite band, they would all tell you without hesitation, Arrested Development. 

I was obsessed. I drew their AD band logo on all my schoolbooks, on my hands like a jailbird tattoo (engraved it on a few school desks too if I'm really honest!)  When 'Revolution' was released, I recorded it off the American Top 40 radio show that was broadcast in Sydney on Sundays and made each of my friends listen to it on my walkman on the bus to school the next morning. My family were the ones who had to put up with my obsession the most though, I would watch the Arrested Development documentary on video after school every day for months. Literally, EVERY SINGLE DAY. I also remember a particular family holiday to Adelaide where I held my tape-player 'ghetto blaster' on my lap for the two days it took to drive from Sydney, and I played Arrested Development just about the entire trip. Occasionally the odd Bob Marley album was thrown in the mix for good measure or when I felt in a good mood, I'd let my brother play one of his Run DMC or Michael Jackson tapes. My brother and sister know just about every word to every song, AD are just as much a part of their growing up as mine.

Arrested Development's brand of hip hop, and themes of love, equality, standing up for what you believe in and being thankful for what you've got, really hit a nerve with me as an awkward, shy teenager. I never felt as cool or as pretty as any of my friends, I felt different and gave myself such a hard time about it. Looking back I'm sure most of us felt exactly the same way, but at the time I felt completely alone in it. Arrested Development lifted me out of my head and gave me something so positive to hang onto. They called it 'Life Music' and it made an enormous impact on me. I loved deeply their music and what they had to say.

This week, my sister, my husband and I caught a ferry over to Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour for Arrested Development's 20th Anniversary show.  Needless to say, WE. HAD. THE. BEST.TIME.

Belinda x