Robin Williams, depression, The Church, and me.

I suffer from depression and anxiety.  I thought about the many ways I could begin a post about the loss of Robin Williams and honestly, I think it's just best if I say this out loud: I was clinically diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and adult attention deficit disorder. But more about me in a minute...

Robin Williams killed himself yesterday. If that isn't a wakeup call, I don't know what is.

Depression is a subject that has a stigma to it, even though 1 out of 9 Americans report suffering from it. So why is it such a taboo subject? Why are we afraid to talk about mental health issues?

I am a worship leader and I believe that we in the Church (with a capital C meaning all churches) need to start talking about it. Regularly. 

We need to remove the stigma from mental health issues. People who suffer need to know they are not alone -- that they are not "doing something wrong". They need to know that it's okay to seek out help. And they need to know that it's okay to do more than just pray for healing. God gives us miracles every day through modern medicine.  

Four years ago I decided it was time to do something about my A.D.D.  I had lost a job over it and after leaving another job to pursue music full time I was having a lot of trouble getting anything done at home without the discipline that comes from an actual boss. So, after reading this article in Relevant Magazine, I decided I should go and do something about it. 

I went through a battery of tests and came to find out--and by "find out" I mean, admit--that I have depression and anxiety issues on top of the A.D.D.

And you know what? There is nothing wrong with that. There is nothing wrong with me that can't be taken care of by medicine. Since going on medicine my life is better. It's not perfect and I still have a lot of work to do, but it's better. 

There are still long periods of depression for me. To be even more transparent than I've already been here, I'm in one now.  Often times, the other 8 out of 9 Americans who have never dealt with depression seem to think depression is conditional. So some people might hear me say that I'm depressed and assume it's because one of my heroes died yesterday. It's not. There is a chemical imbalance in my brain that medicine does its best to fix, but it's not always gonna happen.

The medicine does allow me to better cope however. If you take nothing else from this than that, take that. If you are suffering from depression or other mental issues, take it seriously. Take it as seriously as you would a bleeding wound that won't heal and go to the doctor.

I no longer lay in bed and fantasize about not waking up. Yes, that was me a few years ago.  This comes as a shock to people when they hear it from me. They equate that I'm funny with me being happy. I am a funny person. I don't have to be modest about that. It's just a fact. Ask anyone who knows me. I'm frickin' hilarious sometimes. If I didn't have musical ability I might have wanted to be a comedian. But to be honest, being a comedian is a heck of a lot harder. 

And a TON of funny people suffer from depression and other mental issues. That's why we've lost so many of them to suicide and overdoses. Comedic greats like Freddie Prinze, Richard Jeni, and Greg Giraldo all killed themselves. John Belushi, Chris Farley, Mitch Hedberg and others did it accidentally because they tried to cope using drugs that never produced the high that being on a stage making people laugh provided.

And now we add Robin Williams to the list. He was probably my first favorite comedian. The only other stand-up that came close was Bill Cosby. But Robin made me laugh harder. He made me laugh harder than anyone on television. He taught me on Mork and Mindy that, as Time Magazine said yesterday, "weirdness wasn't just o.k.--it was amazing."

Between his movies and his appearances on late night shows from Carson to Letterman to Fallon, he shaped my view of adults. As a grown up I know that it's okay to be silly sometimes and still expect people to take me seriously. I had never thought of it until this very moment, but he really had a great impression on that aspect of my personality.

Taking a cursory glance at Robin's IMDB page, I was amazed to see how many of his movies I not only had seen, but had loved. In fact, I've seen almost all of his movies. I mean, I am a cinephile, but come on...that's pretty rare. Come to think of it, within the past year I've shown my kids Aladdin, Hook, Ferngully, Jumanji, Happy Feet and the first two Night at the Museum films. That's seven movies in one year that my family truly enjoyed. (Yeah, we watch a lot of movies.)

He was like a family member that most of us never had the good fortune to meet. My cousin Jennifer and I have noted on many occasions that as he was getting older, Robin was beginning to look more and more like a Coomer. As I created the artwork above, I could not help but be overwhelmed by that.

There's a reason why there was a point yesterday where most if not all of the top trending topics in the United States on Twitter were based on his death. Robin Williams is a part of our fabric. It's why we (and the news stations) are talking about it so much when there are other things we need to be talking about like Iraq and ISIS and Ferguson, MO. and Israel. But in some ways...like it or not, this is more important to us. We've lost someone very near and dear to our hearts.

Two good things can come out of this loss. The first is that we will experience the healing power of laughter as we watch his movies and television appearances again. The top trending Twitter topic as I finish this post is #RobinWilliamsWillLiveOnForever.

The second is that we can begin to talk about depression. We can bring it out into the open. We can destigmatize it, demystify it. And we can begin to heal. 

People are posting abt their grief re: Robin Williams but are unwilling to check in with their friends who have the same struggles.
— Lindsey Harris (@MonacleMonOncle) August 12, 2014

My friend Lindsey's tweet brings me to my final question: "When was the last time I was brave enough to ask (or even lovingly confront) someone about their depression... Or to open up to them about mine?"

How can we be the hands and feet of Christ and reach out to them to let them know we are here, to let them know God is here. How can we be the sign from God that they need? How can we be the butterfly on the cliff from which they're about to jump?

Eric Coomer

2014 Oscar Nominees You Can Watch at Home

The nominees for the 2014 Academy Awards were announced this week and as my cousin Jennifer and I were discussing the nominees, we mentioned our curiosity as to which ones are already available to view at home (whether on DVD/Blu-Ray or instant streaming).  There are quite a few. Unfortunately, all of the big contenders (films with four or more nominations) are unavailable for now, but three of the biggest movies (Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity) will be available for home viewing before the Oscars air on March 2. I'm missed all of those in the theatre, so I'll be taking advantage of that.

Realistically, I'm not going to make it out to more than one or maybe two movies between now and the awards, so (based on nomination count) I'm going to shoot for seeing American Hustle and maybe 12 Years a Slave. There's a rumor that Nebraska will be released in February. Most of the remaining major nominees are projected to be released in March or April.

So here they are in order of nominations. I didn't include any of the films in the Short categories, because they're always difficult to find. I'll update this list as more dates become available.

Already Available

• Blue Jasmine (Actress, Supporting Actress, Orig. Screenplay)
• The Grandmaster (Score, Costume Design)
• Despicable Me 2 (Animated, Song)
• The Great Gatsby (Costume Design, Production Design)
• The Lone Ranger (Makeup/Hairstyling, Visual Effects)
• All Is Lost (Sound Editing)
• The Act of Killing (Documentary Feature)
• Before Midnight (Adapted Screenplay)
• The Broken Circle Breakdown (Foreign - Belgium)
• The Croods (Animated)
• Cutie and the Boxer (Documentary Feature)
• Dirty Wars (Documentary Feature)
• Ernest & Celestine (Animated)
• The Hunt (Foreign Feature - Denmark)
• Iron Man 3 (Visual Effects)
• Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (Makeup/Hairstyling)
• The Lone Ranger (Makeup/Hairstyling, Visual Editing)
• Prisoners (Cinematography) 
• The Square (Documentary Feature)
• Star Trek: Into Darkness (Visual Effects)
• 20 Feet From Stardom (Documentary Feature)

Coming Soon

• Captain Phillips (Picture, Supporting Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Editing, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing) - 01/21
• Dallas Buyers Club (Picture, Actor, Supporting Actor, Orig. Screenplay, Editing, Makeup/Hairstyling) - 02/04
• Gravity (Picture, Director, Actress, Score, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Visual Effects, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing) - 02/25

See it in the Theatre

• American Hustle (Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Orig. Screenplay, Costume Design, Editing, Production Design)
  
• 12 Years a Slave (Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay, Costume Design, Editing, Production Design)
• Nebraska (Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actress, Orig. Screenplay, Cinematography)
• Her (Picture, Orig. Screenplay, Song, Score, Production Design)
• The Wolf of Wall Street (Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Adapted Screenplay)
• Philomena (Picture, Actress, Adapted Screenplay, Score) - 03/04
• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Visual Effects, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, 
• August: Osage County (Actress, Supporting Actress)
• Frozen (Animated Feature, Song)  - 03/18
  
• Inside Llewyn Davis (Cinematography, Sound Mixing)
• Lone Survivor (Sound Mixing, Sound Editing)
• Alone Yet Not Alone (Song)
• Book Thief (Score) - 03/11
• The Invisible Woman (Costume Design)
• Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (Song) - 03/18
• The Missing Picture (Foreign Feature - Cambodia)
• Omar (Foreign Feature - Palestinian Territories)
• Saving Mr. Banks (Score)
• The Wind Rises (Animated) - 05/22

All I can say is... "Soon."

I used to make fun of Axl Rose & Dr. Dre for taking so long to finish their albums. Axl took 15 yrs. It's been 20 since Dre's last. It's been one year for me. But it's almost ready. I mean it.

I didn't mean to lie. I really didn't. I've stated so many dates that were going to be the official release of the EP. The truth is I just wasn't ready. There are many reasons for this. One is that I just wasn't completely satisfied with the way the EP sounded.  Don't get me wrong, it sounded great. I just knew it could sound even better. You've heard it in its present form. It's good. I like it. But it's not all that it can be. So even as I thank you for your patience I ask for more patience.

Last week I set up a studio at my church and recorded a ton of new stuff for the EP. I don't mean new songs, I mean new parts for several of the songs. But I will also be recording new music to include as bonus tracks as well.

As soon as the music is finished I will send it off to get the CDs printed and once I get those back I will send out the rewards to Kickstarter backers and the music will be on iTunes shortly after that.

Thank you for your continued support. It means the world to me.

It's finally coming out!

It was going to be November. Then December. Then January. Then March.

The EP is finally going to be released to the world this month!

Truth be told, I just haven't had enough money. Still don't really, but we're going to make it happen. When I created the Kickstarter campaign, I set the monetary amount for the bare minimum for finishing the recording, mixing and mastering. I did the bare minimum because the Kickstarter campaign I had done before that was not successful and I really needed to finish the process. The thing is, it costs a lot more to actually release a music pro ject, not to mention to pay for all the promotion.

If you would like to help fully fund this you can donate with PayPal to eric(at)ericcoomer.com.

I'll be promoting the music by booking concerts and interviews, and starting a new YouTube campaign with music videos and covers. If you are interested in helping me book some shows, whether at a traditional venue (club, church, etc.) or a house show, please let me know.

Oh and yes, that's a brand spanking new cover up there! For more info,  go to the official Eric Coomer website.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert made me love the art of film more than I already did.

I admired him so much.

I loved his impassioned reviews of movies he loved and hated. I loved his arguments with Siskel (and Roeper). I loved his yearly Movie Home Companion. 

I loved that he championed films like Hoop Dreams, which he and Siskel were outraged wasn't nominated for the Academy Award for Documentary Feature. 

Most critics can be taken with a grain of salt, but when Ebert loved a movie -- when he gave it a "BIG thumbs up!" -- it made me want to see it. I always looked forward to his year end lists of best and worst films. 

I remember specifically 1998. It was a year filled with wonderful, groundbreaking, and critically acclaimed movies such as Out of Sight, Life Is Beautiful, Pleasantville, The Truman Show, Rushmore, Saving Private Ryan, American History X, A Simple Plan, A Bug's Life, Pi, The Big Lebowski, etc. etc. But for his top film of the year, Ebert picked a movie no one had heard of called Dark City. It made me want to see it. And when I did I, not surprisingly, fell in love with it. What's more, he so loved the film that he provided a commentary track for the DVD.

One of the things I admire most about Roger Ebert was that when life handed him lemons...no it handed him manure...he kept on going. He battled cancer with the dignity of a prince. When it took his jaw, he kept making appearances anyway. When it took his voice he found a company that used his DVD commentaries (which also included Citizen Kane and Casablanca) to give his voice to his computer narration system.

Through and through he was a class act. Just yesterday on his blog he wrote "Thank you for being the best readers any film critic could ask for... thank you for going on this journey with me. I'll see you at the movies."

Roger died today at 70. He will be greatly missed.

- Eric Coomer

What's going on with the EP?

Hello dear friends.

As you probably know by now, my debut solo EP, The Vast Configuration of Things, was originally supposed to be released late last year but has been delayed several times. It is available only here on my website as we continue to try to raise money to fund the printing and submission to iTunes and other stores. The money we raised here was just enough to get the recording, mixing, and mastering completed.

We have just about raised enough and (thank God) our tax return will be here soon, so I fully expect to begin the process of CD printing and duplication, submission to online stores, and rewards process by late March.

Many have asked how to help me raise additional funds so I can complete this process and get this music out into the world. The best way is to encourage people to purchase the EP at http://ericcoomer.com/music.

Here are some other ways you can help:

• You probably are involved in social networking. Let your friends and followers know about the EP on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. etc. (I'm on all of those too. Check out the links at the top right of this website!)
  
• Encourage your Facebook friends to like http://facebook.com/theericcoomer.
   
• Do you have a blog? Write a review! It doesn't matter if its not a music blog. It's still great! Know of another blog where I should be featured? Let me (or them) know!
  
• Work in a business that plays music in the background? Play my EP! (And talk to me about selling it there!)
  
• Are you able to host a concert or know of somewhere I could play? Let me know!
  
• Listen to a radio station that plays independent artists? Tell me and I'll get them my music to them.
  
• Make a video for one of my songs by yourself or with your friends! You could even use a site like GoAnimate or Animoto.
  
• Above all, pray for me and my family. That's the greatest way you could help us.
  

Have other ideas? Let me know by clicking contact above.

As always, thanks for your support and love. It means all the world to me and my family!

2013 Academy Awards Nominees Available on DVD, Blu-Ray & Streaming Before the Oscars Air

It's been a while since I've posted anything not having to do with my music. So, I thought I'd nerd out and talk about the 2013 Academy Awards nominees. As a movie lover, I grew up watching The Oscars every year and (as far as I remember) haven't missed a single telecast since then. So I get excited and nerdy when it comes to this time of the year. 

2012 was a great year for movies (which is good, because 2011 was not.) So it's no surprise that it's an interesting year for the Academy Awards as well.

Take the Best Actress in a Leading Role category for instance. This category contains the oldest and youngest nominees in its history. Emmanuelle Riva, will turn 86 on the day of the Academy Awards. On the other side of the pendulum, Quvenzhané Wallis, who filmed Beasts of the Southern Wild when she was a mere 6 years old, will be 9 and a half years when the Oscars are handed out.

Riva is nominated for Amour, an Austrian film which received five nominations including Best Picture, the most for any foreign film since Roberto Benigni's Life is Beautiful. If that film is any indicator (and it is) Amour should definitely take home the Oscar for Foreign Language Film.

All of the men in the supporting role category are past winners. So we'll hope for a speech that rivals that of Tom Hanks when he won his second award for Philadelphia, but I'm not holding my breath. All of the actresses on the supporting category are past winners with the exception of Jacki Weaver from Silver Linings Playbook. So let's go ahead and call her underdog of the year.

Argo received seven nominations including Best Picture, Film Editing, and Adapted Screenplay, but director Ben Afleck sadly did not receive a nod. Katherine Hardwick, who was named Best Director for 2008's The Hurt Locker, was also snubbed. Both were nominated for this year's Directors Guild of America Awards. The results of the DGA's, which are voted upon by directors only and will take place February 2, are usually the best indicator for who will take home the Oscar. The Academy decided instead to nominate Michael Haneke for Amour and Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild.

It's always frustrating when the nominees for the previous year's best films come from films that haven't even hit local theaters yet. Thankfully this year is different and many of the nominees are or will be available on Blu-Ray, DVD, or streaming before the Oscars, which will air on February 25.

Below is a list of all the nominees that you can watch at home before the big show. I've included Netflix links for your convenience. Of course, Netflix being Netflix, they may not get these DVDs until well after the Oscars. I've placed them in alphabetical and chronological order, but If you really want to be prepared, your best bet is to watch the films with the most nominations first, and the films in the most important categories (Best Picture, Direction, Acting, Writing) second.

These movies are already available:

• The Avengers (Visual Effects)
• Beasts of the Southern Wild (4 important nom - Watch this one.)
• Brave (Animated Feature)
• Frankenweenie (Animated Feature)
• How to Survive a Plague (Doc Feature - Streaming now)
• The Invisible War (Doc Feature - Streaming now)
• Mirror Mirror (Costume - Streaming now)
• Moonrise Kingdom (Original Screenplay)
• The Pirates! Band of Misfits (Animated Feature)
• Prometheus (Visual Effects)
• Snow White and the Huntsman (Costume Design / Visual Effects)
• Ted (Best Song - so...just listen to the song if you want.)

These movies are coming soon:

• 01/15 - 5 Broken Cameras (Doc Feature)
• 01/22 - Amour - (5 Noms including Best Pic)
• 01/22 - Searching for Sugar Man (Doc Feature)
• 02/05 - Flight (Denzel Washington - Lead Actor)
• 02/12 - The Sessions (Helen Hunt - Lead Actress)
• 02/19 - Anna Karenina (4 Noms including Cinematography & Costume)
• 02/19 - Argo (7 noms - don't miss this one) 

If you want to see the rest of the films before the Oscars, your best bet is to head to your local dollar theatre (if you're lucky enough to have one). The majority of the rest of the films will be out on DVD in March. 

So there you go. Get to work!

"The Vast Configuration of Things" EP Available Here and Now!

The day has come! My debut solo EP, "The Vast Configuration of Things", is finally available and you can get it right here! Please let your friends know and read the entry below this one for more info on how you can help get the word out and why it's only available here and on my Facebook page!

To listen to or purchase the EP, click on Music at the top of the page.

Thanks for taking the time to check it out and I hope you love it as much as I do!