What is a hero? Someone that wears a cape and has super powers? Or a person that has made a difference in your life? Well, my hero is Max Bemis. The singer for two bands, Say Anything, ad Two Tongues. He may not have a cape, or some magical power, but he has very inspiring songs. He’s been through so many things throughout his life but still manages to be a good person. He defends the emo genre when most people bash on it. Even though he has three albums with Say Anything and an additional album with Two Tongues, he hasn’t let any of the fame get to his head.

For most people dealing with heart break, mental illness, and drugs would ruin a person, but it made him stronger. Every time Max became close to a girl, they would leave and break his heart. After this happening so many times, it caused Max to go through Mental Illness, and drug use. But not, he is happily married as of April 6th, 2008.

After the band’s first album he was diagnosed with bi polar disease. The medication didn’t do anything for him, so he quit taking it. Without his medication, he broke down and made a huge scene in New York one day and was forced to go to a hospital. When he was released, he became addicted to almost every drug out there and it almost tore apart the band. If not for his friends and family, he probably would be out on the streets and still addicted to drugs. I admire him for being able to go through this and sticking with the music scene.

Many people think the emo genre is horrible and not worthy of a music title. But Max dedicated a whole album called “In Defense of The Genre” to gain respect for the emo community. When most artists shy away from the emo title, he accepts it. With his music he brought back the type of music that the kids love, but yet the bands don’t. I respect his choice to be different.

With 25,000 copies of “In Defense of The Genre” sold in the first week of being released, Say Anything had made it to the top. But did all the fame get to the band, or Max? Not at all. Max and the band stayed level headed and were still normal people. He may have still been into drugs, but he was still Max. His songs were not all about his fame or all the money he was getting. He continued to write about the troubles he was having in life causing his music to stay true.

So even though my hero doesn’t wear a cape or have super powers, he’s made a huge impact on my life. I don’t think I could ever survive the type of things he has been through. His music inspires me to create my own record label to save the music that is being shunned and to make a difference in the music world.