Following a year which has seen the world of rock music lose two of its brightest stars, Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro has spoken in support of mental health services ahead of an upcoming benefit concert in the US.
As Yahoo reports, Dave Navarro is gearing up to host Above Ground, a Los Angeles benefit concert which aims to raise awareness for mental health issues and suicide prevention. The benefit is set to feature the likes of The Cult’s Billy Morrison, Slipknot’s Corey Taylor, Courtney Love, Billy Idol and more, and will feature musicians covering Adam & The Ants’ Kings Of The Wild Frontier and The Velvet Underground’s The Velvet Underground & Nico in their entirety.
Speaking to Yahoo ahead of the event, Navarro referenced his close friends Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington, who both tragically passed away in the last year.
“We have lost a lot of friends this year, due to mental health issues,” Navarro began. “I don’t have any insight as to what their mental health issues were or weren’t, so I don’t want to lump them in that category.”
“I’m not a doctor. I can’t sit here and say what they did and didn’t have, and what caused them to do what they did,” he continued. “But I would say that going to Chris Cornell’s funeral and seeing Chester Bennington sing a beautiful song for his friend, and then [Chester] taking his life a month later, really had a massive impact on me.”
“I couldn’t help but be brought back to the times when I had felt that lonely, that desperate, that suicidal, and I just want to change the playing field [with Above Ground] and let people know that there are options out there. [Suicide] isn’t the final answer. It’s okay to reach out for help.”
Navarro also spoke in support of seeking therapy for mental health issues, noting that he currently sees a therapist that he met through close friend Scott Weiland. “I go to therapy whether I’m feeling good, or whether I’m feeling bad. That keeps me on an even keel,” Navarro claimed.
“I don’t feel any shame in saying that. I feel that it’s an incredible strength to be able to ask for help. Had it not been for the support team I had around me, I very well may have been one of the statistics.”
If you or somebody you care for needs help or information about depression, suicide, anxiety, or mental health issues, contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Check out Dave Navarro’s ‘Hungry’:
