Dave Pajo Opens Up on Suicide Attempt

BY Gregory AdamsPublished Mar 18, 2015

Following a suicide attempt last month that landed him in hospital, Slint member Dave Pajo has opened up about surviving the incident in a new interview.

Speaking with The Thin Air [via Pitchfork], Pajo discussed his recovery, his state of mind when he attempted to take his life, and the "massive outpouring of love and support" he received for reporting his troubles openly on his blog.

"My family drew me in tighter than we've ever been," Pajo said, adding, "Thousands of emails and messages from friends and strangers came flooding in immediately."

As previously reported, Papa M head had been brought to a hospital February 13 after the near-fatal attempt on his own life. A lengthy, since-deleted suicide note titled "I Surrender My Broken Heart" had been published on Pajo's blog earlier in the day. The letter had been addressed to his wife, who Pajo wrote had been having an affair.

In the wake of his actions, Pajo reports that he hopes topics like depression and suicide are discussed more openly in the future.

"I believe depression and suicide should not be taboo," he said. "The media often talks about cancer, AIDS, and other terminal illnesses but depression and suicide rarely get any attention unless it's unusual or a celebrity. We don't talk about it amongst friends — we think it's too morbid. But I've known more people who have died from suicide than any other illness. In my world, it's a bigger problem than cancer. Yet it's never talked about."

He goes on to talk about "false assumptions" people have over these kind of issues, and advises anyone suffering of depression to talk about their feelings with their loved ones, and cut out the people making negative impacts on their well-being.

"Chuck the fuckers who have proven themselves unworthy of your love," he suggests. "Vile, hateful people who make you feel awful about yourself — you don't have time for that shit anymore. Just kick them to the curb. Why waste your love on someone who doesn't deserve it? Seriously. I know we can't control how we feel about someone. But these people will kill you if you let them and they honestly don't give a flying fuck if you live or die. People change, sometimes they become enemies, and that's okay."

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