The other day I was talking to Andy on the phone. The subject of BVB’s fans came up, as it often does when we talk. As always, I was so proud to hear him talk about his respect for and acknowledgement of the incredible support and dedication of the BVB Army. As Andy told me, Black Veil Brides has always been about the fans. BVB didn’t strike a chord with people from all walks of life throughout the world just because they are a band that wears makeup on stage. Far from it. In fact, Andy feels like the band’s look and image has probably reached it’s limit. There’s a fine line between shaking things up a bit and crossing over into what’s fast becoming cliche. Look at all the bands out there, now, who are trying to catch lightning in a bottle by changing their own look to one more like BVB’s. To Andy (and to so many of the band’s hardcore fans) Black Veil Brides has always been less about image and more about giving a voice to the voiceless. I don’t think it’s bragging to point out that BVB has inspired thousands, if not millions, of people to have the courage to be ourselves and to say “fuck you and your shitty opinion” to anyone who thinks they have the right to judge us. We are not, by and large, the popular chicks or the cool dudes. We’re the comic book nerds, the pro wrestling fans, etc… The guys in BVB may all be decent looking, but, Andy never thought BVB would be sexy. That was the last thing on his mind when he founded this band. BVB was never meant to be cool. The war paint and the stage attire was meant to be a reflection of the anger that the band and their fans had towards those who tried to put them down and keep them there. BVB is loud and it’s aggressive. BVB is about letting out your frustration on stage or in the crowd in a healthy, positive way. It’s about including others in our fun because we know how it feels to be excluded. It’s about feeling like we are all a part of something bigger and greater than ourselves. It’s not about proving how much of a ”rock star” we can be. BVB works because the band’s core message comes from a place that very few “rock stars” can truly relate to. But, it’s a place that so many of us (the BVB fans) can understand. Isolated. Ostracized. Criticized. We turn inward and focus on what makes us tick. Our passion. We come out of it with skill and become a positive example for others who are dealing with the same things. Use the pain you experience and the lessons learned to encourage others that they can do the same. Strip away the makeup, the big hair and the leather stage gear and, at its very core, that is what Black Veil Brides is all about.
Chris
He also recently did an interview, which you can check out below.