Picture this. Thousands of fans cheering for you, along with your team to win. You see the opponent is not up to the mark and it’s an easy win to make that touchdown. You have trained all your life for this moment and people will die to be in your shoes. Yet deep down inside, there is an undying feeling of this is not for me. Would have the strength, to be honest with yourself in your quest to find what really makes you fulfilled?
Joe Barksdale, a former offensive tackle had that very situation to contend with and was honest enough to face it head-on. Having played for the Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Charger, Los Angeles Rams, and the Arizona Cardinals, Joe stepped away to follow his dream of becoming a singer-songwriter. We thought having a conversation with Joe will be so enlightening and interesting, so we had to make it happen.
From football to music how would you describe this journey?
I would describe it as ever-evolving. There are ups and downs, but I can tell that today’s struggles can and will lead to tomorrow’s victories. If I could speed up the process from obscurity to people knowing who I am as an artist, I would. But I know that I would be missing out on lessons that I’m learning, and I always say, if it ain’t a blessing, it’s a lesson.
Have you had any backlash following the transitions?
Yeah. It sucks to step away from an established career to people not knowing who you are or caring about what you’re doing, it’s incredibly discouraging. But I just remind myself that there was a time when I didn’t even know what football was and if I can go from there to being a pro football player than anything and everything is possible. Everything that you can imagine is real.
What was it like mentally playing football even though your heart was not fully in it?
It was mentally and physically and emotionally and spiritually excruciating.
Describe what music is to you and tell us what about your music?
Music is one of the highest forms of art in my opinion. It’s a method of communication and also very honest and open. Music is also one of my preferred methods of communication. Being autistic, I don’t just hear sounds, I also feel them making my relationship with music more intimate than 99.9% of my relationships with anyone or anything else.
My music is best described as what would happen if Jimi Hendrix, Marvin Gaye, and Sly Stone wrote songs together and Kanye West produced them.
In terms of mental health, what advice will you give to the young generation about dealing with depression and going into a lifestyle where a lot of demand exists?
Be honest with yourself and the people around you. If you’re hurting, no one can read your mind and there are usually people around that do want to help. Also, be honest with yourself. Too many times we try to downplay our pain because we don’t see it as being as significant as someone else’s you know? Mark Twain said it best “Nothing that grieves us can be called little: by the eternal laws of proportion a child’s loss of a doll and a king’s loss of a crown are events of the same size.”
Joe is very much an example for young people growing up to learn themselves, trust in their intuition and go for what your heart tells them.
Photography By: Ismael Quintanila III
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