There will forever be those few moments in history where time stands still. The moments that will stick out in your mind -- you'll remember who you were with, where you were standing, the smells, the sounds, the atmosphere. For some, this was The Beatles coming to America. For others, the moon landing. For me, it was when I first realized I enjoyed Justin Bieber's music.
I remember it like was the first time I tried a Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme bar.
There I was. I had just gotten out from the gym, OK FINE, I had just woken up from a nap, and I got in my car. It was me, the open road, and some kind of angelical noise coming from my radio.
At first I didn't know what the sound was. It was unlike anything I'd ever heard before. I thought about taking my car in to get it looked at. I called my friend who was ill and told her to listen to the harmonious noise coming from my radio in hopes that it would heal her. It didn't work. It was extremely awkward. She hasn't talked to me since.
And then... it happened.
"That was a new song called "What Do You Mean" by Justin Bieber," the man inside the radio said cheerfully (like he just f***ing knew he tricked me).
I pulled over the car immediately. My friend was like, "Please don't touch the steering wheel while I drive." And then I just sat there. And sat some more. I was frozen in time. I didn't notice anything around me. Not the 2 for 1 chicken nugget deal at the McDonald's across the street. Not the free frosty with a purchase of one burger at the Wendy's to the right. It was like I couldn't see anything.
"Um are you okay?" Katie (the person I just use for rides, unless you're reading this then hey Katie how are you? Seriously tho text me if you can drive tomorrow) said breaking the silence.
"I just didn't think it would happen to me," I said.
Katie: "...Are you crying?"
Me (Jon): "Haha what? No, I'm just doing an experiment where my eyes pretend to be clouds and my jeans are plants and I need to water them, duh."
Note: The rest of the car ride was silent. But my heart wasn't.
You always see other people struggling with it, but ever since I grew up I remember thinking, "Nope, not me. I'm better than that. I'll never like JB."
I was a good kid. Did well in school. Had a good social circle -- a supportive family. Where did I go wrong?
The days following the incident were harder than I thought. I didn't tell anyone at first. I wasn't ready. I saw someone wearing a "Belieber" shirt on the street and she gave me a look as if to say, "Hey, you and me, we're in this together, we'll get through this." I pretended to text on my phone.
My parents asked me what was wrong and if everything was OK. My roommates noticed I was being more reserved and commented upon how I "was only eating three bowls of ice cream per night rather than my usual five." So yeah, thanks for that.
I thought this would all pass; maybe I could sleep it off? One day went by -- I couldn't get "Where Are You Now" out of my head. Day two -- "Beauty and a Beat" echoed through my brain. On day three I even thought about purchasing one of his songs on iTunes. That's when I knew something had to be done.
I went into the doctor's office as soon as I could for an appointment. But I guess they aren't open at 3:00 a.m. so I waited there for a long time. The doctor saw me as soon as she could.
I told her about my dilemma. She told me to "Leave and stop wasting her time."
"Wow, it's worse than I thought. It must be contagious, too," I noted.
Even worse, I entertained the reality that, If I really do like Justin Bieber, then what else in my life did I judge too soon?
I compiled a list:
- Croquet
- Tofu
- Nascar
- Black licorice
- The middle airplane seat
- Dubstep
- Jenna from 5th grade
- Pulp
- Paul Blart: Mall Cop
- Songs as ringtones
- Paul Blart Mall: Cop 2
- Not toasting Pop-Tarts
Talk about stress.
Although I am happy to report that, thanks to a lot of support, I have been doing better in the recent days, I am still not fully recovered. I still have the urge to YouTube "Somebody To Love" acoustic covers, but I am making strides. The doctor estimates three, maybe four more singles until I'm back to being my old self.
That being said, thank you to everyone who has reached out to me over the last month. Whether it's telling me to "Maybe listen to The Weeknd instead" or simply just reminding me that Justin is a douche, you have made a bigger difference than you could possibly know. I am optimistic about the future and am looking forward to a world where listening to music is just replaced with eating dessert, anyways.