Today, I wanted to talk about one song in particular, though. Red and Blue. Today marks the 5 Year anniversary of Luke's skateboarding accident. The day that changed everything and the day that this entire album is about. It's an important day to remember and celebrate the fact that he's okay even after a freakin' brain injury.
Red and Blue is the most literal song we've ever written. It was scary to write and to be so vulnerable, but it needed to happen. I had a VERY tough time recording it in the studio because it kept bringing back all of the horrifying memories of that night that I had kept hidden for so long. I'm actually not sure if I've ever shared this story before??
Okay, so five years ago, Of Course Not (the band we were in at the time) was booked to play a Sweet 16 birthday party with Sick of the Day (now known as New American Classic). We were stoked.
Clearly. Disney movies, pasta dinner, and playing music with some of our bffs? YES, PLEASE. We were supposed to go on after they played Frozen on the projector screen. Luke didn't want to watch Frozen again since we had just seen it, and asked if I wanted to go hang out with him outside while he skated in the parking lot during the movie. I said no because obviously I wanted to watch Frozen. Something that will haunt me for a long time after. Halfway through the movie, the birthday girl's mom came to find me. She told me there had been an accident, and my mind was racing. I looked around to see if I could find Luke, but he wasn't there. My heart was beating so fast as she had me follow her outside to see the flashing lights from the ambulance and Luke being carried on a stretcher and bleeding profusely. I couldn't comprehend what was happening and just started sobbing. My mind was racing but time was standing still. I didn't know what to do? I didn't know if he was going to be okay, but I definitely thought the worst. I felt so much GUILT for not hanging out with him because I chose to watch Frozen instead.
Someone went and got Michael and Kyle, from SOTD, and Gerardo, our drummer at the time, from inside and I remember a lot of crying and hugging. I got a ride to the hospital and they met us there. We didn't have any information for a loooong time. Someone called my parents and they drove an hour and a half to meet us there. I told all our Solace friends, and so many people showed up to support us. So much of that night is just a blur that I can't even remember properly. Luke's parents were living in South America at the time. It was a f*cking nightmare.
The doctors finally let me go back and see Luke in the ER, and it was traumatic af. He was still unconscious, tied down to the table, and fighting his restraints. I didn't know what to do?! THEY LEFT ME ALONE WITH HIM IN THE ER AS HE'S TRYING TO SIT UP OFF THE BED. I HAD TO HOLD HIM DOWN SO HE WOULDN'T FALL OFF THE BED. THAT IS NOT OK.
They finally came back, and had a little bit of news, but not any answers. They said he fell and hit the back of his head with such a force that it fractured his skull in the back, and his brain moved forward and fractured his skull in the front, too. They didn't know if he would be alright, how damaged his brain was, or if he'd remember anything. They put him in ICU and told us to come back in the morning.
My friend, Courtnie, took me home and stayed the night with me so I wouldn't be alone. It was awful. I couldn't sleep. How do you sleep if you don't even know if your favorite person will even wake up or remember who you are???
The next morning, I got a phone call from the hospital. Bracing myself, I answered, and IT WAS LUKE. The first thing he said was, "Torey, what the hell happened?!" I've never felt such relief as I did in that moment.
We went back to the hospital, and he was sore, but miraculously alright, all things considered. He still doesn't remember what happened to make him fall so hard, though. We had a few weeks of recovery time to go, and he had to be EXTRA careful for the next six months to make sure he doesn't hurt his brain again, but we made it!
So anyways, that's the brunt of the story. It was traumatic for everyone involved, but we're okay now. Our album is how we dealt with it. I still don't like reliving it, but it's much easier to talk about now.
We're going to spend today CELEBRATING that he's okay, and that he remembers everything except the actual accident and the first night in the hospital. I forgot to mention that the nurses told me when he was first admitted into the hospital he said, "How much is this gonna cost?!" Hahahahahahaha. Funny, yet not b/c America's healthcare is a joke. Also, it's worth noting that he hardly swore before his brain injury, but he definitely dropped the f bomb in front of his MOTHER during his recovery. So...yeah. People ask how his personality changed after the brain injury, and that's the only thing, really.
Anyways, I'll never forget the kindness that our friends and families and even strangers showed us during this whole ordeal. People dropped everything for us, and that's what gets me choked up to this day. I love you all.
