How to Portray Memory Loss with Music and Art

In this episode, I try and help the audience further understand Alzheimer's and dementia by having them experience it through the mediums of music and art. I analyze the self-portraits of William Utermohlen and the albums "Everywhere At The End Of Time" and help explain to the audience how the tone and overall structure of the music helps the listener feel as if their mind is withering away due to dementia. I believe this is an important topic to talk about since Alzheimer's is currently the 6th leading cause of death in the US, which means we will all come into contact with it sooner or later, whether we get Alzheimer's, or someone we know.

For further research:

[williambarnes]

People often say you don't know what you've got until it's gone.
But Alzheimer's doesn't grant you even that consolation.

[KakuOlen]

People with demnetia almost always will remember their favorite song, reason why all of them had the same song in a different energy

[happyhippy]

The very last picture/cover art is actually supposed to be a painting, flipped backwards. Making the art literally "unreachable"

[Swaggerpede]

The true definition of art " Comforting the disturbed, and Disturbing the comfortable."

[AwkCrafty]

The thought of losing all your memories is extremely anxiety inducing. Like world collapsing until nothing is left. A fate worse than death honestly.

[awe]

My grandpa has had Alzheimer's since before I was born. A few years before to be exact. When I was young he was still very cognitive, he even drove. When my brother and I were about 6-7 he would take us to parks and he would play with us. He was exactly who I knew him as, my fun and loving grandpa. It wasn't until I was about 13 that I even started to understand the disease my grandpa had. I remember him forgetting minor things but other then that nothing too bad. When I became an adult I finally started to think about how scary it would be to have Alzheimer's. At this point my grandpa was in pretty bad shape. He no longer remembered who I was or even who his children were. Some nights I would think about how terrifying it would be. Seeing your grandchildren grow and knowing you may never remember them again. To this day he is 80 years old. When I visit him he greets me like I am an old friend, though he does with everyone. I try myself to talk to him like I used to when he was still cognitive. But I know that I also am speaking with an old friend, someone I had lost years ago. Though his memories of me are gone, he will always be my fun and loving grandpa to me.


Love you Grandpa

[piratealeks]

Listening to this alone was a horrible mistake. God

[Krukmeister]

I think the album cover for stage 6 is supposed to be the back cover of a painting. The painting itself, the sense of self, is completely gone. What remains is just what held the painting. The body is there but the mind is not there any more.

[Kesog]

now this becomes a little bit harder in stage 3, ad: "i love it when you call me señorita"

[ThePresident-cdeo]

Terminal lucidity is where a dementia patient sees a sudden improvement in function right before death. This makes the ending all the more terrifying when you think about it, because the patient returns for just a moment just before they die, and they remember everything. That's why the music from the beginning plays again. That must be incredibly terrifying, suddenly waking up and realizing that you've been gone all these years, and the only thing that you have left in your life is the distant memories from the past.

[sketchywav]

I can’t get through the first 30 minutes without feeling immense sadness and anxiety. To think that everything I know now can dwindle into nothing scares and saddens me beyond words.

[techdeckdudes_]

Hm. I always thought the album cover for part 6 was the *back* of the canvas

[cyanimation]

Trigger warning: self harm, but one time when I attempted, I caused myself to lose about two years of memories. I'm not sure of the science behind it since I was too afraid to tell my family and get it checked out, but I know what it feels like to have recent memories gone and others blurry like a dream. It's terrifying and I never want to go back to that. I hope my dad's family's heart disease gets me before my mom's family's dementia does.

[memedoge]

Hey Grandpa.. Remember Joe?"
"Who..?"
":)"

[jacknightingale]

I’ve been a bit obsessed with Everywhere at the End of Time. I listened to it twice and have been looking for good reviews. You’re the first to really talk about the repetition of the first song in the first part. I find that the most interesting thing of the whole experience. Also thank you for introducing me to the artist that does his self portraits!

[drwstho]

This is very under-researched when it comes to everywhere at the end of time. For example the 7 stages aren’t years they’re the stages of dementia, thats why the end is much longer than the start, you can stay in stage 5 dementia for years just waiting to die.
Edit 6 stages

[khatunamezvrishvili]

I recommend reading the comments while listening to it. They seriously add alot. People sharing their stories of loved ones with dementia, people describing your life and the loss of it...your memories fading away, things you might not have noticed but add to the experience. Seriously.

[crogthecreator]

Holy shit the subscriber count doesn’t match the quality man

[thefreakybean]

One of my digest fears is Alzheimer’s. People I love getting it. Me getting it. I have depression and anxiety and just sometimes can’t handle letting go or loss or change. My great grandfather died of Alzheimer’s. I was young but old and smart enough to remember it. I remember one time when my mom told me to be patient bc he might not remember me. He forgot what I looked like but thankfully he overall remembered who I was. I remember he couldn’t even do simple things like swallow. It’s horrifying to me

[colinouille]

stuck in a loop with being recommended this video, and "Everywhere at the End of Time"