Well hello again to all the awesome peeps in 311 nation! We meet again for the next edition of the fan spotlight. This week let’s read all about Jeremy Swisshelm!
Radio is where Jeremy first heard the magical sounds of 311, when stations were playing “All Mixed Up” and “Down” in heavy rotation. He loved it instantly and then his friend let him borrow Grassroots. He never gave it back. “Sorry not sorry. I repaid him years later with a ton of 311 music he wasn’t familiar with. Became a super fan after seeing them live for the first time.”
Show count he believes is somewhere in the 20’s and he’s been on two cruises. Jeremy’s first show was July 2011 at Northerly Island in Chicago. “My wife got us tickets for my birthday. Show was unbelievable and became a super fan after that!” Favorite event was his first cruise, which was the 4th cruise overall. “Sail away show was amazing. I can’t even put into words how amazing it was.”
Favorite song is a tough question to answer but Jeremy said he would probably pick “Misdirected Hostility.” “It reminds me that sometimes when people are mean or mad, you should try giving them the benefit of the doubt. I mean I don’t know what that person is going through right now. And I also find myself with misdirected hostility and it helps me to reign that in.” One of his favorite lyrics comes from the recent Mosaic album and the song “Forever Now” – “For an infinite minute, let’s stop the clock and be in it!”
Jeremy grew up in Northwest Indiana, in the suburbs of Chicago. He played soccer throughout his entire childhood-travel teams, Olympic development, all of it. Then in high school he tore ligaments in his knee and was never the same after it. Then he started hanging out with two local bands during his high school years and he gained his love of live music from those days. “Living outside Chicago i went to a ton of shows in the 90’s. But never saw 311 back then for some weird reason.”
Jeremy moved to Colorado in 2003 with his brother and his brothers girlfriend. “We lived in a tent for 2 months while we found work and a place to live. Stayed there for 5 years. Snowboarded ALOT.” He moved to Colorado with no money, no car, and not knowing anyone there. “One of the best times of my life.”
Unfortunately then Jeremy’s mom passed away and he moved back home to be closer to his dad. “They had been married for 35 years.” It was a few years later that he met his now wife and last weeks fan spotlight Trisha. “Fell in love. Got married. Had a kiddo. Nolan is 10 and awesome. He loves a lot of the same music we do. We moved to Florida about 4 years ago. I am a glazier (glass installer). Showers, windows, table tops, mirrors, stuff like that.”
A talent for Jeremy is that he is very handy. “I can fix and build lots of things.” Guilty pleasure for him? “I love the movie Dirty Dancing.” Jeremy’s love for music has him liking a wide variety of musicians including Dirty Heads, Rebelution, Stick Figure, The Movement, Sublime, Blind Melon, Rage Against the Machine, Beastie Boys, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Clutch, Simon and Garfunkel, Fugazi, Buddy Holly, Oak Ridge Boys, and The Grateful Dead.
Jeremy would like to tell the members of 311 this message: “Thank you for the endless entertainment and knowledge you’ve given me.”
To all the other fans out there:
“Before you judge someone, try to put yourself in their shoes.”
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Powerful words and great ones at that Jeremy! Thanks for being part of this 311 fan community and sharing your story. As usual, much gratitude to all that read each week! Until we meet again, do the usual. Be awesome and spread the positivity and love!
Much love – The Runt