Today’s blog is a guest post by musician and author David B. Roundsley, who I interviewed as part of the Pride Month Interviews series.
Anthony has kindly given me this space to talk about my book (and album) Bad Blood. This started out to document my 13-year search for my birth parents and DNA origins but became so much more. Parts of my life I had pushed to the side came into focus, forcing me to examine areas previously left untouched. Being a gay man and an adoptee, other outside stats came into play. The suicide rate for adoptees is 7.6% as compared to 3.1% of children living with their biological families. The suicide rate for LGBTQ youth is an added 1.5-3% higher than heterosexual youth. Being an adoptee, I realized I was hired for a job I never applied for.
Prior to this search, which really became an adventure, had anyone asked if I had any doubts or questions about my life, I’d probably have said, “No.” Stumbling into this through good timing and chance, I realize now how many questions I actually had.
Dealing with issues of anxiety and depression, along with questions of identity and self-worth, started this search, but very quickly I was pulled down a rabbit hole to make Alice’s adventures seem tame. I had expected I’d find a father and mother who more likely than not were no longer together, but otherwise had relatively normal and unremarkable lives. Instead I discovered ties to the Mob, criminal behavior, drug use, promiscuity, swinging, and several generations of broken homes and families left in the dust.
Another aspect of the story, journey, and book I’ve been reluctant to talk about prior to publication is my older half-sister “Danni”. We were several years into the search when a twist of fate provided the singular breadcrumb that allowed us to find her. To say she’s had a Dickensian life would be a massive understatement. Despite the many trials she has been through, she is remarkably upbeat and one of the nicest and kindest people you could ever meet.
I worked with “Danni” (all the names in the book have been changed, with the exception of mine and my husband Dave’s) for several months last year so she could provide her first-person narrative, not only of her life, but also of my birth father’s family and origins. Her narrative gives an added dimension and opened the door for discoveries that would have otherwise been lost to time.
Finding the answers to a myriad of mysteries, the journey was healing both to myself and many other people. While the story seems unique, I believe with data aggregation, social media, DNA tests and so much of our lives now documented online, uncovering secrets and truth will become more commonplace.
Please check out my Kickstarter Campaign at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bad-blood/bad-blood-a-life-without-consequence
The Campaign ends at midnight September 11.
David B. Roundsley has been involved in a wide array of artistic disciplines ranging from fine art (painting, pen & ink, watercolor), to graphic design, multi-media, writing, video, and music (composing and studio production) over the past 50 years. He has run an independent design company since 1994 as well as having held the Creative Director positions at GetSmart and Fast Find, and has released 11 albums under the moniker Munich Syndrome.