Lazlo's Picks: Joseph A. Peragine

Joseph A. Peragine is a musician who is delivering a positive message about his journey with Schizophrenia. From pain and self-medication to acceptance and purpose, Joseph A. Peragine has released two discographies titled "The Acoustic Diaries" and "Self Medication...Poems of Alienation."

About Joseph A. Peragine:
Joseph A. Peragine (www.josephaperagine.com) is an independent experimental solo artist based out of Cincinnati OH. Born in 1981, Joseph has been writing, singing, and playing instruments since the age of 14. He writes music about his personal struggles with Paranoid Schizophrenia. Joseph's journey with Schizophrenia started around the age of fifteen when he experienced episodes of intense paranoia, delusions, and unusual and harmful behaviors.

As a young adult, after overcoming many obstacles, Joseph hopes to dispel the negative stereotypes of Schizophrenia and deliver an overall positive message of hope through music. Joseph's biography is detailed in a poignant video which can be viewed on his Electronic Press Kit or website. In the video, Joseph states, "This is me. I am turning my life around and in a lot of ways I'm not so different from you."

About the Music of Joseph Peragine:
The compositions of Joseph A. Peragine are a blend of unforgettable sound-landscapes, emotionally charged and meaningful. Joseph convincingly communicates his battle with Schizophrenia.

In his first solo album, The Acoustic Diaries, Joseph includes 17-tracks of music along with an autobiographical 24 page booklet. The CD displays Joseph's innovative approach to acoustic guitar, calm and peaceful in contrast to his chaotic world. He mixes the guitar with a variety of sound samplings. His lyrics are raw, delivered by a voice that is somber and mellow. The Acoustic Diaries opens new doors of perception to your average listener. It is an eight-year story told in a journal of acoustic songs, tied together with a collage of poetry, instrumental music, and everyday noise. The music transcends into audio scenery that gives the listener a mental picture of this young man's journey.

His second release "Self Medication…Poems of Alienation" is a collection of spoken word material that Joseph wrote during the darker years of his struggle. This album is a self-reflective, deeper and darker look at the history of his illness and experiences.

About Joseph's struggle with Schizophrenia: In the beginning, Joseph experienced intense paranoia, delusions of grandeur, hearing voices, seeing and interacting with non-existent people and objects, and many other types of paranoid hallucinations and delusions. Unfortunately, Joseph was unaware that he had an illness and went to great lengths of self- medication. Joseph states, "I did lots of negative things such as an over consumption of drugs, cutting, burning, and hitting myself all the way to driving myself over 100mph with no seatbelt from the highway straight into another car, then straight into the woods. I was living my life in a constant, overwhelming fear."

On a positive note, Joseph is now a long way from the self-destructive days of Schizophrenia. He is on a positive, peaceful, and healthy path. In the most recent years of his life, Joseph is expressing himself through positive and productive venues like music and performance.

About Schizophrenia:
Schizophrenia is one of the most damaging of all mental disorders as it causes its victims to lose touch with reality. They often begin to hear, see, or feel things that aren't really there (hallucinations) or become convinced of things that simply aren't true (delusions). In the paranoid form of this disorder, they develop delusions of persecution or personal grandeur. The first signs of paranoid schizophrenia usually surface between the ages of 15 and 34. There is no cure, but the disorder can be controlled with medications. The causes of schizophrenia are still under debate. A chemical imbalance in the brain seems to play a role, but the reason for the imbalance remains unclear. Schizophrenia usually develops gradually, although onset can be sudden.