By Callum McLeod
Jeordie Shenton’s life is consumed by two things: music, and his work. His love for music is evident in his collection of upwards of 3,000 CDs, in which he takes great pride. This alone already sets him apart from your ‘average Joe’ music consumer.
When asked what his favourite artist was, he had to rack his brain for five minutes to figure out what it was. After a lot of deliberation, he was finally probed by his partner to pick Sleep Token. However, he settled on a local band called Dingus Khan, before admitting he would give a different answer for every interview.
Best of all, he was excited like a kid at Christmas to show off his newest hobby – collecting music encyclopedias from the 1980s. By his own admission, he is “a proper music nerd.”
“My life is music. I’m always wearing band shirts, listening to music, or watching music documentaries. I could talk about The Sugababes for hours,” Jeordie says gleefully.
But behind his easy-going demeanour is a man with a very important job. A job he cares very much about.
Jeordie is the program lead for Tonic Music for Mental Health, a charity organisation that works with those in the music industry to give them the support they need for their own mental health. When asked about the aim for the program, he was delighted to say “My life passion is to ensure we have good mental health support for both working professionals and fans,” he says.
Shenton’s workdays typically take two forms. One is a structured, home office ordeal. He facilitates workshops. He sends emails to his team. The other is unpredictable and fun, what he calls ‘outreach’ days. These days take his work in a different direction completely.
These outreach days involve him going to gigs or festivals. While it may seem like he sets up an ordinary stand, this is on purpose to draw people in. It includes merchandise, posters, and a mental health lounge. This is set up within a gazebo to look as appealing as possible. It acts as a respite for both artists and fans.
Mental health is an important topic no matter what sector you work in, but there is still a stigma attached to musicians about their mental health. “There is this idea that working musicians are ‘mad’, and ridiculed for it.” Jeordie says.
“There was a cultural shift when Amy Winehouse passed away,” Jeordie says. “Mainstream media would report mental health and suicide in either a romanticised or demonised way.” His main example was that of Kurt Cobain’s death in 1994.
With this prior knowledge, Shenton is now concerned that the media is regressing again and following the trends prior to Amy Winehouse’s death. “We have to be careful we don’t go back to looking through these horrible lenses,” Jeordie says.
Jeordie began working with Tonic five years ago, a job he adores and feels very lucky to have. “I got the job through a sprinkling of luck and magic dust,” he says. After a long time trying to make charities aware of his research, CEO Steph Langan offered him his dream job after he was amazed by the vision and the community feeling of Tonic. “It feels like a family,” Jeordie says.
On top of his role at Tonic, he is also a PhD researcher into substance use amongst working musicians. It’s not a secret that substances are used in the music industry, but Jeordie’s research delves more into the ‘why?’
Inspired by both his personal experiences with substance use and a question he posed to himself – Why do all the people who benefit my mental health seemingly experience poor mental health? – Jeordie found the topic he would spend his life researching and working for.
‘What are the trends of substance use in musicians?’ ‘Is there a higher rate?’ ‘What factors contribute to this – personal or from the music industry?’ These are the sorts of questions that are posed to Jeordie as part of his research.
There is a huge underlying subtopic of mental health embedded within his research. “I find the topic quite fascinating really,” says Jeordie. But while he finds the subjects he researches interesting, he found his true calling with Tonic.
“The reason I value my work at Tonic is because we have to do something to help people, and we have that impact,” Jeordie says. He also notes that both his research and work do not work towards reducing substance use, but reducing dependency and overdose rates.
“We want our musicians to be healthy. They don’t have to suffer for their art,” he says. The progress that he and Tonic have seen has been very positive, but he admitted that there is still a way to go.
Jeordie acknowledges that the industry can be harsh on those who struggle with their mental health, “it’s a process of acceptance and rejections. We need to make sure the support is there for those taking rejection badly.”
Tonic provides different programs and resources to anyone working in the music industry, including peer support groups, skills workshops, and posters for venues (with over 100 currently partnered). These are all provided for free on their website, with the backing of qualified professionals and well-known musicians, such as The Specials and The Libertines.
“There’s no separation between a musician and their personality. Their music is informed by their life, and vice versa,” Jeordie says. His job at Tonic allows him to give that support to musicians who struggle to switch off at the end of the day.
With everything provided online for free, it is easily accessible for anyone in need, regardless of their financial situation or location.
Jeordie’s personal advice for anyone struggling with their mental health is to encourage anyone who is concerned about another’s wellbeing to speak up. The more awareness of charities like Tonic get, the more they can achieve.
Behind Jeordie’s love for music is also a love for helping people. His two biggest passions in life are evident in his work. Tonic is his dream job, and those passions aren’t going away anytime soon.
