Katy’s Intro
by Katy Otto
“You could quit playing drums,” the doctor said.
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These were words spoken to me when I was 21, four years after I had discovered my passion and started playing the instrument. I had been in appointment after appointment and screening after screening to try to determine why my body seized up and why I had muscular skeletal dysfunction and pain. After a year of being poked and prodded, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia — pretty rare for someone at that age, especially over 25 years ago when the diagnosis was discussed far less frequently.
Stopping drumming was not an option for me. I pushed through, found doctors who understood what it meant to my mental and spiritual health, and did my best to figure out good posture while playing. I tried carrying my drums more carefully. I tried to eat a healthy diet and get good sleep.
Now, at age 48, my physical afflictions are expanding with every year — along with my love for playing drums in DIY punk bands. I have continued playing this entire time, but most recently I struggle with herniated discs at L4 and L5 in my spine and double sciatica. Physical pain and discomfort is not new to me; I have lived with an invisible illness nearly all of my adult life. But the older I get, the longer it takes me to recover.
Derik knew I wanted to do interviews with people around the topic of DIY punk as we naturally age, our bodies face new challenges, and our lives become more complex. He was thinking of similar issues, so we got together and decided to join forces. Why are we still passionate about DIY culture and playing music as we blow past 40, 50, 60? What will it mean to truly have a culture of all ages through the years? What are our peers thinking about all this? That’s what this project is meant to explore.
