Therapist Reacts to Ren + Chinchilla - How to Be Me

We go back to one of our favorites in Ren. And of course the unrivaled brilliance of Chinchilla. Keilani marvels at the ethereal harmonies of the duo and provides her breakdown of the mental health component through curiosity and introspection.
#ren #chinchilla #uk #british #indie #music #musicvideo #mentalhealth #reaction #blindreaction #inspiration #motivation #therapy
‪@RenMakesMusic‬ ‪@chinchilla_music‬

[@dbc13543]

Their harmonies are indeed ethereal as they're attempting to evoke the sound of ghosts echoing in the walls. They're singing about a haunting -- not of a home, but of a person haunted by memories.

[@PotemkinDogpack]

This song makes me cry thinking about my wife's period of intense depression after losing her dad unexpectedly. It's probably my favorite Ren song, and I LOVE so many Ren songs.

[@SandraP3796]

I can understand that. My Dad died in my arms and a year later my Mom committed S. I went into a very dark place. I hope she’s better now?

[@PotemkinDogpack]

You'll probably get a bunch of requests for The Tale of Jenny & Screech, which is incredible and you totally should do next. However, a few Ren songs you may not see as frequently mentioned but are ABSOLUTE GOLD, especially for a channel like this include: Dominoes Crutch Depression Penitence Ready For You

[@SkaterWillsy]

I would add patience to that list too

[@delightfulpod]

Adding them to my list 😉

[@SkaterWillsy]

@@delightfulpod thank you 😊❤️

[@oopsdidItypethatoutloud]

Hold On is one of his best, and Humble. Good for psychological analysis ❤ from Northeast England ❤️

[@PeteFindsObscureStuff]

I'd also add Diazepam and Insomnia to the list as well

[@tjh5716]

Ren is a genuine true artist to his core. 😊

[@peterveste6976]

R.I.P.JOE HUGHES ❤ Thank you for continuing to react and support my favourite artist love your reactions ❤❤

[@stephenrh1680]

Yeah this song is a heart string puller Especially at the end where he references his friend joe who committed suicide Also you should react to chalk outlines and the Tale of Jenny and screech next

[@Dr.Brummel]

Thanks for this great reaction. ❤ There is another great duet: 'Ren ft. Bibi - Crutch'. It's so heartbreaking, beautiful and deep. Absolutely underrated in my opinion. And it has a great no-budget video as well. "Crutch" dates back to a time when Ren thought he wouldn't live much longer. When he didn't yet know that he had Lyme disease.

[@patriciaobrien6600]

I vote for this one too ❤

[@HARRISON74]

Crutch is a Ren masterpiece 💯

[@PotemkinDogpack]

Yes! Especially powerful with the video. Definitely my favorite from the Freckled Angels album.

[@xdaniedx]

You're exactly right. Life has crescendos like you said. And Ren even speaks of it in the song, "Over and over we go, over the hills and the valleys below" Meaning life will be filled with hills and valleys AKA ups and downs, and over and over again we'll ride the roller-coaster of life.

[@leslieballard9709]

I really hit this song on a different level. 13 years ago I had cancer and a lot of chemotherapy and it messed up my body pretty good. About two years ago I got long-term Covid, which has together created it dysfunctional body. I don’t sleep. I don’t eat, and I barely have energy to take care of my kids, in fact, some days I don’t. I used to be the class clown at work and now I can’t work at all. I’m not fast on my feet. I’m not witty and sharp, these are all things that I used to take pride in. It’s like my mind and body forgot how to be me. And I go to therapy. I’m trying to learn to embrace the new me. To be 100% honest I don’t really like to know me. I want the old me back so the song resonates deep deep within me. Thank you for your thoughts. I’m enjoying your channel. I’m stuck in bed a lot so I watch KZbin a lot. Just subscribed to you and am excited to see more content. Thank you.

[@delightfulpod]

Sending so much care as you navigate these challenges dear human! 🫶🏻

[@dave.james007]

If you do the tales of Jenny and screech make sure you do the full version trilogy Jenny screech and finally violet's tale in that order otherwise it won't make sense 13.30 minutes of🧠💥 great reaction btw ✌️also check out Ren other KZbin channel called ren makes stuff..chapter 1 was earlier on today chapter 2 is tomorrow he is explaining his life journey ✌️

[@tjh5716]

Dominoes and Petinence are musts for therapists.

[@SpiritOfWanderlust]

Seconded on Dominoes. The song is brilliant at drawing in the listener with catchy, poppy music before shifting gears to a serious discussion through the lyrics.

[@mldkenny]

100%

[@SandraP3796]

Another beautiful one is Crutch. Really worth checking out.

[@troytucker3467]

Thank you mate, much love to you.

[@mldkenny]

My favourite Duo ever, they are just the perfect match, that said Ren with Molly McKinna doing " Penitence " is so amazing and a real must watch. These two doing " One Love/Drunk in Love " busking in the streets of Brighton UK, is incredible. Perfect reaction so thank you.

[@PeteFindsObscureStuff]

Don't forget this one: 'CHINCHILLA x Ren - Sexual Healing (Marvin Gaye) Live' from the same busking session.

[@gcarap]

Yes this is about Joe, and the genius in these lyrics is that many of them can be seen from either (or both) Ren's and/or Joe's perspectives.

[@marissanorth85]

My best friend was killed two years ago. All of these songs are how I feel after. I'm not who I was before. It's hard to go forward.

[@Dr.Brummel]

Ren just released 'Troubles - Chapter 1' which reveals the whole story of Joe's end. youtu.be/watch?v=oPxdxCDuauQ

[@kellyt5341]

This... 💯

[@E-d1d3]

There are 2 other videos from the time Ren took Chinchilla busking for the first time. Stellar mashup of Drake/ Beyonce and a vetsion of Sexual Healing. And Chinchilla's new single 1:5 is phenomenal.

[@jasonremy1627]

This song is so good!

[@peteturner3928]

Welcome to the Ren rabbit hole, the kids a genius and hits hard. Money Game (especially part 2) is a political work of genius and songs like Diazepam and Dominoes really kick you in the feels, but yeah you have to do Jenny and Screech!

[@sorenm.lairdsorries7547]

Thank you 🙏❤ Keilani ❤ for your 🎸🧑‍🎤🧑‍🎤🌉 Ren X Chinchilla - How To Be Me (live) reaction! #ren #howtobeme #chinchilla #live

[@delightfulpod]

They are mesmerizing! 😍

[@AcetheSwordGuy]

I don't know if you did it I am new here. He is talking about Joe from Suicide and Freckled Angel. Really hits the heart strings

[@sigally]

Lovely reaction! I find that Ren writes his songs so people can interpret them however they want. What you said about Ren ruminating about the past rang true from what I've heard Ren say before about his friend Joe and in his songwriting with his illness and health issues. He's said he suffers from PTSD.

[@andybricks576]

I'm 55 yrs old & I still don't know what it is I want to be when I grow up! Time doesn't necessarily heal anything, not in my case anyway. I'm no more wiser than I was as a teenager. My problem is I don't know how to be me, "never have" & I still don't decades later! I'm my own worse enemy, I'm in my own head 24/7, a very horrible person lives within me & "it" want to take me down @ every opportunity it gets. It's sucks to live a direction-less life, sucks!

[@troytucker3467]

Thank you

[@patriciaobrien6600]

Respect for your knowledge and connection to people. Great reaction. Liked the "yummy" comment about Ren and Chinchilla. You have a very beautiful, happy face 😄

[@LeeannG]

My understanding of this song is that it’s very simply about the burden of one’s grief.

[@AndrewinAus]

Indeed it is Ren suffered two significant losses within a very short period of time. A number of his songs have been about those losses and the long lasting effects on him. I get the impression that some of his song writing ended up being rather cathartic.

[@farfromheaven29]

Loved your reaction to this 😊 you should check out penitence by ren ft molly mckinna if you haven't already

[@PeteAxeShields]

Excellent content 🙏 and major valid points. I am 63 years old ( a portrait artist / caricaturist and singer songwriter ). It has taken me a life time to realise, and come to terms with, the " ebb and flow " of human existence / experience to truly understand ( at least in my own personal journey ) the beauty in the complexities of the " Yin Yang " principle. I believe there is a " Christ " within us all. I say that without any intended blasphemy. I am a Christian man, with a deep love for our saviour. I believe the life, death and resurrection of Christ was THE greatest lesson to humankind ... in that ; no matter how bad things get, we should face everything with grace and an acceptance that we will " rise " and we will " fall, " and even at the " ultimate fall " we will still " rise again " through our faith, love and trust in the father of all creation. 🙏Ren is a beautifully unique artist. His songs are, mostly, carrying extremely important messages ... in such an artistic / creative and engaging way. ❤

[@francesdoll4039]

❤

[@EvalenaSheets-of7zb]

Yay!!

[@christinefuss9585]

The main part of the song is how Ren felt Joe must have been feeling inside and then the end, of course, is how HE himself felt when Joe ended himself. Great reaction. thank you.

[@Vmcf1968]

its a beautiful song for me.

[@butterflymama0838]

This song is about Ren's friend (Joe). I am very passionate about mental health awareness and speaking for those that can not anymore. My oldest daughter passed away Jan. 19th, 2020. She was 30 yo. She had Schizo-Affective Disorder, PTSD, Organic Brain Syndrome, depression, and anxiety. She made some very bad choices due to these issues. She met an extremely violent man who was 20 years older than her and had 2 sons (which I took custody of). She became incarcerated in Oct. 2016 for something very bad. She was clear and level headed being in prison. She was being treated by good psychologists and psychiatrists. She was getting proper meds and counseling. She was found dead in her bunk that morning. I won't go into details about what we think she died from, but of course, the State of Illinois Corrections and state officials covered it up with some lame reason. We should've sued them, but that would've been a huge undertaking an attorney told us. Anyway, point being that if someone is calling out for help, help them if you can! #mentalhealthawareness💚

[@AcetheSwordGuy]

"watching your riches turn to rust" for me was losing the value in my personal belongings. Things that I had previously found joy in, are now empty. Depression is a real killer folks. My wife brought me out of a very dark place. You can find your light in the dark :)

[@ianrose56]

It's all about Joe!!! Just dive in.!! Dive into the world of Ren.!!! And discover a real human connection..!!!! That our Sick boi projects.!!! Because it's real.!!!

[@Nighteye2]

If all you do is mask yourself continuously, acting how you think is 'normal', at some point you start losing sight of yourself - you get blinded by your own mask. So when you no longer need to mask, you're left with this inner void where your ego used to be...

[@Kibashino2]

LESSS GOOO

[@Brian-wq3qh]

I'd recommend reviewing Insomnia and Depression, both are short videos so you could possibly put into one reaction video as, personally , I think the two are connected

[@70HiGgStEr35]

make sure to watch jenny n screech's tale 🥰

[@Boxxxxxxxxx987]

I know it's a change of pace, but watsky has a song called talking to myself and I think you would enjoy hearing it. Has some beautiful insight.

[@deandrefine6336]

One of the few people I always look forward to watching. Your reactions are just phenomenal every time. You are truly delightfully amazing. ✨🙌🏼 Sometimes I'm like I can't have my day end without a reaction from Keilani 😂💯🫶🏼

[@ScottM436]

Everyone is mentioning The Tale of Jenny and Screech. It is a masterpiece, and you definitely need to check it out. There is a video with all three parts in one video. I believe it's called The Tale of Jenny and Screech (full). And it has to be the video, not the lyrics. That is absolutely a must. This is the song to which he is labeled a modern-day bard. It's a tough watch, so be ready. Also, please pay attention to the last part from beginning to end to really understand. Also, that is the bridge that his friend jumped. This is going to be a long read, but I'm going to post what Ren posted about his friend Joe in case anybody is interested and wants to know the whole story about Joe and what happened. From here on out, it's Ren's words. I first met Joe when I was 8 years old, my friend Josh said I had to meet this guy, so we both walked over to his, it took about 10 minutes from my house. I was greeted by this kid covered head to toe in freckles, he grinned at us, climbed onto the back of his sofa and screamed “Swanton Bomb!” then front flipped off the top and landed right onto his back on a stone floor. He lay still for a moment, twitched a few times, then got up, grinned at us, brushed himself off, and did it again. This was Joe. He’d do anything to make people laugh. He ended up becoming one of my best friends. He was there when we stole our first cigarettes out of his mum’s pack, way too young. He was there when I had my first kiss, with a girl twice my size on the back of the 42 bus. He was there when I first got so drunk I threw up in the woods after drinking as much White Lightning Cider as we could. I was there when he did his first backflip on skates, and saw him do a 720 off of the pier cave, that moment became legendary. Joe was the funny one in our friend group, he’d make us laugh till it hurt. No one had a bad word to say about him. It was impossible not to like him. Usually we put celebrities, athletes and actors on pedestals, turn them into role models and admire them from a far. The person I admired was Joe. He knew every word to the songs I’d write, we’d get drunk at parties and they’d be singing along as loud as they could. It gave me a lot of confidence back then. On Christmas Eve 2010 I was sitting in a pub with Joe, he’d been feeling low after a couple of consecutive break ups. He tried to check himself into a mental health outpatient facility a few weeks earlier but they turned him away because he didn’t have an appointment. He turned to me and said that sometimes he wished he could just walk into the sea and keep walking. He said it in a kind of half joking throw away comment type of way, then took a sip of his drink, walked over to the juke box and put Dig by Incubus on. If I knew that was the last time I’d see Joe I’d have hugged him, told him how much I loved him, how much I looked up to him, how much we all loved him, and I wouldn’t have left that pub. I didn’t know that, so I finished my drink, said Happy Christmas and left. Two nights after Christmas I got woken up by a phone call at 3am, it was my friend Ella. She told me Joe was on the Menai Bridge, a large suspension bridge connecting the main land to the Isle of Anglesey where we lived. He’d been on the phone to her in tears saying goodbye. He told her to tell everyone he loved them. I pulled on my clothes as fast as I could and started running toward the bridge. It was up a hill. I lived about a ten minute walk away, I could run it in five. As I ran I started dialling then redialing his number. The line was busy, which was a good sign, it meant he was still on the phone to someone. As I got about halfway, the busy tone changed. It told me the line was out of service. I got a sinking feeling and picked up my speed. I arrived to the bridge minutes after I left my house. It was deafeningly quiet. I was the first person to arrive. I got there probably about 2 minutes too late. Joe’s body was never found. Initially we refused to believe he was gone. The coastguard came out that night, with boats, and helicopters. Me and my friends spent the next 10 days putting up missing posters everywhere we could, walking up and down beaches with flashlights, getting about 3 hours sleep a night. When you’re walking up and down a beach with a torch when its dark everything looks like a body. We still haven’t found Joe. As his birthday came around, I wrote a song, Freckled Angels, a song I dedicated to Joe which I sang in front of his friends and family. A charity football match was put on for him, raising money for the RNLI where I won two bottles of wine in a raffle, I drank them both as quickly as I could, naturally, turned to my friend and probably slurred something along the lines of “This is the last time I ever drink” That was 12 years ago, I haven’t touched a drop of alcohol since. My first ever album I named Freckled Angels in tribute of one of the best people I ever knew. Skip forward some years. I’d been sitting on this song I wrote a few years ago. It always felt a little incomplete. It was going to be my next release, but I was dreading it because of this feeling of incompletion. I decided, very last minute, to do something about it. I sat by my piano, and the rest of the song fell out of me. I hadn’t thought about Joe in a little while, and the song initially wasn’t going to be about him, but the words all fell out of me. I wrote and recorded a whole 2 minutes extra, recording each part as I wrote it. Tears spewing out of my eyes pretty much the whole time, and decided not to do my usual thing of perfecting each line, I just recorded every line as it came. _His song Suicide_ We managed to raise an incredible £21,000 for the RNLI, an incredible team of volunteers, who risk their lives without pay to aid calls of distress from British shores. The night Joe went missing they were out on the choppy stretch of water between Anglesey and the Mainland, until 5am, looking for Joe, without pay, from the goodness of their hearts. They continued the search efforts for the entire following week until hope dwindled. They owed us nothing, and gave us everything. I decided to pay a visit to Joe’s mum and dad. I was asked to play them the new live session I recorded in Calgary. It was probably the most nervous I’ve been playing someone a video that I’d made. The topic isn’t an easy one, especially for parents who have lost an incredible son. I nervously hit play, and the gravity of what I was showing sunk in and I began to cry. In the end we sat in silence, silently sobbing. Joe’s mum turned to me and smiled and we hugged, and I felt much lighter. It made me really realise I guess what I’ve always known. Music is far more than music. It’s a channel of communication for the things that are impossible to say. It’s a bridge between the living and the dead. It’s a way to stay immortal. It’s a way to resurrect the dead. It’s a universal language. It cuts down barriers of the parts of you which are encapsulated in steel cast iron. It allows frozen rivers to thaw and become un-stagnant. I owe myself, my life, everything I am to music. Music is the closest thing to God I know. I am so grateful to be doing what I do and to tap into this mystic force. My life, my energy, myself, I eternally devote to it.

[@70HiGgStEr35]

I'm sure this video was filmed at the place where ren's friend joe jumped to his death 💕😢😢

[@seth1455]

nope, that's not the Menai Bridge where Joe jumped and Ren himself has dismissed that story

[@vinayojha5924]

React to nf remember this & just like you! And Plz beautiful by Eminem too! Love your reaction⁠♡ keep growing

[@capthowdy]

Great reaction, do you think you could do amigo the devil- closer? It's a pretty deep song, I think you might like it.

[@brettmatthews4836]

The song was sung on the bridge were Ren's friend Joe ended his life. That is what the end of the song is.😢

[@johnnyeproductions]

This song was written about the loss of his best mate Joe after he had unalived himself by jumping off a bridge and his body was never found. Ren's Lyme disease kept him bed ridden and the loss of Joe just destroyed him

[@dingo8226]

This song is partly about his friend joe

[@marlee680]

U too cute!!!! Good show. Uk. Marlee

[@AllisterDarcy]

✔✔👍👍👏👏

[@annatraustadottir4387]

True everyone relates and interpret differently but this one was really surprising, especially from a therapist. The reason for your surprise because of the last words when Ren talks about his friend that committed suicide might be because the interpretation so far did really not add up.

[@rickgiles3633]

You should react to REN’s latest drop. It’s spoken word and it’s called Chapter 1

[@seth1455]

it's called 'Missing' and there 8 chapters, it's Ren's life when getting sick the story ends with his new song 'Troubles' which is a summation put to music

[@user-Terry314]

As a non-human I'm looking forward to meeting you all

[@docdurdin]

Joe, gave signals to Ren before he jumped off the bridge, but Ren didn't pick up on it.

[@DJJOPI]

Joe had a dark sense of humor: that's why he didn't notice it.

[@jasonklenetsky5687]

This comment isn’t fair, c’mon. It comes off really harsh to me. I personally have experience with a friend committing S. I found my best friend the morning after he shot himself. I never had a single inclination that he was hurting or in that frame of mind. It’s not just a cut and dry thing. I think your comment is irresponsible and mean. Please try and choose your words more carefully in the future when speaking on such matters.

[@docdurdin]

@@DJJOPI Agreed, and most of us are the same. We don't even want to think that way unless they are crying for help.

[@docdurdin]

@@jasonklenetsky5687 Jason, if that is directed at me you misunderstood. Ren spoke directly to this. Joe was known for dark humor so Ren didn't pick up that he was in trouble. This is often the case unless they are directly in distress.

[@jasonklenetsky5687]

@@docdurdin Sounds like you’re blaming Ren for Joes death. That’s messed up. If that’s not what you meant, you should consider rewording your comment. I find it in very poor taste.

[@pisnis0077]

mjau

[@jmarasco510]

Why does youtube recommend these boring channels??? 😴

[@kellyt5341]

Thanks for the comment, it helps the algorithm so it can keep recommending it to all. 😂🖐

[@rexrogers1859]

Thank you for commenting! It helps the reactors and promotes Ren and Chinchilla's artistry!

[@fangirl6115]

❤