Geoff Tyson puts “Spotlight” on depression

Prague-based Guitarist, singer/songwriter Geoff Tyson has released a new song and video called “Spotlight,” featuring vocalist Anna Skladchikova. The video is intended to bring attention to depression, which affects a lot of people but is seen as a taboo subject.

It is his first new video since the release of “Amsterdam” in February 2014. He studied guitar under Joe Satriani and is known for his work on albums released by Hollywood Records, Universal and Reprise.

Before relocating to Prague, he was a member of the bands T-Ride and Stimulator, whose songs have been used on various TV shows and films from Baywatch to Zombies from Hell.

Tyson said he composed “Spotlight” following the suicides of two of his musical heroes: Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Chester Bennington of Linkin Park.

The song is both a conduit for his grief and message about the reality of sadness and isolation experienced by artists in the entertainment industry, he added.

“After their suicides, I reflected on my own battles with depression. Its dark shadows can turn what should be a happy life lived in the spotlight, while achieving artistic success, into a spiral of desperation,” Tyson said.

“As a performer, I wanted to show what it feels like from my point of view when I’m struggling with depression — I’m on the stage doing what I do best, wearing a painted clown smile for all to enjoy, and all the while I’m dying on the inside,” he added.

“Depression is so often misunderstood and misinterpreted that even the people experiencing it don't see it for what it is. Rather than turning the gun on myself, I release this song and video into the world as an offering, to liberate myself and to bring understanding to all of us who experience this,” he concluded.

The video was directed and produced in Prague by Krystof Kalina for Monokl productions, with the help of American actor Jeff Fritz, and Russian singer Anna Skladchikova.