Flogging Molly – Punch Drunk Grinning Soul (and a PSA)

Tiffiny and I will be at all three Flogging Molly shows in the Tampa Bay area this month (we’re even more stoked because the supporting act is Frank Turner, our favorite punk rock lumberjack). We’re huge fans of Flogging Molly as musicians, and as artists who are trying to make a difference in the world around them (which the band are doing by releasing the new video for their song “Punch Drunk Grinning Soul”).

Now this punch drunk grinning soul, in it’s corner begs no more.

Originally penned as an allegorical biography about a young man who unexpectedly committed suicide, the video takes the theme one step further and applies it to a malady faced by millions of people the world over post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. The video begins with a public service announcement for PTSD narrated by singer Dave King and Mike Regan, a distinguished Vietnam war veteran and the father of the band’s fiddle player Bridget Regan. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 7.7 million American adults suffer from PTSD, a psychiatric disorder that can occur following exposure to life-threatening events such as military combat, serious accidents, or violent personal assaults like rape. People who suffer from PTSD often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks and detach or estrange themselves from friends and family.

Check out Flogging Molly’s video for “Punch Drunk Grinning Soul” and get more info on PTSD by calling the number below or clicking on the website.

Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-TALK (8255)

National Institute of Mental Health

The band’s 6th Annual Green 17 Tour, the Guinness soaked countdown to St Patrick’s Day, began on Tuesday in Dallas, TX and ends with a rousing celebration on March 17th in Tempe, AZ. For more info, go to the Flogging Molly’s official website.