Guest Blog: “Mind Over Matter”
During 2019, UCPLA will be featuring a series of guest blogs from program participants, Board members, supporters, and others who want to share their viewpoints and experiences. Self-advocate Kim Hudson, who holds a Master’s in Social Work and is active at advocacy meetings and workshops at UCPLA’s Washington Place Adult Day and Behavioral Services, has returned to share her impressions of the recent premiere of “Mind Over Matter”, a documentary featuring UCPLA Board of Governors member Brandon Mendenhall.
By: Kim Hudson, MSW
Last Monday, January 28, I attended the premiere of the documentary “Mind Over Matter,” which was co-hosted by UCPLA. I have seen countless films and documentaries about people with disabilities. I always search for them because I enjoy seeing people who look like me on screen. It helps to validate my own life experience.
Oftentimes films and documentaries with disability as a central theme focus on the heroism of the person or character with a disability. I never like these films because they put the person with a disability on a pedestal making them more unreachable or un-relatable.
“Mind Over Matter” does the opposite-the subject of the documentary, Brandon Mendenhall is a guy who loves music. He loves heavy metal music and specifically the band Korn. He loves this genre so much that he wants to become a guitarist. Now, Brandon does face some unique obstacles because he has Cerebral Palsy. He doesn’t have good manual dexterity so learning to play the guitar seems an impossible goal to everyone but Brandon. He has such a devotion to his music that he painstakingly learns not only to play the guitar but to become a musical engineer so he can work in the music industry.
Most rock musicians dream of having their own bands, but few have the guts or stamina to make their dreams a reality. Brandon starts his own band called The Mendenhall Experiment, and the documentary follows their struggle to succeed in the cutthroat music scene of Los Angeles. His tenacity takes him from playing backyard gigs to playing the main stage at one of the biggest heavy metal festivals in America.
The source of inspiration in this film is Brandon’s drive to get his music heard despite his physical challenges. By watching Brandon reach for his own goals I (and perhaps the entire audience) felt inspired and even compelled to strive towards our own life’s passion.
I encourage you to watch “Mind Over Matter” on iTunes, or Amazon. You will be immersed in the enigmatic world of heavy metal music, surprised by its emotional depth, and energized to face your own future.
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About Kim Hudson, MSW
I have Cerebral Palsy and I use an electric wheelchair to get around. I am a Social Worker with over 20 years of experience working with people with disabilities and chronic health issues.
Read more from Kim and her husband Tom at https://www.loveonwheels.net/.