Val Emmich is an interesting person, blessed with beau coup talent. He’s a writer, actor, and singer-songwriter. Still, like many gifted artists, he suffers with anxiety and depression: Leo Tolstoy, Philip K. Dick, Adele, Lana Del Rey, Brian Wilson, Kristin Stewart, and even Abraham Lincoln.
Jack Nicklaus famously said, “Concentration is a fine antidote to anxiety.” This probably explains Emmich’s prolific outpouring of creativity, including more than a dozen albums, appearances on HBO’s Vinyl, 30 Rock, The Big C, and Ugly Betty, along with churning out marvelous novels, such as The Reminders and Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel, a New York Times bestseller.
“Worry” is the title of his latest music video, off his album Tizzy, which focuses on his depression and anxiety. The video, directed by Rob Fitzgerald, is a delicious angst-filled depiction of the inner tumult of anxiety, as well as a marvelously contagious pop song.
I interviewed Val Emmich for a couple of reasons: one, he’s hella-talented, and super-talented people, for the most part, are fascinating; second, his frankness about his anxiety and depression make him refreshingly human — he doesn’t pretend to be one of the beautiful-perfect people.
