Eminem
Though Em hasn’t come out and confirmed it directly, he has heavily implied it in a few songs. In Heat, there’s a part where he goes:
You got buns, I got Asperger’s
In Wicked Ways, he says:
Ever heard of Asperger’s? It’s a rare condition
It’s what you’re suffering from when you simply don’t care if it’s an
Eighty degree day and there’s no frickin’ air conditionin’
‘Cause you got the windows up, blarin’ the system in your Chevrolet Prizm
He has a song called Rain Man, in which he mocks Raymond, a stereotypically autistic character, from the movie Rain Man. The song covers his thoughts on a social topic that he is confused over while trying to make sense of it. He also says that his new name is Rain Man.
There’s the entire song Legacy. Though Em likes to play characters, I think he’d either have to be autistic or be quite intimate with someone that is autistic to write that.
Residente
In the song La Cátedra (The Cathedra, a bishop’s throne), he states:
De niño fui diagnosticado con autismo
Y mientras cabeceo escribo rimas
[As a child I was diagnosed with autism
And while I rock my head I write rhymes
That break it in any kind of rhythm]
He wrote a song called Somos Anormales (We’re Abnormal) in which he celebrates people that are weird. Warning, the video is very NSFW.
Also, in the video for the song La Perla (The Pearl referring to both, Puerto Rico and a neighborhood in PR), I think there are a few moments during which he seems slightly autistic. There’s also a kid in the video that is definitely not a normie.
Ren Gill
I have my suspicions with this guy. He’s a relatively lesser known and newer musician. He has songs that I can relate to a lot, and he seems to make what I take as verbal stims.
One is Genesis. He says that he’s been fighting his whole life. The words seem like he’s really confused. Then, there’s the stim, “Ya nee nee nee…”
Another is Hi Ren that, in part, discusses mental health. Also, verbal stims, “Ooh ooh ooh ooh…”
In Blind Eyed with Sam Tompkins, there are topics relatable to autism littered throughout. Rhyming helps him feel better. The song is called Blind Eyed. He says that he can’t get his words right. He has those verbal stims. And, just look at him play guitar.
His whole Money Game series is morally conscious infodump. Parts 1 & 2 cover society with economy and history lessons. In them, he critiques hierarchies. I see part 3 as him trying to understand how someone could be so selfish that they continue the economic system that results in atrocities. The entire series hints that he’s had his experience with narcissistic people, something that is quite common for us.
Lastly, there’s the Losing It song and video. Losing it amy refer to a meltdown, which he manages by making the song with a repetitive beat. The song is quite bouncy. He does quite a few repetitive movements in the video. Personal note: it’s where I got the idea for my Lemmy username.
Not sure I have a favourite, although I do know that a number of historical figures (Einstein, Newton, Tesla, Mozart, etc.) probably had autism and several well-known actors (Sir Anthony Hopkins, Dan Ackroyd) and other celebrities (Susan Boyle) have been diagnosed.
I definitely admire Susan Boyle for the courage it would have taken to front up on stage and perform the first time. The amount of stress I’d be experiencing if that were me would have made me physically ill.
I feel like I can somewhat understand Dan Ackroyd, though, as he has said his “obsession” with ghosts is what provided the drive for the original Ghostbusters films. Even though I don’t share that as a special interest, it does make me smile to think that his level of enthusiasm in the films was probably genuine enjoyment of being able to do something he was passionate about at the time.
Temple Grandin is also worth a mention for her accomplishments and autism advocacy.
Fern Brady
