Anniversaries – whether in relationships or careers – are funny things. There’s an expectation to feel good about them, to respond to everyone’s congratulations with a warm, “Ah, thank you!” We’re supposed to feel – we’re pretty sure – happy.
But after all the kind wishes, greeting cards, and clinked glasses, anniversaries are really just acknowledgments that we’ve spent a large chunk of our most precious asset – time – on this one pursuit. We’ve said no to countless other opportunities for the sake of it. We’ve chosen to live one specific kind of life at the cost of all the other people we could have been.
We’ve traded infinite possibility for a singular reality.
I think there are three questions that anniversaries – honest, self-reflective ones – pose. They’re simple questions, but profound ones:
Are we happy?
Has it been worth it?
Do we still want to do this?
2025 marks major anniversaries for three of the most storied rock and metal bands in Sri Lanka’s music history. Whirlwind was founded 30 years ago. Stigmata, 25 years ago. And Paranoid Earthling released their first EP 20 years ago.
So I asked the founders and frontmen of each – Misha Wickramanayake, Suresh De Silva, and Mirshad Buckman – the exact same questions:
Are you happy?
Has it been worth it?
Do you still want to do this?
Buckman shrewdly recast the concept of happiness into the philosophically deeper realm of satisfaction: “Nothing beats the satisfaction of (seeing) what Paranoid Earthling’s music does to the listeners and fans.”
Speaking to the question of the endeavour’s worthiness, De Silva strongly agreed. “Knowing that what we do resonates, touches, and moves people across the world, and how they hold it so close to their hearts…that has made this journey truly worth it.”
In considering the future, Wickramanayake echoed Aristotle, noting the way the journey has shaped him as a person. “I can’t imagine life without it – it’s no longer just something I do; it’s become an inseparable part of who I am. It’s woven into the fabric of my existence, shaping my identity, my purpose, and my path.”
Hewing closer to the spirit of Bon Scott, Buckman took the question of “Do you still want to do this” and simply replied: “Hell yes. There’s no turning back. Gonna keep at it until (the band) goes global.”
All three artists emphasized the importance of savouring the journey, not merely the destination. As Wickramanayake put it, “It’s not just about performing. It’s about the grind, the growth, the unseen hours of work. Fall in love with the entire journey, not just the spotlight moments.”
As proof positive that these artists remain committed, new recordings are coming from all three in the months ahead. And speaking to exactly this point, De Silva took the conversation full circle: “So, are we fulfilled and content with our journey thus far? Absolutely. Are we happy? Not by a long shot. There is still much to create.”
Jed Brewer is an American musical journalist who writes for the ‘Rolling Stone’ among other publications. He is the founder and President of ‘Good Loud Media’.
