Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Musician’s incredible story of rags to riches set for big screen, and you’re in for a Treaty
One half of husband and wife duo on overcoming crime, poverty, PTSD and a bid to end his life.. and how he discovered his talent by learning how to play Saddam Hussein’s piano
This is the ultimate rags to riches story which is about to be made into a Hollywood movie. And it’s in good hands too, with the screenplay being penned by the writers of Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper and Matthew Mcconaughey’s Dallas Buyers Club.
The War And Treaty is an apt name for husband and wife duo Michael Trotter and Tanya Blount because he has literally been in the wars... in more ways than one.
He lived as a kid in shelters for battered housewives and later ended up teaching himself how to write songs on Saddam Hussein’s piano when on a tour of duty in Iraq.
But all this is just the tip of the iceberg in Michael’s inspirational tale.
Picking up the story, he told me: “My mum and I spent some time in the homeless shelter for battered women and children, that was a trying time.
“We stayed in the system for about a year but I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. I learned so much about other people’s stories, and that you’re never alone in what you’re going through.”
Michael, who is a glass half-full type of guy, added: “But the crazy thing is, my mother and father reconciled. And he was able to forgive himself, too.
“Dad was a party animal. Very intelligent, brilliant man, very well put together and handsome. He just had a drug problem and couldn’t shake it.
“He needed help, and he found the Lord, and God cleaned him up.
“My father turned his life around in an amazing way, and he was able to help raise us. It wasn’t too late.
“I have two younger siblings. I had a Christian upbringing. My mother is a very devout Christian, and I’m grateful for that up bringing. It’s got me started in the path of love, and now I’m discovering things on my own and really going deeper in love.”
As a result of it all, Michael’s relationship with his old man is “strong” and his parents even live with him and Tanya out in Nashville.
Michael had a heart-to-heart about those tough times when he stayed over at his parents’ old home in 2015.
He recalled: “And in the guest room, on his nightstand were two stones. And on the stones, there was a phrase written called ‘New name’.
“So I asked my dad, ‘What’s going on with these stones? Why is ‘new name’ written on them?’
“He said, ‘These are the stones I was throwing at myself. People were throwing stones at me and calling me a drug addict, crack head, alcoholic. But when the Lord changed my life, those stones had a new name for me. I wasn’t answering to the name calling anymore. I was answering to a ‘new name’.
“And that’s what saved his life. So he wanted to always remember that. And he put on those stones a new name. So my father’s been clean and sober now for over 20 years now.”
Michael was heading down the wrong road himself before he decided to join up with Uncle Sam.
He confessed: “I was falling into the trap of just becoming a lazy guy, not wanting anything out of life. I would do a lot of fighting on the streets. I had dreams of singing around town, hopefully getting discovered. But that wasn’t panning out.
“And at the time, once my daughter came, she was so beautiful to me. I just wanted to hold and kiss her all day long. And then I realised, ‘Oh, she needs pampers and milk’.
So I really just had no direction. And some of the things that I was doing I remember one time I stole some clothing, I was stealing some food. And the last time I did that, it broke a friend of mine’s heart because I had stolen some money from a friend, a really close friend.
“And that was the last straw for me; that’s when I realised I had a problem. Something was going on inside of me.
“I started wanting an easy way out of my situation, instead of looking for change within myself.
“So that really led me to the military. I made some mistakes in my life, and I was trying to rectify those mistakes
“I just couldn’t get anything going in the States. And finally, after some advice from others, I decided to go ahead and join the United States Army.
“That jump-started a life for me and my children. And the rest was history.”
But it was a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire when Michael was sent to Iraq in 2003. I knew that in order for me to survive, I was going to need a little extra. I had to believe and have faith that I was going to come home in one piece.
“I’ve lost a total of about 15 battle buddies, who have died. And that’s always the toughest part about it.
“And with every death of your battle buddies, you believe you’re next.
“I believe that’s where the sleepless nights begin because you’re up thinking about being next.”
Michael started to compose songs while over in Iraq in order to help him get through this hellish experience. He said: “I wanted to write songs about my battle buddies that had fallen and perform them at their memorial services, because I knew the importance of singing and healing in music.”
Michael even taught himself to play the piano in Saddam’s palace.
He said: “Piano is a strong instrument in my family. My grandmother plays, my uncle played. I had no interest in it growing up. I wanted to be a rapper. I didn’t feel like trying to learn no instrument.
“But when I got to Iraq, the palace we had taken over and were staying at, Saddam did have a piano in there and in my off time when I wanted to feel close to home, I would go down there
I was stealing clothing and food.. I stole from my friend and that was the last straw
and write songs. And I would essentially teach myself how to play on Saddam’s piano. I’m grateful that was there, and that too was something I now have for the rest of my life.”
Michael also told how he found himself sometimes wondering about the deceased dictator’s state of mind.
He explained: “It was surreal, because I thought to myself, ‘all that I know of Saddam is tyrannical’.
“And I wondered what kind of thought process he was in, sitting at that piano. I wondered, ‘Was the piano his moments of peace? Was the piano his moments of tranquillity?’
“Because the piano is such a beautiful, complex instrument, and you can’t help but be at peace when you’re sitting there playing it.
“I thought that if he could pause his own mental anguish long enough to compose or play, certainly I could, too.
“And that’s what really opened my mind up mentally to the idea of me being able to be a piano player.”
However, Michael came back from the war suffering with PTSD.
He said: “I wasn’t diagnosed until 2013, I got out in 2007. I knew something was different about me. I just didn’t know how to pinpoint it.
“Because when your job is changed, when you go from fighting in the war to now writing songs and singing at memorial services, you don’t have time to mourn, you don’t have time to process what you’re doing.
“So I like to say this is what PTSD is for people who aren’t familiar with it: ‘When you’re at war, you do everything just to try and stay alive in war.
“And now that the war is over in your home, the war is doing everything it can to stay alive in you’. And that is what PTSD is.
“I had turned to drinking after the military. It kind of drowned out the noise, but it wasn’t working.
“And that’s where I developed a sort of distaste for alcoholism. I drink wine every now and then, and I’ll enjoy a good beer every now and then. But you won’t catch me skunk drunk, pissy drunk, or nothing like that. And I definitely don’t do drugs.
“But, again, it is not something that I look down upon. In fact, my compassion for that struggle is sky high because of my father.”
Michael still struggles, but added he gets through it with “the love of my wife”. He met Tanya when he performed at a festival in 2010 and said it was “definitely” love at first sight for him, recalling, “I was smitten by Tanya.”
She even helped him through a very difficult moment when he thought about ending his own life. And the horrible incident inspired their uplifting song Five More Minutes.
They had a heart-to-heart about Michael’s dark thoughts on the staircase of their home and he was sitting there and “just crying uncontrollably”.
He said: “She got down between my legs and lifted my head up. And she said to me, ‘I know you have a timeframe on taking your life’.
“I had every intention on ending it that night. And my wife said, ‘But if you could give me five more minutes of love, just let me love you five more minutes, I promise I’ll give you reason to want to keep on going’.”
Speaking about the song itself, he said: “I think what I tried to relate was the joy of the aftermath of that situation. See, what you’re dancing to and what the fans hear is the jubilation of giving someone five more minutes.
“But the truth of that story is not as jubilant or bouncy. The truth of the situation was I almost checked out of here and my wife asked me just to give her five more minutes. And like I tell everyone, I’m still living in those five minutes today.”
Michael shed tears of joy when he found out they would be performing at Glastonbury.
But, shush, don’t tell anybody – he is actually more excited about their upcoming gig at Whelan’s in Dublin.
Michael, who is a big fan of The Commitments and Van Morrison, said: “Let me tell you now, this may seem strange, and I don’t know if I should say this because I can get in trouble with other spots – but Ireland was my number one bucket list. It actually wasn’t Glastonbury!
“I have no connection to Ireland, or anything like that.
“It’s just certain films I’ve watched throughout the years. I grew up hooked on public broadcasting stations and I watched some shows on Ireland, so I just want to go.
“I feel there’s an honesty in the hearts of Irish men and women there that connects with me. I feel drawn to the place.
“And when I found out Dublin was on the list, it was high fives all around the room for me.”
And don’t be surprised if a certain Oscar winner is front and centre at their intimate Dublin gig.
Speaking about his buddy Glen Hansard, Michael said: “He’s a beautiful, man. He’s one of those guys who wears his heart on his sleeve. He has such a wide range of compassion.”
He concluded: “I can’t wait to arrive in Ireland and to show what we have and show our soul. And, hopefully, people in attendance at Whelan’s will love us.
“And, hopefully, after this article, people who haven’t got tickets will want to come and see what I’m talking about, because we’re special.”
Tickets for the Whelan’s gig on June 22 are priced €18.50 and are available from
www.whelanslive.com.
I had every intention of ending my life but my wife asked for five more minutes