In 1994, when I was 13 years old, my family and I moved to São Paulo, Brazil. I barely spoke the language, did not know how to read or write in Portuguese and was put into public school. I did not fit in at all, people made fun of me because I was different. I felt like a complete outsider. I loved SP from the beginning of their career, their music made me feel better about myself and get through those difficult times. When MCATIS came out in 1995, CDs in Brazil, especially imports were super expensive ($40). I got a job as a waiter, it took me two months working to save up the money just to buy the album, I remember running to the cd store grabbing a copy of the album rushing home and putting it on CD 1 track 4, Zero. I must have listened to that track a thousand times, then, to my unexpected surprise, I was blown away by the rest of the album. So much diversity, complexity / simplicity, love/anger in each song, it made me feel accepted. One of my favorite memories to this day is listening to Porcelina on my headset in a beach in Brazil, up to then, I had never felt so at peace. Your music made a difference in my life. People associate your music to me, I constantly get messages, “Eddie, every time I listen to Smashing Pumpkins, I think about you”. It influenced me to become a musician. I even had the opportunity in 2010 to open a show for the Smashing Pumpkins and meet all of them in 2010. Thank you for being a part of my life.