Ren said that he tried to put his grief into words many times but couldn't find the right ones. He tried sitting at the piano and this flowed out of him. I'm not sure how he did it but he found the chords of grief. This piece is just brilliant. 💜
Good insights. I’m an older follower of Ren’s music. I’m interested in hearing more of your work. Keep your technician in the mix. I found his insights on this video to be very heartfelt. Your discussion of the classical piece not being timebound, but being timeless and immortal really made me understand why this piece hits me so hard in my heart. One more thought from a videography POV, when Ren finishes the piece, as the sun is setting in the background, the camera drifts skyward. Limitless, immortal, and forever free. Like Callum’s memory will forever remain. I’d never heard anyone talk about that particular point of view before and it resonated with me deeply. Your camera man’s technical information was interesting too. If you get a chance, add Ren’s music video Seven Sins to your list of things to review.
Great to hear from you again. Another young Welshman lost, and once again Ren is processing his grief through music. His recent Chapters series on @RenMakesStuff is a fascinating look into the resilience he has needed to cultivate throughout his years of illness, and the way he has found hope in unlike places. Very interesting if you haven't seen them. They led into his latest song, Troubles, that charts the same course.
Hey Kate, nice to connect again, and thanks for leaving such an insightful and informative comment. I'm going to do Troubles next time, and will try to look at Chapters before. Nic
We’re all lucky to be around right now to witness his music and feel healed. And to know that we’ve got so much good music to share down the generations. Agree with you 100%
Such a great reaction to this piece. Loved it. 🌞🌞 You're correct that everything he does is intentional. Ren's last track Troubles is so meaningful and hauntingly beautiful in rap form. Love to see what you think about it.
Iirc Ren talks about having chosen an instrumental in his video description. He wanted to compose and record _something_ in memoriam, but for years, words never emerged. Your comments about this, especially your friend's BTS comments, were insightful. It seems that for Joe, Ren _wanted_ -- _needed_ -- words. He needed to capture his feelings of torment about not getting to the bridge in time. But words are very definitely of their time, perhaps helping Ren let go, to counter the desire to hold on. For Callum, Ren found words never emerged, but an instrumental suddenly did, and then he knew it was the right expression. The outcome is classical, timeless, beautiful, something he never needs to let go, indeed no one ever needs to even if/when Ren himself has passed.
I've not heard a reactor call it classical music, most others have called it an instrumental, but yes I think you are right, and it does show another genre of music he can do! Great reaction and analysis!
Dr. Nic, it's great to have you back! Missed your profound knowledge and analysis. I remember the first reaction video of Hi Ren with you sitting in front of the TV, and now such good editing and sound. I loved your comment about Ren giving Calum some kind of immortality by the choice of classical music. And you understood every word that Ren didn't say. You are a good egg, too. 😉
Ren is definitely a good egg. In the premier, he asked us to type our person's name into the chat and then think of them as he played. I wept. I listen to this when i need peace. Ren posted 8 Chapters on his page Renmakesstuff, in which he reads the story he wrote about the 8 year nightmare of finding treatment for his illness. You don't need to react, but i know you would be interested. It is besutiful and painful and meant to be a companion to those still in the dark and to raise awareness. It was the prelude to the release of Troubles.
Thanks for taking the time to give me this information here, it is really helpful. I'm going to react to Troubles next, and try to watch the Chapters before. Nic
Ren is somehow a healing influence, even when he explodes with anger. A bit of a spoiler in my present, in your future at the time you reacted to this video. See you in Sept, 2024
Wow, you have missed a lot in Ren's life if you have not heard him play the piano before. You may wish to listen to his song "For Joe" and his Money Game Trilogy (notably Money Game 3). You are right about the feeling of comfort in seeing him. All is well with the world when Ren drops another song! Thank you.
Yea first time I've seen it! I can't find time to research people properly which means that every time I see a Ren video, it's the first time I've seen it ie I've not seen anything from Ren that hasn't become a reaction video! I'll add 'For Joe' to the list, and thanks for taking the time to comment! Nic
He is a remarkable, multi-instrumentalist and composer. Music is beyond words but lyrics can tell stories and evoke imagery, so he does it all. You get melancholy, I get beauty.
I rarely get to watch a Ren Premiere but this was one I got to see and hear. TBH, after watching him perform a handful of EDM tracks that left me in tears I wasn’t expecting NOT to cry, especially considering the meaning behind this song. Instead of something mournful and somber I felt that MacKay was a reflection on and a celebration of a life lived and a life lost. The beginning gives me a feeling of lightness and , for some reason , these words come to me “ Whenever I see your face I …” . I can see and feel the carefree nature of their youth , almost dancing and reveling in the lightness of it all. And then there is what feels like the skies darkening and turbulence. This could be onset of RENs health problems magnified by the earthquake that was the loss of Joe. It could also depict the literal turbulence of the seas that day , when Callum went in to try to help another friend who was struggling against a rip current - which claimed both of their lies. But then REN comes back to the melody from the beginning, one that feels like remembrance of their time together and the youth they once shared, and , for different reasons, youth that was lost- swallowed whole.And the end goes back to the beginning, and again I hear in my head the words “ Whenever I see your face I…”. Although I have a lump in my throat I find myself smiling, fondly remembering someone that I never met. ONLY REN ❤
I very much doubt there's a genre Ren can't do or learn. It's even better that he's independant and not stuck in a box by a music company but has the freedom to do as he pleases. He also composed the piano music in Money Game 3 :) MacKay is dedicated to yet another friend of Ren's that died not long after his friend Joe's suicide
Money game series added to the list! I agree with you about having freedom as an independent, it means we get to see wonderful things! Thanks for commenting! Nic
To be honest: the angle didn't bother me! On the contrary, I find it interesting. The video may seem strange to some people because they are not used to it. Personally, I really like the setup, as well as the end credits (maybe you can introduce us to your friend/colleague)! Nice to see you again Doc, good luck with the channel - and I always look forward to your analyzes of Ren and his music. Greetings from Germany 👍👏👍🤝🙋♀️
Thank you for the kind words 😊 You are right, this style is not normally used in reaction videos, but it is quite common in other talking head sections. So, we thought we'd introduce to change it up a little. But it also serves as a back up should there be an issue with either camera then we can switch to the other. Thank you for the feedback !
I’m very rarely into purely instrumental music, but this somehow felt like Ren was playing words. And this is the man who is so often praised for being a brilliant lyricist as one of his main talents. Yet he didn’t need a single word to express his emotions in this one. A stunning and perfect tribute to his friend 🖤🐰🕳️
Hey all, thank you for the engagement. We are listening to the feedback that we see in the comments. One thing I'd like to get your input in is the cuts between the two cameras. So Nic does this in one take, there are no re-do's and its authentic to the react genre. We have the two cameras there, one as a backup and two as an editing option. We record about 5 reaction videos to maximise on Nics time and then edit, schedule accordingly. I've seen some comments that they don't like the switch between cameras when Nic is talking. Do you think we should keep it to one camera during his talking, and then different cuts when he's watching. We want the viewing experience to be enjoyable for you, so your feedback will be valued and acted up.
Thanks for your reaction 👍❤ Callum drowned in an accident six month after Joe ended his live. Callums friend Lewis Darroch also drowned while trying to rescue him. Completely unimportant detail in this context: The pilot of the helicopter that came to their aid was Prince William of Wales, who was serving in a naval rescue squadron at the time.
Location was Drumheller, Alberta, near where Ren was receiving health treatments for his Lyme disease. This was where dinosaurs once roamed, and left their bones in the sediment.
Hi, I am three minutes in this video. I liked your other Ren videos very much, But now I'm irritated by the cuts and the different angles from which it's filmed and you're talking to us, but not into the camera... I'm sorry, I don't like that, it's too much for me. I prefer a simpler style. Your beautiful frontal face talking to me, your profound comment without cuts.
It was shot in one take, and so whilst the angles were cut, there were not cuts to the words (we only do that if there's a brief tech problem). It's worth saying that I basically don't have the time, software, equipment or experience to do this, and think that the newer format is brilliant in lots of ways. But we do want to understand feedback, and so are you saying that the (1) you'd like less changing the angle? And (2) that you'd like me to talk to the camera more? Thanks loads for feeding back, it's like gold to us. Nic
@@nichooper7 I partly agree with krazulu. Different angles might be OK when you are not talking, but when you are talking you should stick to the camera you are looking at. I did enjoy your reaction a lot though :-)
@@nichooper7 I was a bit surprised by having the angled shots, but didn't think much about it until reading the GP comment. Just FYI, for me, if I recall my experience correctly, they were all slightly "invasive" in the sense of having (very fleeting) thoughts like "quite a different visual effect than when I last saw his videos" and "there's a slight difference in how his hair whisps look against the back lighting" and "ah, ok, two cameras and that's it" and "all the same take, so that's cool" and "ah, right, it's to the left back of the laptop screen" and "why the angled cuts?" and "it does change it up, which is often a good thing" and "another one?" and "why _this time_?" and "a different color aspect it seems" and "seems to be too much and too many" and, well, you get the picture, lots and lots of thoughts instead of being fully immersed in you, and to be honest your words are pretty essential to the experience of your channel, and seeing them from the side shifts how they hit, not necessarily in a bad way, but it definitely sometimes felt like it was a detraction. In summary I'd say the BTS made it clear your friend / tech guy is a great addition to your possibilities, but for me at least, anything other than the camera shot that showed your full face, and made it so your eyes were looking at us, felt distancing most of the times, and positively distracting for some of it too. Peace and love from the UK 🕊💚
@@nichooper7 both 1 and 2. If the other viewers like the new format, then keep it up! I just wanted to give my subjective feedback. There are formats for every taste, including mine 😉
@@nichooper7 I'm positive that you being a Psychology Professor, would make for an interesting reaction & analysis series out of Ren's 8 Chapter Playlist titled "Missing". Each chapter runs from 12 - 23 minutes long. Usually each chapter includes either BTS footage or an older music video related to the moment in life Ren has just highlighted in the chapter Ren has completed. In these 8 chapters Ren opens up about the 8 year struggle that he had endured, both physical & mental. From the moment of infection to just before he wrote "Hi Ren", Ren paints a vivid and detailed journey with words and gives us all the greatest storyteller series that I've ever heard. I hope to see it on your channel someday soon. Cheers.✌
Ren said that he tried to put his grief into words many times but couldn't find the right ones. He tried sitting at the piano and this flowed out of him. I'm not sure how he did it but he found the chords of grief. This piece is just brilliant. 💜
Always worth listening to Dr Nic! How Ren (someone whose way with words is unparalleled) to convey so much emotion - with no words.
Yep, incredible. Really took me by surprise! Thanks also for the encouragement!
Good insights. I’m an older follower of Ren’s music. I’m interested in hearing more of your work.
Keep your technician in the mix. I found his insights on this video to be very heartfelt.
Your discussion of the classical piece not being timebound, but being timeless and immortal really made me understand why this piece hits me so hard in my heart. One more thought from a videography POV, when Ren finishes the piece, as the sun is setting in the background, the camera drifts skyward. Limitless, immortal, and forever free. Like Callum’s memory will forever remain. I’d never heard anyone talk about that particular point of view before and it resonated with me deeply.
Your camera man’s technical information was interesting too.
If you get a chance, add Ren’s music video Seven Sins to your list of things to review.
Great to hear from you again. Another young Welshman lost, and once again Ren is processing his grief through music.
His recent Chapters series on @RenMakesStuff is a fascinating look into the resilience he has needed to cultivate throughout his years of illness, and the way he has found hope in unlike places. Very interesting if you haven't seen them. They led into his latest song, Troubles, that charts the same course.
Hey Kate, nice to connect again, and thanks for leaving such an insightful and informative comment. I'm going to do Troubles next time, and will try to look at Chapters before. Nic
We’re all lucky to be around right now to witness his music and feel healed. And to know that we’ve got so much good music to share down the generations. Agree with you 100%
I totally agree!
Ren often leaves us speechless .
100%
Welcome back to the world of Ren, Dr. Nic! You were one of the first (and best) I encountered along the journey with Ren.
Ah thats very kind of you, and much appreciated.
Such a great reaction to this piece. Loved it. 🌞🌞 You're correct that everything he does is intentional. Ren's last track Troubles is so meaningful and hauntingly beautiful in rap form. Love to see what you think about it.
Ah thanks so much for the positivity and encouragement. It means a lot to me. Troubles is on the list now! Nic
Iirc Ren talks about having chosen an instrumental in his video description. He wanted to compose and record _something_ in memoriam, but for years, words never emerged.
Your comments about this, especially your friend's BTS comments, were insightful.
It seems that for Joe, Ren _wanted_ -- _needed_ -- words. He needed to capture his feelings of torment about not getting to the bridge in time. But words are very definitely of their time, perhaps helping Ren let go, to counter the desire to hold on.
For Callum, Ren found words never emerged, but an instrumental suddenly did, and then he knew it was the right expression. The outcome is classical, timeless, beautiful, something he never needs to let go, indeed no one ever needs to even if/when Ren himself has passed.
Yea totally agree! Thanks for taking the time to comment! Nic
That's exactly it! He didn't have the words.❤
Yup! Even though he is a man with many words. I loved it.
I've not heard a reactor call it classical music, most others have called it an instrumental, but yes I think you are right, and it does show another genre of music he can do!
Great reaction and analysis!
Thanks for much for the encouragement and positivity! Nic
Welcome back to the Reniverse, your wisdom, compassion and empathy have been missed.
Ah that's so very kind of you, and much appreciated. Nic
Subscribed! Can't wait to see you tackle Troubles.
Thank you Andrew! Troubles has been added to the list, and I'll look forward to seeing it. Nic
Dr. Nic, it's great to have you back! Missed your profound knowledge and analysis. I remember the first reaction video of Hi Ren with you sitting in front of the TV, and now such good editing and sound.
I loved your comment about Ren giving Calum some kind of immortality by the choice of classical music. And you understood every word that Ren didn't say.
You are a good egg, too. 😉
Awww your message made my heart swell 😁 Hope all is well with you. Nic
Yes, thank you. ❤@@nichooper7
Ren is definitely a good egg. In the premier, he asked us to type our person's name into the chat and then think of them as he played. I wept.
I listen to this when i need peace.
Ren posted 8 Chapters on his page Renmakesstuff, in which he reads the story he wrote about the 8 year nightmare of finding treatment for his illness. You don't need to react, but i know you would be interested. It is besutiful and painful and meant to be a companion to those still in the dark and to raise awareness. It was the prelude to the release of Troubles.
Thanks for taking the time to give me this information here, it is really helpful. I'm going to react to Troubles next, and try to watch the Chapters before. Nic
Ren is somehow a healing influence, even when he explodes with anger. A bit of a spoiler in my present, in your future at the time you reacted to this video. See you in Sept, 2024
I felt the same warm comfort from getting to see another video of you reacting to Ren :)
Awwwwwwww 🥰
Wow, you have missed a lot in Ren's life if you have not heard him play the piano before. You may wish to listen to his song "For Joe" and his Money Game Trilogy (notably Money Game 3).
You are right about the feeling of comfort in seeing him. All is well with the world when Ren drops another song!
Thank you.
Yea first time I've seen it! I can't find time to research people properly which means that every time I see a Ren video, it's the first time I've seen it ie I've not seen anything from Ren that hasn't become a reaction video! I'll add 'For Joe' to the list, and thanks for taking the time to comment! Nic
Such insight!
Thank you!
Thank you for responding with compassion and kindness to this unique piece of art.
Yes, words don't always emerge to express our feelings.
Hey Holly! Nice to connect again, and thanks for taking the time to send over the positivity! Ren did a masterful job here I think.
I'm catching up with your latest videos now. Seems they somehow fell through the cracks though I'm subscribed since your Hi Ren Video.
Great! I hope you enjoy them! Nic
Need to see right up ur street docx
He is a remarkable, multi-instrumentalist and composer. Music is beyond words but lyrics can tell stories and evoke imagery, so he does it all. You get melancholy, I get beauty.
Totally agree!
We all feel comforted by ren niceshow do! Renegade UK seeing the world threw better eyes!
👊
What a lovely reaction. I enjoy your channel.
Thank you so much! And nice to hear from you again! Nic
I rarely get to watch a Ren Premiere but this was one I got to see and hear. TBH, after watching him perform a handful of EDM tracks that left me in tears I wasn’t expecting NOT to cry, especially considering the meaning behind this song. Instead of something mournful and somber I felt that MacKay was a reflection on and a celebration of a life lived and a life lost. The beginning gives me a feeling of lightness and , for some reason , these words come to me “ Whenever I see your face I …” . I can see and feel the carefree nature of their youth , almost dancing and reveling in the lightness of it all. And then there is what feels like the skies darkening and turbulence. This could be onset of RENs health problems magnified by the earthquake that was the loss of Joe. It could also depict the literal turbulence of the seas that day , when Callum went in to try to help another friend who was struggling against a rip current - which claimed both of their lies. But then REN comes back to the melody from the beginning, one that feels like remembrance of their time together and the youth they once shared, and , for different reasons, youth that was lost- swallowed whole.And the end goes back to the beginning, and again I hear in my head the words “ Whenever I see your face I…”. Although I have a lump in my throat I find myself smiling, fondly remembering someone that I never met. ONLY REN ❤
I very much doubt there's a genre Ren can't do or learn. It's even better that he's independant and not stuck in a box by a music company but has the freedom to do as he pleases. He also composed the piano music in Money Game 3 :) MacKay is dedicated to yet another friend of Ren's that died not long after his friend Joe's suicide
Money game series added to the list! I agree with you about having freedom as an independent, it means we get to see wonderful things! Thanks for commenting! Nic
To be honest: the angle didn't bother me!
On the contrary, I find it interesting.
The video may seem strange to some people because they are not used to it.
Personally, I really like the setup, as well as the end credits (maybe you can introduce us to your friend/colleague)!
Nice to see you again Doc, good luck with the channel - and I always look forward to your analyzes of Ren and his music.
Greetings from Germany 👍👏👍🤝🙋♀️
Thank you for the kind words 😊
You are right, this style is not normally used in reaction videos, but it is quite common in other talking head sections.
So, we thought we'd introduce to change it up a little.
But it also serves as a back up should there be an issue with either camera then we can switch to the other.
Thank you for the feedback !
Thanks for the feedback and positivity here and nice to connect again 🥰
@@nichooper7 🫶👍🤝🙋♀️
Love, love, love this song! Amazing reaction, thank you
Thank you for the positivity! It's much appreciated! Nic
You're a good egg too. Thank you so much for your thoughtful and cathartic analysis
I’m very rarely into purely instrumental music, but this somehow felt like Ren was playing words. And this is the man who is so often praised for being a brilliant lyricist as one of his main talents. Yet he didn’t need a single word to express his emotions in this one. A stunning and perfect tribute to his friend 🖤🐰🕳️
Yea I agree totally. That was my experience of watching it. Thanks loads for commenting!
Hey all, thank you for the engagement.
We are listening to the feedback that we see in the comments. One thing I'd like to get your input in is the cuts between the two cameras.
So Nic does this in one take, there are no re-do's and its authentic to the react genre.
We have the two cameras there, one as a backup and two as an editing option.
We record about 5 reaction videos to maximise on Nics time and then edit, schedule accordingly.
I've seen some comments that they don't like the switch between cameras when Nic is talking.
Do you think we should keep it to one camera during his talking, and then different cuts when he's watching.
We want the viewing experience to be enjoyable for you, so your feedback will be valued and acted up.
Yes I think the one camera while talking! It's disconcerting to see him suddenly facing away even tho the words are continuous.
Welcome back 🥰.
Thank you!
❤❤
👊
Thanks for your reaction 👍❤
Callum drowned in an accident six month after Joe ended his live. Callums friend Lewis Darroch also drowned while trying to rescue him.
Completely unimportant detail in this context: The pilot of the helicopter that came to their aid was Prince William of Wales, who was serving in a naval rescue squadron at the time.
If you rewind a little, after pausing, you won't miss anything. :)
I'll mention this to Byron next time we have a shoot! Thanks for commenting!
Thank you. I always respect and enjoy your insights into Ren's music.
Thanks Thomas, that's much appreciated! Nic
Stunning
He begins reacting at 2:14
Location was Drumheller, Alberta, near where Ren was receiving health treatments for his Lyme disease. This was where dinosaurs once roamed, and left their bones in the sediment.
Nice to see you back on UTUBE , even if you are missing a leg lol should have gone to Specsavers. You give us a bit of normality
I love your content and i make my own music
Thank you! Much appreciated! Nic
Hi, I am three minutes in this video. I liked your other Ren videos very much, But now I'm irritated by the cuts and the different angles from which it's filmed and you're talking to us, but not into the camera... I'm sorry, I don't like that, it's too much for me. I prefer a simpler style. Your beautiful frontal face talking to me, your profound comment without cuts.
It was shot in one take, and so whilst the angles were cut, there were not cuts to the words (we only do that if there's a brief tech problem).
It's worth saying that I basically don't have the time, software, equipment or experience to do this, and think that the newer format is brilliant in lots of ways. But we do want to understand feedback, and so are you saying that the (1) you'd like less changing the angle? And (2) that you'd like me to talk to the camera more?
Thanks loads for feeding back, it's like gold to us.
Nic
@@nichooper7 I partly agree with krazulu. Different angles might be OK when you are not talking, but when you are talking you should stick to the camera you are looking at. I did enjoy your reaction a lot though :-)
@@nichooper7 I was a bit surprised by having the angled shots, but didn't think much about it until reading the GP comment. Just FYI, for me, if I recall my experience correctly, they were all slightly "invasive" in the sense of having (very fleeting) thoughts like "quite a different visual effect than when I last saw his videos" and "there's a slight difference in how his hair whisps look against the back lighting" and "ah, ok, two cameras and that's it" and "all the same take, so that's cool" and "ah, right, it's to the left back of the laptop screen" and "why the angled cuts?" and "it does change it up, which is often a good thing" and "another one?" and "why _this time_?" and "a different color aspect it seems" and "seems to be too much and too many" and, well, you get the picture, lots and lots of thoughts instead of being fully immersed in you, and to be honest your words are pretty essential to the experience of your channel, and seeing them from the side shifts how they hit, not necessarily in a bad way, but it definitely sometimes felt like it was a detraction.
In summary I'd say the BTS made it clear your friend / tech guy is a great addition to your possibilities, but for me at least, anything other than the camera shot that showed your full face, and made it so your eyes were looking at us, felt distancing most of the times, and positively distracting for some of it too.
Peace and love from the UK 🕊💚
@@nichooper7 both 1 and 2. If the other viewers like the new format, then keep it up! I just wanted to give my subjective feedback. There are formats for every taste, including mine 😉
@@nichooper7 I'm positive that you being a Psychology Professor, would make for an interesting reaction & analysis series out of Ren's 8 Chapter Playlist titled "Missing". Each chapter runs from 12 - 23 minutes long. Usually each chapter includes either BTS footage or an older music video related to the moment in life Ren has just highlighted in the chapter Ren has completed.
In these 8 chapters Ren opens up about the 8 year struggle that he had endured, both physical & mental. From the moment of infection to just before he wrote "Hi Ren", Ren paints a vivid and detailed journey with words and gives us all the greatest storyteller series that I've ever heard. I hope to see it on your channel someday soon.
Cheers.✌