Devin Townsend
Words: Rob Lyon
Devin Townsend is making his way back to Australia to play the 2012 Soundwave Festival. “Hevy Devy” hardly needs an introduction, with a back catalogue that includes a string of albums under the pseudonym Strapping Young Lad (later becoming a band) before venturing on to the Devin Townsend Project.
The Devin Townsend Project emerged after a two year hiatus from the music industry, giving up the booze and the drugs even cutting off his trademark hair. This period of ‘self-discovery’ led to over sixty songs being written, fitting in to four distinct personas, with the ultimate goal being to clarify his musical identity and being accountable to the music buying public for the music he puts. Devy talks to Caught In The Mosh about his latest exploits.
How are you keeping? What’s the latest for Devin Townsend?
I’m keeping well. I’ve been up to absurd amounts of music and simultaneously trying to take as many moments possible to sit back and smell the roses. I think I’m succeeding relatively well at both but I think I get a ‘C plus’ on both ends for that if you want to grade it.
How do you improve your grades?
Well, stopping one of them!
Are you forward to returning to Australia for Soundwave?
Oh yeah, absolutely man! I think the thing with touring, which I’m sure you’ll know, is that you don’t get to call the shots. I get emails randomly that say I’m going to be doing this tour or that tour but I do have management that I’m satisfied with trusting their judgement. In terms of decisions to come to Australia, I’d be a fool not to, because it’s such a beautiful place and the audiences have been very kind. At the end of the day, I’ll be back to Australia as often as you’ll have me, so to speak. Soundwave is the premier music festival down there, well, beyond Australia. It’s one of the greatest festivals I’ve ever seen to be honest. It’s absurd. The fact we’re even a pimple on the arse of the festival is pretty overwhelming.
Over ninety bands on the bill is impressive isn’t it?
Dude, how much must it be costing them? How much are the tickets just to break even? I can’t say that I’m not incredibly honoured to be a part of it but at the same time the logistics of it is staggering. I know AJ and Darren at Soundwave office are just going out of their mind to pull all this together. I know myself how hard it is to pull together a show, make a dumb little video let alone trying to pull together the logistics of feeding nine hundred arseholes. Being a musician I’m fully aware of how annoying musicians are, I couldn’t imagine having to deal with that.
A lot has been said about your decision to shave your hair off in response to what’s going on in the music industry. What was the real story behind all that?
I think that it is really interesting that people think that what I did was trying to make a statement, because I’d like to be to say that was the case, as it would make me feel like I’m on some noble crusade. But really dude, I cut my hair off because I didn’t like my hair. I’m definitely not trying to make a statement! The only statements I try to make either regarding my music, my process, my lyrics, my view on the industry and the only reasons I make observations on that is that strictly I’m trying to suss it out on my own. I think when it comes time for my view on the industry, if someone is to ask me, I don’t think it seems any better or worse than it ever has.
The Devin Townsend Project emerged after a two year hiatus from the music industry, giving up the booze and the drugs even cutting off his trademark hair. This period of ‘self-discovery’ led to over sixty songs being written, fitting in to four distinct personas, with the ultimate goal being to clarify his musical identity and being accountable to the music buying public for the music he puts. Devy talks to Caught In The Mosh about his latest exploits.
How are you keeping? What’s the latest for Devin Townsend?
I’m keeping well. I’ve been up to absurd amounts of music and simultaneously trying to take as many moments possible to sit back and smell the roses. I think I’m succeeding relatively well at both but I think I get a ‘C plus’ on both ends for that if you want to grade it.
How do you improve your grades?
Well, stopping one of them!
Are you forward to returning to Australia for Soundwave?
Oh yeah, absolutely man! I think the thing with touring, which I’m sure you’ll know, is that you don’t get to call the shots. I get emails randomly that say I’m going to be doing this tour or that tour but I do have management that I’m satisfied with trusting their judgement. In terms of decisions to come to Australia, I’d be a fool not to, because it’s such a beautiful place and the audiences have been very kind. At the end of the day, I’ll be back to Australia as often as you’ll have me, so to speak. Soundwave is the premier music festival down there, well, beyond Australia. It’s one of the greatest festivals I’ve ever seen to be honest. It’s absurd. The fact we’re even a pimple on the arse of the festival is pretty overwhelming.
Over ninety bands on the bill is impressive isn’t it?
Dude, how much must it be costing them? How much are the tickets just to break even? I can’t say that I’m not incredibly honoured to be a part of it but at the same time the logistics of it is staggering. I know AJ and Darren at Soundwave office are just going out of their mind to pull all this together. I know myself how hard it is to pull together a show, make a dumb little video let alone trying to pull together the logistics of feeding nine hundred arseholes. Being a musician I’m fully aware of how annoying musicians are, I couldn’t imagine having to deal with that.
A lot has been said about your decision to shave your hair off in response to what’s going on in the music industry. What was the real story behind all that?
I think that it is really interesting that people think that what I did was trying to make a statement, because I’d like to be to say that was the case, as it would make me feel like I’m on some noble crusade. But really dude, I cut my hair off because I didn’t like my hair. I’m definitely not trying to make a statement! The only statements I try to make either regarding my music, my process, my lyrics, my view on the industry and the only reasons I make observations on that is that strictly I’m trying to suss it out on my own. I think when it comes time for my view on the industry, if someone is to ask me, I don’t think it seems any better or worse than it ever has.
Really?
I mean, we live month to month but I’ve been living month to month for twenty years. I don’t know what more to say than I’m very fortunate to still have working hands and some hearing left to be able to make music I love and play for people. I don’t know if it goes much further than that, right?
Two album releases last year, Deconstruction and Ghost, must have made for a full on year?
I don’t drink and I don’t do drugs so I’ve got tonnes of extra of time compared to a few years ago. I remember ten years ago when it used to get to five o’clock it was time to start drinking and then there’s your night. It’s very easy to wake up the next morning and have a bong, thinking, what is it I have to do today, that’s right, fuck all! I think now because there’s none of that in my life, I have five year old kids, married for twenty one years, mortgage and I’m socially incredibly awkward, there’s all these things that when it comes time to making music it is such a privilege for me to do that. I spend as much time as I can making music I find I can write three or four songs a week, it’s no big thing, it’s just what I do.
Do you find that you have to constantly explain what the Devin Townsend Project is and is it more complicated than the four personas that you talked about in other interviews?
The only reason I felt the need to articulate it as specifically as I have in the past is because previously, before the Devin Townsend Project, the music I had done with Strapping Young Lad, Infinity and some of my older records I had done in a frame of mind that was goaded. I think the way I’ve always writing music is to go on autopilot.
How can you just go on autopilot?
When you’re on autopilot, in a way that you’re not in complete control of your faculties, you end up representing things that you can’t rationalise, even in your own mind. Part and parcel of doing this for a living is that you have to. Like tonight, I’m doing four hours of interviews and before this period in my life people, would ask why did you say this and I didn’t have an answer. It really put me in a position that now, I’m accountable for something that I’m not fully aware of, which makes me feel irresponsible with whatever talent I have. Now, the reason why I prattle on like some narcissistic blabbermouth is just because I feel it is very important to be clear on why I’ve done what I’ve done recently. I want someone to understand the things I’ve done in the past. The steps I’ve take to change my life are not for any altruistic reasons or trying to be a martyr, but rather I want to be a good person, good dad, good friend. Honestly, I want to make good music and be a good entertainer, so hopefully in future I won’t have to explain it as much and just have conversations that won’t go as deep as that. I think I’ve always been a dichotomy as a person, as being on one hand I think I’m as basic as a human can get and on the other being hyper analytical about everything in my life that the two just interact with each other to make this big strange artistic statement who just talks.
What can fans going to Soundwave expect from your set?
Of the ninety bands that will be there I believe I’ll be the absolute best Devin Townsend there. I’m not going to be the best Lamb Of God or System Of A Down. I’ll be one of the worst versions of them, but when it comes to Devin Townsend, if you’re in to it, come to our show.
I mean, we live month to month but I’ve been living month to month for twenty years. I don’t know what more to say than I’m very fortunate to still have working hands and some hearing left to be able to make music I love and play for people. I don’t know if it goes much further than that, right?
Two album releases last year, Deconstruction and Ghost, must have made for a full on year?
I don’t drink and I don’t do drugs so I’ve got tonnes of extra of time compared to a few years ago. I remember ten years ago when it used to get to five o’clock it was time to start drinking and then there’s your night. It’s very easy to wake up the next morning and have a bong, thinking, what is it I have to do today, that’s right, fuck all! I think now because there’s none of that in my life, I have five year old kids, married for twenty one years, mortgage and I’m socially incredibly awkward, there’s all these things that when it comes time to making music it is such a privilege for me to do that. I spend as much time as I can making music I find I can write three or four songs a week, it’s no big thing, it’s just what I do.
Do you find that you have to constantly explain what the Devin Townsend Project is and is it more complicated than the four personas that you talked about in other interviews?
The only reason I felt the need to articulate it as specifically as I have in the past is because previously, before the Devin Townsend Project, the music I had done with Strapping Young Lad, Infinity and some of my older records I had done in a frame of mind that was goaded. I think the way I’ve always writing music is to go on autopilot.
How can you just go on autopilot?
When you’re on autopilot, in a way that you’re not in complete control of your faculties, you end up representing things that you can’t rationalise, even in your own mind. Part and parcel of doing this for a living is that you have to. Like tonight, I’m doing four hours of interviews and before this period in my life people, would ask why did you say this and I didn’t have an answer. It really put me in a position that now, I’m accountable for something that I’m not fully aware of, which makes me feel irresponsible with whatever talent I have. Now, the reason why I prattle on like some narcissistic blabbermouth is just because I feel it is very important to be clear on why I’ve done what I’ve done recently. I want someone to understand the things I’ve done in the past. The steps I’ve take to change my life are not for any altruistic reasons or trying to be a martyr, but rather I want to be a good person, good dad, good friend. Honestly, I want to make good music and be a good entertainer, so hopefully in future I won’t have to explain it as much and just have conversations that won’t go as deep as that. I think I’ve always been a dichotomy as a person, as being on one hand I think I’m as basic as a human can get and on the other being hyper analytical about everything in my life that the two just interact with each other to make this big strange artistic statement who just talks.
What can fans going to Soundwave expect from your set?
Of the ninety bands that will be there I believe I’ll be the absolute best Devin Townsend there. I’m not going to be the best Lamb Of God or System Of A Down. I’ll be one of the worst versions of them, but when it comes to Devin Townsend, if you’re in to it, come to our show.