In Strapping, I had experimented with a creative catharsis under the assumption that art doesn't need to be accountable for itself, but I found out in very practical ways that you are accountable for everything you say. Everything you write, everything you do becomes not only your identity but your world resonates with it.

Devin Townsend

Categorized in : You Art World Identity

I started to see human beings as little lonesome, water based, pink meat, life forms pushing air through themselves and making noises that the other little pieces of meat seemed to understand. I was thinking to myself, 'There's five billion people here but we've never been more isolated.' The only result of the aggressive individualism we pursue is that you lose sight of your compassion and we go to bed at night thinking, 'Is this all there is?' because we don't feel fulfilled.

Devin Townsend

compassion night thinking

Soberity makes me write dull songs about reorganizing the knick knacks in my house.

Devin Townsend

house writing song

The thing that kills me is all these bands that use huge words in their lyrics, 'I'm swimming in a vortex of apathy.' I'm like, 'What?' I don't walk up to a friend and go 'That's a stylin' looking vortex of apathy you've got there pal. I was swimming up a river of deceit myself.'

Devin Townsend

swimming apathy rivers

I'd be lying if I said I went into any project with any premeditated ideas of what's gonna happen or what's gonna be perceived as a result of it. I just kinda work on autopilot and then, when it's done, it's done and I have more of an internal sense of when that is. And then I leave it up to the audience to decide if one's better than the other.

Devin Townsend

done lying ideas

It's really hard to foster self-love; it really is. I think a lot of people who claim that they do have a definite lack of self-loathing are either lying or just in a place that I don't relate to.

Devin Townsend

self-love place think people

I like it when it rains; I like it when it snows. I like seasons. I like trees. I like mountains. I like rivers. And with that around me, I write.

Devin Townsend

trees mountains me seasons

I don't deal with conflict well, so sometimes things will happen that will make me feel sort of powerless. But instead of being able to actually deal with the problem, I just suck it up - that's the way I was raised. Music, then, becomes my one avenue for letting things go, and when I get the chance, I let it rip. It's like therapy in that way.

Devin Townsend

feel me music sometimes

I just go where it feels the most honest to go; then I deal with people thinking it's weird afterwards.

Devin Townsend

weird go people thinking

After Strapping, the amount of things in my life had changed were more than I'd ever had to process in any one time, and as a result of that, I found that my writing was veering off in four - sometimes even more - directions.

Devin Townsend

my-life time sometimes life

People talk about the Ozzfest and what it can do for your career, and I guess I'm just oblivious to it.

Devin Townsend

your career talk people

The records I make, I'm there from the writing of the first note through the click tracks to the miking of the drums to the editing of everything to the production to the vocals to the artwork.

Devin Townsend

through everything editing writing

The reason why everything I do is so different is not because I'm trying to be provocative; it's simply a reflection of whatever was happening to me at the time I wrote that particular record.

Devin Townsend

me reflection time trying

I have a job - it's a great job, and I love doing it - but I can't not work. That's not psychological; that's practical.

Devin Townsend

job great work love

One thing that's really important for me to be creatively motivated is to find an angle. Some people refer to that as a concept, which it is, in a sense, but not overtly. It's just something I need to focus and hone in on, and the trajectory of what might be seen as a 'concept' gives me creative momentum.

Devin Townsend

some-people me focus people

The way that I write is I just write a ton of music in the background of my life, and then I just bring it into rehearsal. It's, like, 'Okay, guys. It goes like this. Let's smooth it out.'

Devin Townsend

my-life music life way

Because I have been so pigheaded and so selfish about so many things for so many years, I've spent a lot of time being, like, 'That person needs to change. This person needs to change.'

Devin Townsend

person selfish change time

The thing is, I'm equally disgusted by both men and women.

Devin Townsend

both men-and-women women men

Human beings are gross.

Devin Townsend

beings human gross human-beings

Strapping Young Lad is a vehicle for me to be wild and extroverted and ridiculous. It gives me the chance to say, 'Look at me. I'm a heavy metal guy. I'm Rob Halford or Bruce Dickinson or whoever.'

Devin Townsend

wild look me chance

As someone whose music is connected to his personal growth, I feel an obligation to follow this muse wherever it leads.

Devin Townsend

feel someone growth music