The DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT will perform for the first time ever in Bulgaria.
This very special show is set to happen at the magnificent Roman theater in the city of Plovdiv on 22 September.
Nine months before the event, DEVIN himself is on a short visit to Bulgaria and we go him live at radioTANGRA MEGA ROCK studios.
Check ELENA NENKOVA photos in the GALLERY.
an interview conducted by Vassil Varbanov and Vasko Raykov
Hey Devin, hello!
How you doin’, buddy?
I’m good, how about you?
Every day is a gift!
So, what’s next for you? I heard you have an interesting upcoming project, the last one, of course, being the album Transcendence…
To what extent are the other guys in the band involved in the actual creative process? You’ve said previously that they do contribute, especially to Transcendence, but, after all, it IS called the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT…
Well, the process is the same as it always was – I still write it. Other than the song ‘Failure’, which we wrote together, the process is the same in terms of the gestation of the music, but the articulation of it was different in that I brought it to them and as opposed to saying “this is exactly how it goes”, I more went through each part and said “this is why I’ve written it this way and you guys – having worked with me for as long as you have – I would like your opinion as to how we can make this more than it is”.
One of the best examples of this is the solo in the song ‘Stormbending’, where I came in and said: “These are the notes, this is the structure, this is how it’s supposed to sound. However, I want to focus more on the next song, because I’m inspired for that, so – Dave and Mike, can you take this structure and these notes, make the same thing, just make it more interesting.”
And they came back and had something really cool, but based on what I’d originally shown them. Having worked with these guys for so long, they very much know my style, so it was a good experience for all of us.
So, your next project, being so different from what you’ve done so far, the big challenge isn’t writing the music, inventing the characters and stuff, but probably the production, right?
Very much, but I think what underlines the whole idea with the next project is incorporating and including artists and musicians that believe in it. I’ve met so many people that are brilliant at what they do and they work on Hollywood style movies and whatnot, but a lot of them are sick of the bureaucracy that goes into that. And because we’ve become friends or we’ve worked together in other capacities, I find there’s a lot of support to make this project awesome.
Specifically if the foundation of it is to make a statement about why you don’t need to conform to these kind of narrow parameters to make something brilliant. I think what I also neglected to mention is that, as different as it is for me, it still has to be rooted in something that’s awesome, it still has to be cool, it still has to appeal to the market that I’m involved with, because I’m not doing it to be provocative, I don’t want to do it to be the guy who’s making a musical, I want to do it because I think the potential for it and the potential of the people involved, could be a really, really strong statement.
Here at the radio, we have always labeled you “the Zappa of the 21st century”. The biggest question though, is why you guys – musicians – do what you do. Is it your way of communicating with other people, or do you simply have an inner need to make music?
I think that more defines it than anything else – it’s a compulsion. Whether or not that compulsion arises from a healthy place…For example, like I said in a previous interview, perhaps it’s the one part of my life that I feel comfortable expressing myself in. But regardless of what it is, or what it isn’t, ultimately you have to do something and you have to be out of your comfort zone, you have to try to progress.
Otherwise you spend your whole life not living at all. And documenting it through music is a by-product of just trying to progress in general. You know, there’s no good reason, perhaps it’s a mental aberration, who knows, there may be no reason whatsoever…But I love it, I love to be able to entertain people and I like to make statements, I think it’s great. I also like to include the audience in that statement, which is the whole cornerstone of this next thing.
In terms of being like Zappa, it is very flattering and I appreciate the comparison specifically in how his name became almost like a trademark for a lot of projects. But in terms of his process, we’re worlds apart – he knew what he was doing, that’s the difference haha.
But to give you a short answer – I do it because it’s so fucking awesome, I love it!
You’ve never been to Bulgaria before. How does it feel for you now that you’ve been here for all of two hours?
I think you have to be in a place longer than a few hours to have an accurate feeling for it, but the one thing I’ve found so far is the people are seemingly very authentic and I think if there’s anything I’m looking for in terms of interaction, it’s that. I don’t want to be lied to. Even if someone doesn’t like me, I want to know that. I don’t want people to be insincere and from what I can tell, everybody here wears it on their sleeve.
We’re very good actors that’s why.
I don’t believe that. I think you may be bad actors and that’s my favourite part about it.
Let’s talk about the upcoming show at Plovdiv’s Roman Theatre in September. Where do you see the biggest challenge here?
I think that every project has challenges that emerge as you’re working on them that you don’t recognize straight away. But I think that if there’s anything I would say about all projects, it’s that I enjoy the challenge. I enjoy doing things that don’t seem like we should be able to do them. So whatever the challenges are, bring it on!
There’s a video on youtube titled “The vocal range of Devin Townsend”. Are you really that good a singer?
No way. But I have a very strong will. In my head I hear what I want to do and so I just do it. And if I get it 60% of the time, then I’m very happy.
How do you see the current generation of twenty somethings? They call them the “strong of thumb”.
Well….
I meant musically.
Ah, right, musically. I think that to them music is less important in the ways that it was to us. Because there’s the internet and because fame happens in ways than we had connection to back then. Music was the thing you could become famous with when we were kids and that was like, you either sang and played an instrument, or you were in movies. The options now are you can do so many things to be famous, that maybe it’s not as important to people.
You can even fart and be famous.
If I knew that at the time man, my whole trajectory would have been different. Yeah, so I wish I was observant enough to have a better answer, but I don’t really know. It just seems that I can look at my kids and I think that it doesn’t play the same role. Also perhaps because it’s easier to make music now too, that it’s not as important. But that doesn’t change my connection to it, or anybody who’s connection to it is strong.
Would you say that being on Steve Vai’s Sex & Religion changed your life?
Oh God, yeah.
Did it open all the doors for you?
Of course – in every way. I learned all the things that I wanted to do, I learned all the things that I didn’t want to do…That experience was a turning point for me. Up until that point, I was just in local bands and making my shitty little demos. Then all of a sudden I was in LA, I was in limousines with famous people, eating weird food wrapped up in some weird thing…It was just such a mind-bending experience, it totally changed everything. In hindsight, I loved it as much as I hated it.
We’re now listening to a song from that album called “Pig”, that you co-wrote. Does it explain why you’re so fond of finding various pig parts in Cantonese restaurants?
Hahah, why don’t we just cut through it, because we have an honest relationship, right?
Yes, we do.
What he’s referring to is a conversation we had earlier, about when I was in China two years ago and I ate a pig’s anus. I didn’t even get her name!
We actually have the same thing in Bulgaria.
So you’ve seen it? You’ve eaten it! You KNOW! You made it seem like you didn’t have a clue! You guys ARE actors! Oh, my God!
Haha, told ya! I want to thank my mum, I want to thank my producer…
Maybe everything about that Steve Vai record was like a premonition, cause it talks about sex and religion – hang-ups most of us have for sure. Also because it had pig, it meant that, on some level, Steve knew that when I’m 44 I would…
Be careful what you wish for!
Be careful what you wish for, or you will end up eating a pig’s anus in Shenzhen!
The Plovdiv show is happening thanks to our good relationship with your manager – Mister Andy.
Mister Andy! Hey, Andy? Wait, let’s see if we can do this. From thin air, I conjure you – Andy Farrow, from the depths of the UK! Are you with us?
AF: I’m just about here, yeah.
We’ve had several of his artists at the Roman Theatre, like Katatonia, Opeth, Anathema, Paradise Lost. Have you had the chance to speak to any of them to get an insight of this particular experience, the Roman Theatre in Plovdiv?
Yes, last night I talked to Nick Holmes from Paradise Lost. The conversation wasn’t originally about the theatre.
It was about Andy!
It was about Andy. But it started very casually and he said: “Oh, you’re gonna love it. It’s one of the most brilliant experiences that we’ve had and the people are great.” This was directly after I sent him a picture of Andy that I had photoshopped to make him look like a lumpy old man affectionately named Griswold. Nick and I had a good laugh, so… You saw that picture didn’t you? What did you think?
AF: Yeah, I did. I didn’t like it.
Andy, tell us what it’s like to be looking after an unconventional artist like Devin?
AF: The main thing with Devin is that sometimes I have to find how we can get the money together to do some of his projects. For example, the last couple of albums have been selling well and then he comes up with “oh I want to do a musical” and he sends me a song, which I still haven’t listened to, but I will on the plane. My thing is to allow an artist to have creative freedom.
I think that Devin’s fanbase just support him and I think he also fits in for metal fans that are maybe a bit more geeky. They look up to him in whatever he does. Even doing Casualties of Cool, which is an Americana style album, but it was in Metal Hammer, so…From my experience, I have to rein him in sometimes and say “hey look, let’s just focus on this”, cause he’s always doing so many things at once and the budget’s exploding and everything…
What was interesting with the Pledge campaign was that the fans ARE there and there are different ways of approaching things. Generally he’d be a nightmare for a record label. We’re having a meeting with the label in two days and if we start talking about a symphony and then a musical, they’ll go: “Well, when’s the next pop rock record coming? Where’s the radio hits?”
You’ve been doing this for over two and a half decades now. Who would you say are your best friends in the music business or just from other bands?
Well, I only have a few really. I mean, I’ve got a lot of acquaintances, but I’ve only got a few close friends. I think that’s healthy – I’m suspicious of people who have a lot of really close friends. But rather than naming people, because as soon as you start naming people it’s like “I’ve got a really good friend in this really popular band, you may have heard of them”…
I do have a couple of really good friends and we talk often, and that’s really rare. I think, especially as you get older, to make friends when you’re older is crazy, because your parameters for what you’ll accept from friends are no longer the same. If you meet someone when you’re in your 40s, who lies to you, you’re just like “fuck it, I got no time for this”.
I recall that twenty years ago there were stickers on cd’s saying “music made in Canada”, as a sign of good quality.
Really?
Yeah, you don’t remember that?
No!
They were in Tea Party albums for instance.
As a sign of quality?
Yeah, with the maple leaf.
So it must have this. (showing Canada tattoo on his leg) See? This is a sign of quality!
RUSH is the epitome of Canadian success in rock music. Then you have the FM God Bryan Adams. You have Alanis Morissette, you have the TEA PARTY, you have Devin Townsend…Who else? The BACHMAN_TURNER OVERDRIVE…
Well, the thing is, my connection to Canadian music was never really massive. I mean, I liked Rush, but I never really loved Rush. I never really got into Triumph, I was not a big fan of All-anus Morissette…
Isn’t that ironic?
It is. I really liked Nomeansno, I thought they were great. I really liked the Dayglo Abortions from Victoria.
VOIVOD?
I never really got into them. There’s a band called Propagandhi and they’re good. I’ve always felt odd defining my or anybody’s musical taste by what brand it is. Like “I only listen to Canadian rock” or whatever, “I only listen to Nickleback”…I liked what I liked. When I was a kid, I was all over the place. Most of the stuff I liked was actually from the UK. And Jane’s Addiction, I loved Jane’s Addiction back in the day too.
Because of that multi-layered sound?
No, because he had a ton of echo and he was out of tune. It was the same reason I liked KK Downing from Judas Priest. They would hit a wrong note, purposefully or not, like KK Downing on ‘Sinner’ would be all out of tune, but the echo would go on and on and on. Same with Perry Farrell – you’d have a major chord play and he would be singing this wrong note over it, but the echo would keep going and what that did was almost force something wrong to be right and I love that! If there’s anything I could define this next project with, it’s that with the right presentation, with the right aesthetic, you can make something that’s fundamentally wrong right.
Thank you for this interview, gentlemen. Last question – why are you wearing this weird Bulgarian traditional costume now?
This here? I thought that if I was going to integrate myself within the culture, there would be no other way. It’s a little uncomfortable at the moment, but I think when we go out tonight, people will really appreciate the effort.
I really love ‘From the Heart’ from your last record.
Same here. The chorus and the structure is actually taken from a song that I heard at a yoga class, so we had to get a hold of the Krishna Das Foundation and see if we could get permission to interpret it. When I first heard it, it just totally broke me up for whatever reason, so I’m glad that you feel something from it as well, because for whatever reason that chorus was important to me. We are hippies, my friends, you can smell it in this room.
Peace, brother!
