DEVIN TOWNSEND: 'I Find The Energy Of A Lot Of People Really Taxing'

Mike Exley of Planet-Loud.com recently conducted an interview with Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, THE DEVIN TOWNSEND BAND). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Planet-Loud.com: You're well known of course, for producing music with an introverted influence rather than stuff influenced from without. There's been a very powerful and emotional stimulus to this record [ZILTOID THE OMNISCIENT], of course, the birth of your first child, but can you put down the live side of a band — say, like STRAPPING or OCEAN MACHINE — that easily?

Devin: "Yes, I think so. I love people, don't get me wrong. Individually, I love that interaction between people and I'm not an ogre or something; but huge crowds of people, huge groups of people who seemingly have endless access to you, as I get older, I'm not really into that. When you're young and say, you're on the road and someone says to you, 'Out the way, fuck you!' or whatever, you can handle that, right? But now I'm like, 'OK, fuck me, you're right.' If you can get that angry over that! You know? I can't explain it, but I find the energy of a lot of people really taxing. I never made a conscious decision to be on this rollercoaster — touring and being in front of a lot of people day and night. So, when last year, I took a step back and actually thought about it a bit deeper than I had in my youth, I realized I really didn't need it that much. I know that I'm often perceived as this odd guy who's a bit out there and I've probably, once in a while, reinforced that image, but I'm really not that person and in a way, I want even less so to be seen like that…. I may have made a mistake of saying some pretty weird things in interviews after a joint and stuff but I really like quiet — there's people out there who are way, way more 'unhinged' than I am. I'm very creative; making music, making puppets, that's my thing, but mainstream success and the demands that brings; no, not really for me. Sorry!"

Planet-Loud.com: Could you really, seriously do anything quietly though? Your personality on stage certainly has always been subversive and loud at the same time?

Devin: "Well, you can still be subversive, man! Right now we're planning on going right out into the mountains, I'll probably put stuff out on the Internet and hopefully people can just look me up and get into what I'm doing!! I'll still produce stuff — I've got some great ideas — but as for producing music itself; writing, songwriting — that's got to be a pure process. Music is so important to me that that's got to be the only way I can do it. In the purest possible way…. As soon as you have to sell yourself, tour it or put it on Ozzfest or Download, then it's just not got the vitality I need it to have."

Planet-Loud.com: Will you miss the "live presentation" side of the art form though? Any "artist" seems to in some way to demand someone else sees it, don't they?

Devin: "And with the Internet you can!! That's the whole point. You can keep it pure. Through Myspace or YouTube you can present the art as you feel it should be and you don't have to worry as to whether ten thousand, a thousand or just ten buy it. I think you have to remember that music should be done for the fun of it, not for the expectation of it, and that's really what I'm talking about now. That's what you lose when you prostitute yourself to this whole industry sometimes and you really don't have to. If I tell you that I haven't really been into the whole touring scenario for years and I went along for the sake of the entity (and my friends),you might not believe that. You've seen STRAPPING many times and we have had some awesome moments but it's the having to do it that's the problem. You can't just make a record and say, 'That's a great record but I want to move on now… Take this ZILTOID thing. There was no record one minute and four months later, there was a record. You could argue, what am I doing here doing this promo tour with the puppet show and the whole thing — that's really 'cause of Peter (at InsideOut Music) because he's been very conscientious, but I don't know even if this is a mistake? I've really got nothing to say apart from here's the metaphor, the puppet! And he's the showman, not me, man! I just hope people can accept that!"

Planet-Loud.com: Where do you feel the album sits in relation to other albums you've done like OCEAN MACHINE or INFINITY? I'd be interested to see what comes next…

Devin: "Me too actually! I don't know. I've done some ambient stuff and there might be more out there (HUMMER). Some folky stuff too that really doesn't demand too much from the listener — I don't know. To me, ZILTOID is kinda part STRAPPING, part OCEAN MACHINE, equal parts PUNKY BRUSTER; a mixture of the cleaner 'Alien' type of thing, mixed with a little less sophisticated vibe from the OCEAN MACHINE…. A crazy concept. I don't think if it'll be the cap on it — there might be more to do with that kind of vibe, but the creator in me isn't quite sure where I'm going to go. When I'm happy with the surroundings, then we'll see."

Planet-Loud.com: And that obviously brings us around to what you will do in relation to Jed, Gene, etc. — the STRAPPING "family," if you will?

Devin: "It does, and I want to make something very clear now. I love those guys and I love making music with them. I'm very proud of all that we achieved, but a record for them is a tool. They love the touring, they eat up the miles and as I've said many times, my priorities in that department have changed now. I almost wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. Fred from MESHUGGAH sent over this Drum Kit From Hell program — which was awesome, by the way — and in a way that got my creative juices flowing in a totally different way. I guess, really, that the Ziltoid character also plays a part actually. I wanna say, because he fronts the project, that it makes it separate from the fact that I'm carrying on without them rather than making a case for it…. I was really surprised actually that I could make this type of music having had the kid! Priorities changed right then and there but the music that came out was nothing like what I'd envisioned I might be doing…. The point of it is, I guess, to really summarize what has come before, I'm very proud of that, there's a few little surprises but it's not radically different, it's just that it comes very much from me and is a part of me. What comes later — your guess is as good as mine. I've got a bunch of stuff I want to do. Let's see! I really have to say thank you to the guys though too, you know? The fact that they have given me the leeway to do this means that they are true friends and that's very important to remember."

Read the entire interview at Planet-Loud.com.