DEVIN TOWNSEND: 'I Think That Musicians Aren't Necessarily Responsible For Songs'

In a recent interview with "Interviewing The Legends With Ray Shasho", Canadian singer, songwriter and producer Devin Townsend spoke about the fact that his music has made a lot of people happy and got some of them through a lot of hard times. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think that musicians aren't necessarily responsible for songs. You're responsible for picking the songs out of the air. And that comes from a combination of circumstance and habits on some level as well. And so if people are affected by the music, then I'm grateful for the music, for being there rather than feeling like a sense of of pride on a personal level. I'm proud of the work that I do, 'cause it's a lot of work, but not the music necessarily. And the other thing is, where I have tended to sort of go over the past couple of years, with pandemic and everything, is, like, well, what's the fundamental value of what this is? How much of my connection to doing what I do is maybe got its talon in a need to be heard, a need to be seen or a need to be validated or a need for any of these things. And if so, fuck, it's a lot of effort if it's just because you're wanting attention, for example."

He continued: "So the place that I landed with that that has been helpful to me is, okay, well, don't think of it in the sense that the only reason you're writing music is just so you can be seen. If it helps other people by you sorting your own shit out in some or not, and then writing about it and then people relating to it in a way that maybe they're not capable of expressing in the same way, then that's a service that you're providing that I think is worth your time. Because what else are we gonna do in life? You've gotta do something, and so that seems like it's a worthy thing."

Devin added: "I think the expression of any creative avenue at this point is rooted in… I'm very thankful for the opportunity to do it, and that's where my inspiration seems to come from lately."

Two months ago, Devin, in conjunction with InsideOut Music, relaunched the "Devin Townsend Podcast", with a brand-new direction. The podcast is being made available as both audio and visual versions.

The 25th-anniversary edition of Devin's solo album "Infinity" was released on November 24. This newly remastered version of the album comes as a limited 2CD digipak, gatefold 180g 2LP + LP-booklet and as a digital album, and includes all the bonus tracks from this era, as well as newly shot artwork and liner notes from Devin.

Devin released his most recent studio album, "Lightwork" in late 2022, with Metal Injection calling it a "superb addition to his one-of-a-kind catalog".

For "Lightwork", Devin decided to see what would happen if he included a producer (an experiment he has been excited to attempt for some time) to help guide this selection of material. He chose longtime friend Garth "GGGarth" Richardson to help bring this idea to fruition, and through a difficult (but wonderful) process, the next Devin album was delivered.

The name "Lightwork" represents the music, as well as the act of creating music, as a kind of "light in the dark" while trying to navigate the seemingly endless challenges that life can often present. When things seem like there's no way out or that a situation becomes seemingly insurmountable, the connection to music, family, and creativity became a light in the dark that ended up in this wonderful album.