Devin Townsend: Follow Your Own Path
DEVIN TOWNSEND has been arguably one of the most prolific writers the world of music has ever seen. With a huge list of releases under an abundance of different projects, his ingenuity and creativity are seemingly boundless. Despite his accolades, he is also in fact a human being who requires time to recharge once in a while. Something which Devin has not been particularly conscious of during his career. This is a facet of his life which he is determined to change.
“I hadn’t accepted that I’ve been self-destructive for so long and that without awareness of how hard I was working that self-destructive tendency kind of just migrated into work. I think that these lessons come in various forms and the one I really needed to learn was how to say no. I did, and it served me really well. I’ve taken the time to set myself up so that I can function a lot more efficiently. I learned through the process of obsessive work how destructive it could be, especially as I’ve gotten older, I need to take care of my health and my balance,” he explains.
“I’ve got to take care of the people in my life and the whole being a martyr for the sake of art is so played out man. I suffer for my art and all that shit? It just seems there is a type of romance that has been fetishized in society that if an artist destroys themselves for the sake of their art that it’s acceptable. I love the support I get and I love my job but I’m not sacrificing myself for anybody. I’ve got no desire to be a victim of my own choices and there’s been a lot of choices throughout my career that I’ve reaped the consequences of.”
His impending Lightwork release is shaping up to be quite a different prospect to the wild and wacky offerings we have come to know and love from DEVIN TOWNSEND, but this release was one of the most important he has ever written. “”I think everything I do is indicative of where I find myself at the time. Prior to this, I did The Puzzle which is arguably the opposite of Lightwork. At the tail end of the pandemic I found myself responsible for so many people and so many of them were dealing with a lot of depression and I saw a lot of people I cared for sort of disintegrate. I felt that it was my role to keep myself together. As a part of this coping mechanism I consciously chose to write something that would keep my shit together. Much to the chagrin of the record companies, what typically happens is if my work goes in a direction that seems more melodic or more optimistic I guess they can be forgiven for thinking ‘oh, that’s where he is at now’. When I finish something I’ve invested so much energy into by trying to make it as articulate as possible, just as a pressure release I go in the opposite direction. The Puzzle and Lightwork. Sky Blue and Dark Matters. Ocean Machine and City. It’s always been that way.”
Lightwork possesses a positive, uplifting disposition that focuses more on melody and mood than heightened levels of complexity. An approach which isn’t second nature to DEVIN TOWNSEND. “What’s actually more difficult for me is to keep it streamlined. Such a big part of my workload during Lightwork was to not let it go in that direction. There is always going to be a time for it and I crave it but at that point I needed to keep my shit straight. I realised I’ve always had a tendency to be so hyper-disciplined and I really wanted to cut myself some slack.”
DEVIN TOWNSEND is used to being the master orchestrator, fulfilling pretty much every conceivable duty required in bringing an album to life. This time round however, he acquired the services of producer Garth Richardson. “I found it very difficult working with someone. We ended up co-producing because we’re both control freaks and it was almost an unstoppable force and an immovable object. I care for him deeply and he did an amazing job. We both needed to make peace with letting go of certain aspects. Those changes allowed me to enjoy it and really make it something that I believed in. Garth worked so hard and put so much time and effort into his contributions that it made the record something special.”
DEVIN TOWNSEND‘s music has come in various shapes and sizes over the years. From the frenetic chaos that was STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, to the buoyant accessibility of Addicted, to the country rock vibes in Casualties Of Cool. He is completely aware that his music isn’t for everyone and some albums will be regarded more highly by different people but one thing he stands firm on is not willing to compromise on his artistic vision.
“The thing that I feel is the main criteria for my writing process is whether or not, I care about what I’m writing and a big part of that is I can’t take into consideration other people thinking whether it’s acceptable. Frankly, I don’t give a fuck. I’m like the Forest Gump of metal. I have to do what is right for myself and I never know what that is going to be. Some people are going to like it and some people aren’t. I keep making the analogy that it’s like going to a buffet and they run out of the thing you like and you’re yelling at them because they don’t have more and the people behind the counter are like ‘I don’t know what to tell you but we don’t have it’. I think it would be nice if people accept that when people choose not to do things it’s not because they’re trying to insult their audience.”
“In fact, it’s quite the opposite. When I was 25 was half a lifetime ago. I’d be shocked if other people’s lives haven’t changed as dramatically as mine has from 25 to 50. I’d get someone come up to me with pentagram tattoos and a MORBID ANGEL shirt on and they’d say ‘I didn’t really like Snuggles, man,’ yeah, no shit! I totally get that it is not your demographic. ‘Oh hey! I’ve made some meditational music with Indian chants and harps and flutes that will really get you going!’. I think that’s why I spend a significant amount of time prior to release trying to warn people about what I’m about to release. The ultimate thank you from an audience member for me is like ‘I might not like Snuggles or The Puzzle but I get why you did it’ and I really appreciate that kind of mentality. Please listen to my music before you buy it because the last thing I want to do is make people feel like I’m trying to sucker punch them.”
Lightwork is out now via InsideOut Music.
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