Devin Townsend is a legendary musician, songwriter, and producer who has worked with Lamb Of God, Misery Signals, Gwar among others. He is rightfully considered one of the most innovative, groundbreaking and influential artists in his self created and ever evolving category of music, and we’re very stoked to have him on the podcast.
Devin is as thoughtful and articulate as he is talented, so this one is a fantastic episode that covers a ton of ground: how to know when it’s time to move on to a new project, what it’s like to have people pressuring you to take a stand on an issue, and why it’s oftentimes difficult but always necessary to come to terms with who you are as a creator.
“I think I was aware throughout my career that if I had ever gotten really successful, like on a Nickelback type level, I just didn’t have the mental fortitude to handle it.” – Devin Townsend
ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:
4:49 – How Devin organizes all the projects and ideas he wants to work on
6:00 – The times when he knew it was time to quit a project
17:24 – Why so many fans get upset when bands try new things, and how artists deal with the fans’ expectations
28:14 – Devin getting pushback on playing a show in Israel and what he learned from it
34:37 – Why we are oftentimes overly focused on our immediate, short-term happiness
36:23 – How you can change the idea of who you are and what role anger plays in culture
50:29 – The role that art and music play in society, and the changing role of creators
54:13 – How being an intellectual is acceptable now and how podcasts like Joe Rogan’s have contributed to it
1:00:20 – How Devin deals with the oftentimes intense experience of being on the receiving end of fan and industry attention
1:11:51 – What happens when bands try to go for the commercial record or people try to be something they’re not
1:14:26 – Devin’s work with Chad Kroeger from Nickelback
1:27:22 – Why the path to finding your calling in life is rarely straight, and how to navigate it
1:35:02 – Whether or not Devin ever thinks about actually retiring
Thanks for listening! Please leave us a review on iTunes!
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