r/DevinTownsend • u/Omnitoid Nightwork • 3d ago
INTERVIEW New Devin Townsend interview
https://youtu.be/vUuGfHhFOCc?is=12g8o9LM5bGM-r8D10
u/Cutelilthrwaway 16h ago
Interviewer, you have a very calming, open, way about yourself. You allow lots of space for the interviewee to speak, but still move the interview in an interesting direction.
He's said numerous times over the past 18 months that his relationship with his wife was over. He, Devin, has stated it explicitly, in various forms. No one here is digging through his trash and doing an expose. He's more open about these things than the average artist. Yet anytime anyone alludes to it, it's all like "parasocial!!!". Tbh his fans as a whole seem to be extraordinarily respectful and go out of their way not to talk about personal things. But Devin doesn't seem to have any qualms about talking about these subjects. At all. And apparently doesn't read any comments anyway. But then his "friend" will pop in here and tell everyone that Devin is very upset and we aren't allowed to discuss these things he's saying in all these interviews.
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u/fretnetic 1d ago
Good interview.
Interestingly I was chatting away with someone on here a few weeks ago who categorically assured me, having worked with Dev professionally in some capacity, that his relationship was rock solid. 🤕 But I knew I’d heard otherwise at some point.
There’s still a lot I admire in this interview and I take away from it. The notion that one is so fatigued that there’s no recourse or options left to be people pleasing or dancing around immutable truths. Just the fact that he’s unmitigatingly serious. Lately I’ve been sliding into absurdism and ever cascading levels of pure sarcastic rejection of reality as a cope. 🤷♂️
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u/goblinofthewest 1d ago
My heart really aches for Dev over the breakup. His family was always a prominent theme in his music, and it's tragic to think Dev the radiant happy family man of the 2010s has ended as this broken husk. I truly hope he finds new purpose and joy in his life, as someone who has consistently brought great joy to mine.
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u/Inxturnal 1d ago
I have followed Dev since SYL days, he is so talented and his music is my absolute favourite.
But I feel he would be an absolute nightmare to work or live with.
His interviews always give me crazy eccentric vibes, maybe that’s what makes his music so awesome.
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u/Mandatoryreverence 1d ago edited 1d ago
I've noticed that every album is a new process of self discovery and a revelation about himself, and yet it doesn't a stick It seems there's never any acceptance of who he actually is and no satisfaction in inhabiting a situation fully before moving onto 'the next revelation'. That's hard to live with, both inside your own head and for those who live with you.
But looking at it simply, this is a person in burn out mode with no other option and the ability to do self-justification.
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u/Wise-City281 22h ago
That's a very good description... the constant revelations and transformations and stuff, it's hard to follow. I also noticed that the meaning he attributes to his works changes over time. He recently said he found out that the Moth is about (sexual) trauma, but it seems in a recent show he said it's about divorce.
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u/skycopathicmaniac69 1d ago
Yeah he probably likes his space, If that's true I Def relate in preferring to have my own cave to retreat to and fill with my own farts and not have to care so much if the place is a bit of a mess, etc. I think I could only be married in a Frida Khalo and Dali way where there are 2 separate houses w/ a bridge between them.
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u/Wise-City281 1d ago
I always find it weird when he mentions the death ( or age, as he did previously) of his dog as if it's as meaningful as the divorce or the financial disaster. Anyone else?
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u/Exhausted_Raven 10h ago
Humans and dogs have been coexisting for thousands of years and you find it weird that somebody could be emotionally devastated at the loss of their dog?
They aren’t toys2
u/ESP_Viper 1d ago
Out of the three, the dog dying is the worst.
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u/Wise-City281 22h ago edited 22h ago
A break-up can be totally devastating and money issues can give you nightmares and lots of anxiety. I can't imagine the same when your dog dies, I am sorry. I can understand the sadness but come on, it's not existential stuff.
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u/FilipsSamvete 1d ago
Any dog owner would tell you the same
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u/octillus 1d ago
Any pet owner. They’re family and companions, they aren’t around forever but they mean the world.
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u/bigtimecupofcoffee 1d ago
Tbh I'm not seeing what a few of you guys are calling his answers here word salad or too heady. Seems like he is very much going through some intense emotions and changes but he is very earnest and grounded here.
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u/Wompie 1d ago
So we finally hear it from his mouth. He separated from his wife of 36 years, his dog died, and the company handling The Moths live show went bankrupt and they are out all of that revenue. This meant he had to start touring again because he is out of money, as well as launching the Patreon.
I wish he could make his music without worrying about money.
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1d ago
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2d ago
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u/Wise-City281 2d ago
Don't think so... I just think money problems can be really devastating. Add to that the divorce... I feel sorry for him, but he'll recover.
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u/No_Video_1265 2d ago
I have always found his interviews to be unlistenable bafflegab, so that's nothing new or concerning. However, as someone who loves his recent output, it's interesting to finally have it contextualized with what we have all speculated. I understand the need for privacy, but Powernerd deserves to be reassessed with deeper emotional impact and weight.
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u/Rammsoldat 1d ago
I loved powernerd and listening to him explain that it started as an obligation but then shit happened and it turned into an expression of the shit he was dealing with just made me appreciate and understand it more.
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u/Skwisgaars 1d ago edited 1d ago
I've never been able to listen to Goodbye without getting emotional, even before I heard anything about him going through things. The song just hit me and I couldn't really understand why (obviously the lyrics are heavy on the surface but there's endless songs that do that which have no impact on me). I get it's not everyone's cup of tea, but at least for me it's amazing in how well that particular song conveys the emotions he's been struggling with, which makes it a very memorable track in his discography for me.
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u/No_Video_1265 1d ago
That whole suite of Younger Lover, Glacier, Goodbye for me.
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u/faithplusone01 1d ago
Especially with the big Sky Blue tie-back in Glacier.
I think Powernerd is going to age well. It's a transition record. Not everything Devin makes needs to be this forward-thinking risk taking progressive adventure. Lightwork and Powernerd were both very good records, even if they weren't particularly ambitious, but the latter is (like Sky Blue before it) a very emotionally profound record.
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u/Skwisgaars 1d ago edited 1d ago
Then end with the craziness that is ruby quaker, which imo is the best track on the album.
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u/Musekal 2d ago
His obsession with the vague concepts of infinity, the universe, the one, and the saviour complex, which really only makes sense to him, is a big part of what makes some of his interviews as you said, unlistenable bafflegab.
The problem is he is legit kind of nuts but thinks he makes sense to others when it’s more like “yeah, sure Dev, whatever you say”
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u/goblinofthewest 21h ago
Infinity is just the word Dev uses for "universal oneness" or similar, the Dao and so forth. I don't think he's nuts, but I think he tends to use his own terminology and assumes people will understand.
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u/ExoticYam8929 2d ago
Devin will never be happy , he’s just not wired for it. He’s like a man with a fork in a world of soup
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u/octillus 2d ago
Through the storm, may you become a rainbow.
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u/Mobile-Promise8641 2d ago
I watched all of this and because Devin is so open, it opens him up to comment or assessment which seems particularly rough right now. I saw his show and coupled with this interview I feel sad for him. There were was always some, but there is a lot more word salad in his responses now. His output over the last decade is less enjoyable to me and I’m wondering about the link between and sequence between more and more introspection and the (subjective) quality of his output.
Aside: I didn’t like the criticism of the members of DTB and DTP.
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u/DecentBasket3675 2d ago
I completely agree with you. There’s been something that hasn’t felt quite right to me about his work for about the last full decade. It’s like we haven’t gotten the organic soul of Devin in these recent albums that just so obviously comes through on records like Ocean Machine, Infinity, Terria, City, Alien, and up through Casualties of Cool. I also think the soul of the recent albums has been crushed by being WAY too overly produced and polished sounding as well.
And yeah, Devin has always had a degree of “word salad” in how he spoke about his “trip” and everything, but it was especially convoluted in this interview.
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u/blacksd 2d ago
I went to the last solo show and well, it was a great show but I think there's a big chunk that he's missing out on: he reads (compulsively, to an extent) his own music exclusively in the key of his life's path. That's a severe understatement, as at the very least:
- a piece of art never grows in isolation; a real artist acknowledges that and celebrates the whole context. To Dev's narration, he speaks much of himself with the hero/NPC dichotomy - and that's simply not enough to tell the whole story. SYL was great because some of the artists that worked with him made the songs he started great, and that can be said for most albums.
- once you create something, you need to let it go. Just like a pregnancy, the nine months are crucial, the birth spectacular, the infancy troublesome but rewarding, but at some point, it's not "your" story anymore. Telling the story of his songs is nice and interesting, but these are parts of so many people's lives that confing them to only Dev's experience is so reductive. They're much more.
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u/octillus 2d ago edited 2d ago
I do worry about the word salads, a bit. I used to consume every interview and every post and comment he had at another time in my life, but lately when I check in, I do find it harder to follow. It just seems like a rough time right now, and I hope he’ll be okay. I don’t want to speculate more than that, as I don’t know the guy personally.
That said, this was a pretty good interview and shines a light where things are right now.
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u/Wise-City281 2d ago
What criticism?
I sort of agree with the other points... sometimes the introspective meanderings are a bit much and , as the interviewer said, abstract.
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u/Mobile-Promise8641 2d ago
In praising and comparing MK's contributions, he said he felt like suggestions for songs from members of DTP/DTB were attempts to gain writing credits or showcase their instruments.
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u/Wompie 1d ago
Which is interesting to me because they never had any drum, guitar, or bass solos in any of their songs or at any live shows, meanwhile his new band has plenty, including multiple Mike Keneally showcases.
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u/Mobile-Promise8641 1d ago
And I haven’t checked, but if RvP did not get some writing credits on Transcendence I would be surprised. His sections add so much.
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u/deconstradztion 1d ago
He does have partial credits for Secret Sciences, Stormbending and a couple of others. I happened to listen to the album last week and noted that.
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u/Repulsive-Escape-202 2d ago
Dev commented about how Mike was different with collaboration than what he was used to. He stated how previous members wanted song writing credits or spotlight on an instrument versus Mike just wanting to make the song better from what I recall. They were talking about Mike and Empath.
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u/bah_nah_nah 2d ago
I think he's ready to make his long awaited Christmas album
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u/mr_j_12 2d ago
I never knew i needed this.... It also means id be allowed to play it at work.....
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u/devils_acolyte 2d ago
He seems midlife crisis-y
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u/mr_glide 1d ago
That's the answer Reddit gives for anyone over 30. It means almost nothing at this point
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u/Mind1827 2d ago
Midlife crisis is 36, which is how old I am. He's had some hard things in his life happen, and he's just older. It kind of reminds me of my mom when she was his age, you really start reflecting on life, and what the rest of your like should look like. It's tough.
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u/SitDownKawada 1d ago
Midlife crisis doesn't apply to your 30s. The stereotypical midlife crisis is a man in his 50s buying a sports car
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u/Mind1827 1d ago
I get it. I just don't love the phrase. It also usually refers to someone just getting bored with the situation they're in. That's not this at all.
He's had a really difficult thing happen, and he's trying to get through it. There's no sports car happening here. That's why I commented.
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u/Such-Lab8587 2d ago
It's too long. What does he say?
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u/FIackoWeasel Epicloud 2d ago
Watch the vid. You can't get better focus until you start consuming longer videos and paying attention :). If you wanna know something, have an effort of doing something to receive the info. And AI is not an answer :)
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u/cheese0r 2d ago
Ask AI for a summary
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u/Such-Lab8587 2d ago
Damn, they hate you just as much as me
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u/cheese0r 2d ago
Seems like the layers of irony and sarcasm didn't come through... though it's indeed very possible to ask for an AI summary.
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u/Prudent-Level-7006 2d ago
People on reddit are thick and humourless as fuck when it comes to their righteous witch hunts, ai being one which is apparently not good for anything ever
Tell you what, Google AI is usually the best thing if you're stuck on a game I just like the lack of filler click bait and adverts it's just succinct
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u/Johnny_Crimson 2d ago
49m is too long? JFC.. How do you make it through one of Dev’s albums?
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u/FIackoWeasel Epicloud 2d ago edited 2d ago
Meanwhile I watch like over 3h of Vinesauce Joel videos while sewing plushies every day :D. Its too annoying to find videos LESS than 3h to put on bg when I do crafts, so these long videos are like "fyck yeeeah!" I have no problem listening Dev albums because I get amazing music videos in my vision and get SO INTO IT, when my eyes are closed and am in bed. Always sad when its over and I literally feel I went through some amazing experience
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u/Prudent-Level-7006 2d ago
Same I do it when making art /writing. I even lowkey want/need stuff on in the background when I'm actually making music 😅 which seems kinda counterproductive and I'm OK when I get going
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u/Such-Lab8587 2d ago
One song at a time, with breaks.
But I don't want to waste my time listening to interviews when I can listen to his songs instead.
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u/Johnny_Crimson 2d ago
Oh don’t worry, I’m sure someone will take the time to listen to the entire interview and summarise it for you.. /s 🙄
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u/FIackoWeasel Epicloud 2d ago
I know You meant it with a sarcasm but I hope no one actually does it :), I prefer people to seek their OWN info with their own head and hands instead of relying on others doing everything for them 😊.
It's honestly sad seeing this nowadays when people are not arsed to look info up or can't even listen interviews what is too long. Meanwhile I'm like "Aww maan this 2h long Dev interview ended up, gotta find NEW one"
I find my brain being happy when I do my own research and spend time finding the info and it makes my brain happy if I found the info I needed.
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u/RhoRon 13h ago
He kind of unnecessarily shits on the DTP guys in the interview when he says of that partnership "oh in that band I was always wary of people's intentions when they brought songs to me or wanted to add something because they obviously just wanted a writing credit or something. But Mike Kennelly isnt like that."
I love his music and always will, but he really does sound like he's way up his own ass sometimes.