One of the weirdest and wonderful-est men in heavy music, Devin Townsend, blessed us in 2016 with a fantastic new album, Transcendence. The enigmatic shred lord/ otherworldly vocalist who dropped one of the best heavy albums of 2016 and is set to tour our shores later this year, but musical achievements and forthcoming tours aside, one can’t deny that the man is just a bit strange. In support of the new record, Heavy Devy chatted to Vice’s music website Noisey, and the results were pretty damn hilarious. We’ve selected our four favourite moments from this interesting chat for you to enjoy!
On his upcoming cock symphony (yep.)
“I’m here at Sony tonight to pitch something I need ten million bucks for…it’s this symphony with all these cocks and vaginas and death and it’s gotta be so over-the-top, with symphonies and choirs and it’s got to include the best of the best and it’s so fucking expensive!”
With seven solo albums in the bank, what is one’s logical course of action? To release a symphony celebrating sexual liberation and death, of course! The project, called The Moth, will be a musical production of sorts that will seek to push artistic and cultural boundaries of acceptance. The singer went on the note that “I love that idea of absurdity and spectacle coming together.” In 2017 there seems to be enough of that on the internet itself, but we’re always open to new ideas…?
On meet and greets
“Meet-and-greets fucking beat the shit out of you… you really have to invest yourself and be present and ready to talk to people and sometimes accept hyperbolic praise or criticism…some bands are like, “Fuck that, you can come meet me at the bar.” I never go to the bar and if I am at the bar, please don’t talk to me because I’m there to hang out with my friends.”
The next time you pay for a meet and greet with Devin Townsend, just remember to not drop any hyperbolic praise in his presence. And while it can be hard to resist chatting to your musical idols and getting a selfie for the ‘Gram, just… try to leave him alone. The man has a cock symphony to write, after all.
On shoving Jay Lenno’s phone up his sphincter (…yep)
” It started out with me and my friend alone in the room and we blacked the windows out, so we were just being idiots and taking naked pictures and everything—it seems super homoerotic looking back. But then you think, “Ah, you could stick the phone up your ass! That’s a clever idea,” until they called us on it and we will never go back to The Tonight Show.”
This is why prog can’t have nice things. There are so many unanswered questions as to how someone can write music as mature and thought-provoking, yet take such…drastic action when in possession of others property. A hint to those attending Devin’s tour… if you’re going to be an asshole, keep your phone far, far away.
On a Strapping Young Lad reunion
“I wouldn’t reform Strapping for the same reason I never did coke or heroin, because I know myself enough to know what’s good and healthy for me. Life is literally for living, so why would you want to spend time being a martyr for people?”
Why this may come as heart-breaking news to some, let’s not forget the cringy ness that John Farnham and KISS reunion tours evoke. One listen to Devin’s latest offering Transcendence will be enough to convince you that Devon is purely a man of the moment. The message here is the same to the Porcupine Tree diehards stalking Steven Wilson- these artists are at their brilliant best right now. Let their early work live in happy memory, and enjoy what they are giving you right now.
Devin Townsend will tour Australia in May this year. Sleepmakeswaves will be supporting all shows.
The Devin Townsend Project Australian Tour 2017
Saturday, 20th May: The Triffid, Brisbane
Monday, 22nd May: Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Wednesday, 24th May: 170 Russell, Melbourne
Friday, 26th May: Capitol, Perth
Tickets to all shows are available through MJR Presents.
Check out all of our favourite heavy albums of 2016!
Image: Metal Injection