Absolutley loving these podcasts. These albums are some of the most important in my life and affected me deeply. So great to hear about their creation from the man himself. Can't wait to hear about the other albums.
Same here man. Loving this podcast series! Such a crucial time in my life, as far as music is concerned, when City came out. Love hearing the stories that go along with it.
Aye, these albums have deep-seated value to me forever. Interesting listen. Here's hoping whatever chaos Dev mentioned in his personal life can be resolved.
@@NeuroCatalyst I disagree, I really enjoyed his book (I got my name in the back too as one of the backers) the podcast is a great insight as well. Devin rules!
@@Psymon1471 Good for you man, I don't wanna take anything away from your enjoyment. I was rly looking forward to it, preordered it as well. But tbh it kinda reads like a hardcopy justification for making the Empath album. Compared to, say, Al Jourgensens book where even the darkest passages were a joy to read because the man seems very in tune w himself. Post-Ziltoid Dev treats Pre-Ziltoid Dev like an entirely seperate entity for whose every action he feels he has to apologize.
Dev would reel at this but he's such a role model at this stage of his life. The fact he's had the life he had and yet has ended up in a place where he's still able to hold it together even enough to function is inspiring to the sort of fuck ups like myself who, realistically, functioning is the best we can hope for. Respect and love
Hearing you laugh about this stuff after these dark anecdotes makes me feel more connected to your work. Another great one, dev. Lmao he said Genes farts sounded like 5 people farting and 2 people clapping
City - the single most influential extreme metal record to the metal scene in India - apart from the bigger legendary albums like Master of Puppets etc. I have heard on multiple interviews, metal musicians in India talking gushingly about this album.
I think, inevitably, despite each of these podcasts focusing on a particular album, you're gonna end up talking at varying lengths about others and so I'd just like to say how grateful and happy I am that you decided to actually focus on City here even though you gave us quite a lot of insight into it in the Ocean Machine podcast. Both of these albums are some of my favorite material of yours so thank you for not skipping City despite it being totally justified to do so.
1:15:15 Devin's response to the people who want him to make music similar to SYL again. 1:16:42 Velvet Kevorkian 1:18:41 What does City represent? 1:22:00 All Hail the New Flesh 1:25:52 Oh My Fucking God 1:29:42 Detox 1:30:14 How he developed his screaming vocals & his inability to do death metal vocals 1:32:10 Home Nucleonics 1:32:47 AAA 1:35:24 Underneath the Waves 1:37:44 Room 429 1:40:51 Spirituality Why Devin feels it's important to discuss his albums with these podcasts 1:41:33
City came out when i was 17. It's hardwired into my memory. It's as fundamental to my formative year as much as any friend or family member. City and Ocean Machine are life events for me.
I first learned about Strapping Young Lad when I was 22. I had recently moved to a new country to be with my girlfriend at the time. Her little sister was way into like, folk punk, reggae, ska, talking about communism. And there was a local youth club that catered to this interest. One day they held a charity flea market, and the whole family went to support little sister. As I browsed the rows and rows of CDs that I didn't know and that didn't pique my interest, I found one in a cardboard sleeve that startled me. Strapping Young Lad - City. I had heard of those guys before, read an article in Rock Hard magazine years ago. So I took a closer look. It was a pre-release press copy of City with autographs of the whole band in white, silver and gold marker. That CD didn't leave my player for literally, until I got my hands on more SYL. It was the music I had never known was missing from my life. And I had a special press copy. And it was signed by the band. It was literally my most prized possession for well over a decade. Then I moved to a new city and some way somehow it was lost. The day my mother told me I could never move back home no matter what, and if I had to sleep under a bridge, didn't hurt as much as when I realized that album wasn't there anymore. 37 years old now, I consider that my greatest loss. So that's my story of City.
@@YanusDV I know, right? How does a gem like that find its way into the flea market stall of an Austrian guy in a Che Guevara t-shirt... my thinking is, it's actually sentient, like The One Ring, moving from one owner to the next of its own accord until it is reunited with its true master.
Dude, I find alot of solace in just listening to Devin's voice. And given my current (ngl) "fragile mental state", and living in a strange chaotic reality of uncertainty. I feel like I could listen to him speak forever. Not to mention the availability of an entire fucking catalog of brilliant music I AM feeling like... this alone can sustain me. And goddamn, I'm so grateful. Pls don't ever leave us Devy.
City for me is like Destroy, Erase, Improve. An Album ahead of its time and still almost timeless in metal to listen to today. Just an absolute, beautiful assault. Thank you for doing these DT.
Devin Townsend's music is one of very few things that keeps me going. It just makes me happy and reminds me that there are bigger things in the universe than the petty day to day bullshit of the humans.
I went to that same Sepultura tour. EXCELLENT show. I did not, however; crystallize that experience by starting a Strapping Young Lad. Thanks for all the killer music over the years Devin \m/
Thank you for this. 'Heavy' was my first introduction to you in the 90s. 'City' is what solidified my true appreciation of your art. I was in high school, I was inspired, and I ate up everything you created through and through to this day.
I remember re-reading Batman: Arkham Asylum about 15 years ago (or more) and recognizing the super sanity line. I took to the old Hevy Devy forums and remember Tracy asking Devin about it, then confirming it. It was a bit of a fan boy moment for me! Grant Morrison was the author, by the way. He's like the Devin Townsend of comics. :)
Always wondered how Arkham Asylum ended up on an SYL song. I heard the song first and then read the comic years later, I remember thinking I had cracked the Da Vinci Code when I read that line for the first time 😆 WHAT DOES IT MEAAAAN
SYL has been a major factor in me retaining my sanity the past year at uni. Something about being able to find clarity in all the chaos of City is something I find very helpful. Thank you for these songs that have helped me learn more about myself
I can't believe you released another one so quickly. I loved #1. Thanks for all your hard work, and the great stories while you're locked up with the rest of us.
I usually don't like podcasts, but these are very good and introspective. The soothing music behind the talking has a meditative quality. I love that one concert really pushed him into the metal genre. I loved Fear Factory when I was younger. Live music really does have an impact on people, the feelings you get at live concerts are electrifying. I think a lot of people find comfort in Devin's music because it mirrors a journey that is relatable - destruction, chaos, drugs, mental instability, and anger to a state of wisdom, reflection, joy, peace, and empathy. One of the most important musicians of our time, in my opinion.
yo dev! I wanna thank you for releasing all these things lately. It's given me something to take my mind off of all the horrors of the world and all the problems and chaos within my family.
If anyone is interested, you can actually listen to the song Devin mentions as being an early version of All Hail The New Flesh he performed live with Steve Vai. If you search for the live bootleg "Steve Vai Thunderkids" here on RU-vid, go to the 58:50 time stamp. The song Is called "Miss A Lake" on the bootleg CD. The song can also be found on an Italian Steve Vai bootleg from the same Sex & Religion Tour with Dev but it is listed as "Unreleased Track."
So awesome to hear Devin talk about Fear Factory. When Mortal Kombat the movie came out, one of the songs on their soundtrack was 'Fear Factory - Zero Signal'. It was the first time my 10 year old ears had heard something like that, and I loved it. I still jam out to those guys sometimes.
Thank you for these Devy loving it on my commute. The Sepultura concert you mentioned, I got to see that show twice in CT, Fear Factory opened for Clutch, Fudge Tunnel and headliner Sepultura. Cool, we both got to see a great show. Keep these coming loving em.
I remember buying "City" the same year it came out. Since Metallica's RTL (Which I bought in 84) I hadn't been so blown away to the umpteenth degree of astonishment. It's a beautiful masterpiece of almost uncontrollable chaos still unsurpassed. It's the most brutal thing ever to happen in the universe after the Big Bang.
I've always wanted an in depth view into your records, it always felt like I could never learn enough about you, or your music- I'm loving every second of these podcasts!
Such great content. Its basically everything that I loved about the commentaries for Ki/Addicted/Deconstruction/Ghost but with loads of extra back and side stories. You are also very comforting to listen to because everything is articulate and clear, even when you're forgetting things! The choir of SYL farts must have been memorable.😂
Sepultura, clutch, fudge tunnel and fear factory was the first concert I ever went to. 2/27/94. Amazing show. Fear factory became a real influence on me and my bands music. Groundbreaking album
I’m from Birmingham myself and there are indeed areas that are VERY drab. Though the place has cleaned up over the years quite a lot. Great podcast thanks Devin.
i first discovered cop shoot cop ages ago bc of that cover and they're still one of my fav bands, so damn good. firewater is great too. tod a wrote a novel, though I've yet to read it.
I'm so glad this album exists. I've been listening to it so much lately, it's great for letting out emotions whilst exercising to exhaustion. It's nice to hear some background to its creation!
I love hearing you talk about these things. You remember everything so vividly, making it a very immersive experience. Thanks for sharing these memories, it makes the music even more amazing.
I love this format Dev. I hate listening to podcasts but you know how to make it fun by being down-to-earth about it, staying relatable. I hope you don't get weighed down more by the crisis and that you stay safe.
Interesting example of veggie burger served like big mac. I found out personally that I got really into veggie food when it wasn't pretending to be something that I like, but not tasting like it. The way it was served, when it didn't resemble that meaty food, helped think of it as its own beautiful experience and not a fake that falls short. But I absolutely agree in general with that idea, making a thing familiar to help getting into it.
part of my ritual since these have been coming out is to relisten to the album then listen to the podcast ABOUT the album... and, to be perfectly honest, its a great way to stay sane and pass then time. keep them coming Dev
I listened to both the city podcast and the ocean machine one last night. I just wanted to say thank you because it really helped me feel good during quarantine. And absolutely inspired. It very much felt like I was hanging out with dev & was getting the history behind it all. I’ve spent the last twenty years getting really f’ed up making weird idm techno ambient music teaching myself learning, purely for my own experimentation. And this really really motivated me to make a guitar based album on my own. Finally. Thanks Mr Townsend
These podcasts are way more enlightening and therapeutic than I had first thought they'd be. Well done Dev, I have a new depth of understanding and appreciation for your early work. Thank you for keeping us company these days.
Fantastic Hevy Devi ! Man so good to hear all the stories surrounding this amazing possibly heaviest album of all time! City, Forbidden Green, Dying Fetus Purification Through Violence, Abscess Seminal Vampires and Magot Mev and even Trouble Plastic Green Head we're on permanent repeat in my CD player in 97, while I was relapsing on pot after a couple years sober, in Germany At which time I decided to cold turkey off pot, cigarettes, and my bipolar meds at the same time, sending me into a psychotic hallucinogenic spiral or going sane as I used to call it.
This one also made my long commute to and from work an absolute pleasure. I wanted to stay in the car when I got home. Can't wait for work on Monday so I can do Infinity.
These podcasts are really pulling me through man. I'm in the process of writing the next record for my own band and I'm constantly surprised at the parallels I can draw between your experiences, especially with City - to that of my own musical career. It's great to hear it from someone that has come out the other end with a sense of resolve from going through all this. Can't thank you enough for doing these, they're really spurring me on. Stay safe and well Dev.
1:27:15 I knew it I KNEW IT I've had the suspicion that OMFG was inspired by THIS VERY GRAPHIC NOVEL for at least a decade, which is Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth. Almost fell out of my seat listening to this.
I could honestly listen to Dev talk about anything but music on these and I would still listen to it. The combination of his voice and the meditative music in the background is so peaceful
Being a musician myself and recording new material at home at the moment, this stuff is so inspiring. Also on a „Life“ Level: I think Devin in also a poet. So much interesting thoughts here, it amazes me! I will hear all of these podcasts with great interest. I believe they make me a better, more reflected person
Great stuff Devy!! Loving these in depth looks at my favourite music. Cant wait for you to get back to Australia after missing your acoustic show due to a car accident on the way there.... was gonna be my daughter's first ever show too.
This is really great for longtime fans. Keep it up until you get bored. Though, You are really good at this format. Just Saying DEV. Thanks for all you do man!
So damn glad Devin is doing these, City and Ocean Machine were the soundtracks to my late teens. Any other maniacs here from the old strindberg.se mailing discussion list from the late 90s/early 2000s?
Dev, What ever your chaos you should know that we as your fans are here for you!! We will back you by listening to your Podcasts, your projects through this rubbish time! Keep it coming Dev! Your a light to many of us!!
I'll never forget the first time I heard your music, was talking to one of my friends about music in 2000, he says oh you like metal? C'mere. And he took me out to his car, which had a decent stereo hooked up, and we smoked a couple blunts and listened to City. I came out of that car a whole new dude with a whole new plan, you've been my favorite musician ever since and I've been spreading the word about your work ever since. You make the music I was born wanting to hear.
I absolutely love this podcast and I am more than thankful it exists. Devin is an amazing storyteller and never fails to keep one's attention. Also I want to have a moment to appreciate this awesome artwork for the podcast.
Just hearing another voice is lifting my spirits up. Thank you so much for these podcasts and it's right that you have to keep going and focusing on something that drives positivity. We are all here for you Devin, just as you are here for us lot.
