Man watches dog ponder alien art.
Q&A: Me Shirtless!!!, Society of Artists & New Music (Maybe)
Anonymous asked you: It would be a huge loss to many of us if you stopped writing. I don’t care what Richard Ford says. Don’t lose hope. I’ll always be here to listen to your art. I know I’m not alone in that either.
VE: Thank you very much. (By the way, this person is referring to this quote I posted.) But I wasn’t fishing for a compliment. I would like to think that it’s somewhat normal for a person to ask him or herself from time to time: Does my life have meaning? Am I making a difference? Do I even count? It’s a scary thought, I know, and I don’t blame you if you do your best to ignore it. So many of us must do what we have to, not what we want to, and we don’t wish to torture ourselves with dreams of impossible alternatives. I try to push away the thought but it always builds in me anew. Art is so strange. By nature, it’s self-absorbed. The best art comes from a deeply personal place and that process of introspection seems self-indulgent. Maybe that was okay when artists were a small sect of society. But now, through the equalizing powers of technology, the larger population has adopted that mindset. We’re all artists now and suddenly it feels irresponsible to partake. I’m still sorting this whole thing out so forgive me if I sound confused. Mostly, I am.
Anonymous asked you: As a long time fan, I have to ask the dreaded question. What is Val’s plan for the future musically? Aide Memoire examined the past, Bulldozzzer appeared to allude to an end, then Posthaste came out as an overview of your career. Do you expect to continue to play with different sounds/genres and continue to release music or is it taking the backseat at the moment! I know Bulldozzzer wasn’t planned, so maybe I should just wait and see?
VE: First off, I love that you used the proper number of z’s both times (count ‘em 3). That shit makes my day. Next, Val doesn’t have a musical plan. Yes, I will continue to play with different styles. I’m always trying to grow (i.e. getting bored). I’ve recorded a half-dozen new songs in a somewhat new style (new for me). I’m not sure what will come of these new songs. I’m brainstorming. I don’t wish to just release them into the ether with little care. I’m trying to fit them into some grander purpose and I’m thinking that if I can’t discover that grander purpose than it’s not worth putting it out there. Does all this sound vague? Yes, it’s pretty gray in my mind too. But getting clearer every day. Stay tuned. And thank you for making me feel like there’s some slight anticipation out there for what might come next.
Anonymous asked you: There has been a question I’ve been wanting to ask you for some time now. Everytime I google “Val Emmich” the suggestion bar says “Val Emmich Shirtless”. How does that make you feel? Is it funny or something else?
VE: Something else. I have no idea how it makes me feel. All kinds of things. Mostly, I feel alone and disconnected. Really, this might seem strange but my overwhelming thought is that all of us are separated and isolated and staring at screens instead of looking into each other’s eyes. That’s fucked. As amazing and powerful as the Internet is, it only reminds me that there’s so much of the world and life that I’ll never experience. I suppose it’s always been this way. With the invention of the printed word, people could read a novel, for example, and get a secondhand experience of an unfamiliar way of life. But now on the web we can see it so vividly, watch videos, hear sounds, converse with other people, and yet we can’t touch human to human. We see the hi-res photo of a beach in Fiji but can’t feel the sand between our toes. To me, when Google finishes my sentence in the search bar, I feel crushed. So many of us can share a thought, a question, a dream and yet we’ll never meet. Man, I’m a downer. You don’t want to live with me.
Back to me shirtless. Wow, if you could only see it. It’s fucking beautiful. I’m a specimen. God-like, really, if you’ll allow me to get spiritual. When I stand by the window shirtless, I’ll sometimes see a passing bird lose its bearings and drop from the sky. That’s why I’m careful to stay robed. I’m an animal lover. On Google, I’ve also seen Val Emmich gay, wife, married, and super cool motherfucking genius. That last one only showed up in Google once and I may have had something to do with it. If anyone wants to see me shirtless, I’ll happily meet you at a predetermined location provided you come shirtless too, and there are no animals present.
***Above photo is only a preview. Note that my hair will be better & my bottoms on. I may, however, have a stick up my ass.
Anonymous asked you: Would you consider doing an acoustic take of ‘I Just Lost My Father’ to upload to YouTube? The song haunts me and sends shivers down my spine. It’s just so beautiful. I felt similar when I watched your acoustic take of ‘B&W Photographs’, so this’d be unreal. Thanks for your consideration! :-)
VE: I’m flattered to read this. Thank you. If I have some extra time, I’ll try to record something this week. Not making a promise. I haven’t played the song in over 5 years and if I find it too difficult to relearn, I might get cranky and bag the whole thing. Or I might relearn it just fine but not like the way I’m looking on camera. Or I’ll get 75% through a take of the song and then mess up a lyric and be too frustrated to start from 0% again and quit. Or my phone will tell me I don’t have enough space to record video and I’ll curse at it and drop the idea altogether. So many pitfalls. But I’ll try.
Anonymous
