One thing that's really important for me to be creatively motivated is to find an angle. Some people refer to that as a concept, which it is, in a sense, but not overtly. It's just something I need to focus and hone in on, and the trajectory of what might be seen as a 'concept' gives me creative momentum.

Devin Townsend

Mom Men Which

I've been a workaholic for many years, but at the same time, I do it because I love it.

Devin Townsend

Work Time Love

I'm really into music, I'm really into art, and I want to keep that fire alive.

Devin Townsend

Music Art Want

As a drummer, I'm rhythmically so disabled that it's hilarious.

Devin Townsend

Us T Rum

'Epicloud' is the first record that I felt confident enough to include all those things on one record, so it goes between melodic hard rock to schizophrenic heavy metal to country to really ambient stuff, and it's all in one place.

Devin Townsend

UN Try Those

For me, the one thing I've got going for me in terms of my attributes as a musician is vision.

Devin Townsend

Music Vision Us

I think live stuff is certainly stuff I enjoy doing. I do like performing for people and bringing it to people.

Devin Townsend

Think Thin T

I make music for people to hear it, so get it however you want!

Devin Townsend

Music You Want

I've always loved the sound of female vocals.

Devin Townsend

Love Ways Way

It's really hard to foster self-love; it really is. I think a lot of people who claim that they do have a definite lack of self-loathing are either lying or just in a place that I don't relate to.

Devin Townsend

Love Yin Who

I think when music, specifically heavy music, the motivation for it is other than truly feeling it, that's when it becomes really difficult for me.

Devin Townsend

Music Us Truly

I come from a blue collar background.

Devin Townsend

UN Round Me

I've always been into easy music. When I was 15, the record for me was 'Hysteria' by Def Leppard.

Devin Townsend

Music Ways Way

I think that religion is incredibly cruel, and I think that my biggest problem with being vegetarian, usually, is other vegetarians.

Devin Townsend

Religion Wit Vegetarian

I guess I'm not really into female vocals that sound masculine, I guess. A lot of times, the heavy female vocalists always end up sounding like they're screaming or whatever.

Devin Townsend

Time Whatever Ways

It's like... to make a good record - I don't care who you are - it takes a long time and a lot of passion and a lot of attention to detail, right?

Devin Townsend

Time Good Car

Music is so important to me that that's got to be the only way I can do it. In the purest possible way.

Devin Townsend

Music Way Us

I like Canada for a number of reasons, politics and people and all that stuff aside. I was raised there, and I write music best when I'm in situations that I'm surrounded by nature, and when there's seasons.

Devin Townsend

Politics Nature Music

I think that the world is full of really, really good musicians, but that's not necessarily my motivation for having people involved. It's more how they contribute to the scene as a person.

Devin Townsend

Music Good World

My lineage is partially Irish.

Devin Townsend

Art Age T

I don't think anything that I have done has been forced by commerce exclusively.

Devin Townsend

Us Think Thing

If you think meet-and-greets are fundamentally stupid, then you're never not gonna think that.

Devin Townsend

The risk a lot of times, in my mind - and I may be incorrect - the risk of challenging people directly with their beliefs is that society is such that there's too many of us, so a direct challenge automatically engages people's defenses.

Devin Townsend

The reason Strapping Young Lad was such a good band was we were honest about what we were doing.

Devin Townsend

Enya was a huge deal for me. That kind of woman vocals and how wide those productions were.

Devin Townsend

Strapping Young Lad is a vehicle for me to be wild and extroverted and ridiculous. It gives me the chance to say, 'Look at me. I'm a heavy metal guy. I'm Rob Halford or Bruce Dickinson or whoever.'

Devin Townsend

For me, the opportunity to express myself in this way is something I don't take for granted.

Devin Townsend

I know that I'm often perceived as this odd guy who's a bit out there, and I've probably, once in a while, reinforced that image, but I'm really not that person, and, in a way, I want even less so to be seen like that.

Devin Townsend

To have the opportunity to be creative and clarify the nature of that creativity, there are definitely some long days, some 18-20 hour days with interviews or computer work, but I have a friend who is every bit as intelligent and creative as me who works at the mill.

Devin Townsend

I have a real hard time with inter-personal relationships. I find it really taxing. Especially, like, friendships and being in bands.

Devin Townsend

I don't deal with conflict well, so sometimes things will happen that will make me feel sort of powerless. But instead of being able to actually deal with the problem, I just suck it up - that's the way I was raised. Music, then, becomes my one avenue for letting things go, and when I get the chance, I let it rip. It's like therapy in that way.

Devin Townsend

As a vocalist, I can scream, and I've got a really good singing voice, but I can't do the really heavy vocals.

Devin Townsend

With 'Epicloud,' I wanted something catchy as the flu but with a sentiment that is romantic, positive, and beautiful. Spiritual without religion and set to heavy music.

Devin Townsend

If you're making music strictly to make money, you might as well find another job.

Devin Townsend

I love Strapping Young Lad. I'm incredibly proud of that band; I'm incredibly proud of everything we did.

Devin Townsend

I tend to find in my musical world people end up appearing, and I'm pretty good at being able to discern right away whether or not they are going to be appropriate based on their personality.

Devin Townsend

A lot of people are upset when you work out your anger issues, but there's a big industry for music which is furious and angry because, in my opinion, the world is looking for a justification to feel the same way.

Devin Townsend

The reason why everything I do is so different is not because I'm trying to be provocative; it's simply a reflection of whatever was happening to me at the time I wrote that particular record.

Devin Townsend

As Devin, the person, I'm very different from my artistic self.

Devin Townsend

In Strapping, I had experimented with a creative catharsis under the assumption that art doesn't need to be accountable for itself, but I found out in very practical ways that you are accountable for everything you say. Everything you write, everything you do becomes not only your identity but your world resonates with it.

Devin Townsend

The bottom line is music, for me, is an exhaust port for life, and if I have a chaotic year, then I'm gonna write a chaotic record, and that's what happened with 'Ziltoid,' with 'Z2.'

Devin Townsend

I really like female singers; I've got zero interest in working with male singers. Any male voice I need to do, I can do.

Devin Townsend

I'm not a big fan of options, to be honest. The more options that I have, the less time that I spend actually completing things... ultimately, I think, if you have endless choices, I mean, the tendency to just choose endlessly is there, and that doesn't do anything for anybody, really.

Devin Townsend

As someone whose music is connected to his personal growth, I feel an obligation to follow this muse wherever it leads.

Devin Townsend

I'll be the first to admit when I'm influenced by something.

Devin Townsend

One thing that's really important for me to be creatively motivated is to find an angle. Some people refer to that as a concept, which it is, in a sense, but not overtly. It's just something I need to focus and hone in on, and the trajectory of what might be seen as a 'concept' gives me creative momentum.

Devin Townsend

People talk about the Ozzfest and what it can do for your career, and I guess I'm just oblivious to it.

Devin Townsend

The records I make, I'm there from the writing of the first note through the click tracks to the miking of the drums to the editing of everything to the production to the vocals to the artwork.

Devin Townsend

I have a job - it's a great job, and I love doing it - but I can't not work. That's not psychological; that's practical.

Devin Townsend

The way that I write is I just write a ton of music in the background of my life, and then I just bring it into rehearsal. It's, like, 'Okay, guys. It goes like this. Let's smooth it out.'

Devin Townsend

Because I have been so pigheaded and so selfish about so many things for so many years, I've spent a lot of time being, like, 'That person needs to change. This person needs to change.'

Devin Townsend