Hey Gregg, in most of the interviews you mention that you prefer being in the studio over playing live. Is that cos of your perfectionism and the fact that you can do things over and over till you get things right in the studio? And do you consider performing a necessary evil that you'd rather not do at all? or is it just a preference issue?
Just something I've been wondering about
Hey...you're pretty much correct, but there is a little more to it. I don't dislike performing music - it's performing this style of music because it has to be so perfect! I like playing jazz when the ensemble improvises and works with each other; I also like performing in groups with a conductor who holds things together. But the main reason is just being nervous and self-conscious because people want perfection.
Recordings in a way ruined live music because now everyone expects everything to be perfect in a way that is inhuman. Suspyre's music is some of the hardest I have played (and I have played
many concerts in diverse genres), mostly because there is no conductor, so if anyone misses a beat the whole thing falls apart.
And besides that, the music has to be memorized (when music is committed to memory it can be performed better, too, because the performer is concentrating on performing the music, not the instructions on how to perform the music). I may be the one person that prefers to read the notation as I play, but it isn't because I don't have it memorized, it's to make sure my mind doesn't wander and I don't get distracted. Usually if I see a cable that's knotted or wrapped around a piece of drum equipment I get really uneasy and can't pay attention and forget where I am in the song. That's the OCD coming out, heh. I like to focus on the sheet music because that's the way I learned.
I always got nervous having to do anything from memory in public - I did acting as a kid and choked up when I had to memorize my lines. I think the reason I memorize so many pointless weird facts (currently working on getting all the U.S. Presidents' birthdays and astrological signs - don't run for President if you're an Aquarius, you'll die in office or get shot) is because spitting back information on the spot is something I always had trouble doing.
Another big issue is that I get pretty bad social anxiety in crowded places, especially if I have to perform. Playing with a band is a little easier because it's not just me in the spotlight (I hate being the center of attention). The reason I didn't originally want to major in music is because I though I would have to do frequent solo recitals. Once I realized that the theory/composition major didn't require as many recitals, and that I participated in enough ensembles to be exempt, it helped ease my fears. But, metal concerts are a lot different than the more classical/jazz crowd I'm used to. I learned to actually like jazz and improvisational performances, because it is hard to be wrong.
I do like to play music, but I prefer to create something tangible, not to worry the entire time if it sounds okay and if people are enjoying it. At a live show, I never can hear anything because everything is so loud that it hurts and it's so hot I can barely breathe. I just don't like working under those kinds of conditions. I prefer a climate controlled office at a computer and working as quickly or slowly as I need in order to reach the goal. Also, I know what the results are going to be. If you work hard on it, people will listen and your art will be spread. At a live show, a string could break and ruin the night, or the sound guy could fall asleep (a-hem), or a fuse could blow, etc etc.
Anyway - that's a long answer, sorry about that!
