Devin Townsend - Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?

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The inimitable Devin Townsend sits down with Graham Hartmann (@grahamwire) for a round of 'Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?'.
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[@MrAlienautopsy]

you'd never believe the rage pent up in this mild mannered man

[@garydupuis2796]

It's the mild mannered ones you gotta watch out for.

[@cyberwastemusic]

Interviewed him a few years ago, the calmest man I've ever met

[@natashagoode501]

@@cyberwastemusic See, I see a man who has finally made peace with himself. I can see the undercurrent of his aggression, but he focuses it better now. Calm usually follows survival of trauma and/or painful growth. Keanu Reeves comes to mind in his regard. :)

[@lilmmissmuffet]

It's not rage, it's the intense emotion and energy Bipolar brings

[@orfeo793]

@@cyberwastemusic the calmer the person, the more pent up rage and anguish they're desperately trying to keep under lock and key in my experiences

[@calebbliss8626]

Devin is so articulate not only musically but verbally.

[@z.s.n.]

Caleb Bliss proclivity

[@XxKamaelxX]

But I see he strikes a rather awkward pose during the interview lol

[@neilvetter662]

Means he talks gooder

[@Unklechopchop]

He's pure genius

[@BradleyHarris69]

Canadian education boys

[@nolyspe]

Came to watch Devin crack some jokes about wikipedia crap, ended up hearing him talk about profound stuff about his personal life and humanity in general. I love this guy.

[@arthurmurfitt7698]

me too

[@LarryHappening]

"Hey Mr. Incredibly Wealthy And Successful Rock Bass Player, why don't you play on my record?" "Why would I do that?" "Because I'm a badass."

[@mattmagee3144]

the tone as fucking perfect lmao

[@donspees9215]

Good answer

[@hoosiermbj]

My favorite musician of all time. One of the greatest of our time and so many people have no clue who Devin Townsend is.

[@chrissas3872]

Same here. I try to get his music out to everyone as much as possible!

[@hoosiermbj]

I do too. His library is just incredible. It's indescribable how good his music is.

[@chrissas3872]

Matthew Jones I concur. I listen to him every single day. He is my muse, and has gotten me through more dark times than I could thank him for.

[@codyryan2316]

hes an incredibly nice guy

[@lisol18]

He deserves so much more recognition.

[@DMatt343]

Just saw this guy headlining with BtBAM in Dallas last Thursday, and I previously had only heard a couple of his songs. He seriously was the most hilarious and positive metal musician I've ever had the pleasure of seeing live. After the show he jumped down in front of the barricades and shook everyone's hands in the front row, right after wishing us all "awesome lives" and thanking everybody for coming out to the show. My friend remarked, "If you don't like this guy, you're an asshole."

[@vai44]

I saw him last Wednesday in Houston. Awesome awesome show

[@renatosantos23]

Damn, Devin and BtBAM sounds like an hell of a great time.

[@ricardod123]

I ended up hanging with Devin for a short sweet moment behind a church in Bristol (UK) last year. we had a chat about duality and the importance of being excellent to everyone. It is one of my treasured memories.

[@DMatt343]

Renato Santos It certainly was. BtBAM played Coma Ecliptic front to back that night. To top off the month, I saw Meshuggah on Monday, and that might've been even better.

[@DMatt343]

ricardod123 Dude, that sounds so awesome! Makes me like Devin even more. Seems like such genuine and intelligent guy.

[@tizianofratini7407]

God, I love this bald sonovabitch

[@eniscoworldheritagesite]

Ikr, I just want him to move into my house, hug him and listen to him telling stories every day...or sing :D

[@Firefly12569]

I could listen to him talk for ages!

[@eniscoworldheritagesite]

Ziltoid the Omniscient same

[@DerAntikristSeelenMord]

totally agree

[@mattymattsidebyeach]

@ A Nation - ...cause he's real

[@slothbeats969]

Devin Townsend is like the greatest dude ever

[@lampad4549]

Do you know him?

[@scrotzki789]

"Sometimes the comfort of being dissatisfied is way more convenient that just letting it all go."

[@retrohipster994]

This man is extraordinarily brilliant. His ability to articulate and clearly express himself is astounding.

[@batmaiden1378]

The Deadpool of music

[@frenchexpat5601]

Not only during performance, that's the thing! On studio albums as well, like all-time classic Z²'s musical. This guy is legendary. He is what makes me love Metal. Having a lot of fun while playing both messed up and deep music.

[@geetarguy777]

*The* most accurate statement on the internet.

[@TheBlackKnight1o1]

At least he's not the Limp Bizkit of music

[@sebastianlacroix5871]

We already have a Limp Bizkit of music. They're called Limp Bizkit.

[@TheBlackKnight1o1]

Sebastian Lacroix It's also called a reference to Deadpool. "YOU DID TO MY FACE WHAT LIMP BIZKIT DID TO MUSIC IN THE 90S"

[@anguish416]

The DT dilemma when you're playing him in the car: Should you get out and hug everyone around you, or crash into them?

[@OKay-lu8jq]

this is so accurate

[@brandontankersley8107]

Yes

[@upchuck9021]

Both. Get out, hug them, get back in and run them over

[@bcdey84]

Yes

[@sineporfa9053]

@@upchuck9021 Do it the other way around, so they don't resist the hugs. ;)

[@TheBlackKnight1o1]

I didn't know Devin was Canadian until I heard him say "aboat"

[@SimonLandryMusic]

We know music haha

[@Greene1992]

Dart (Canadian slang for cigarette) is another dead giveaway lol

[@MichaelWLee]

StevenGreene1992 is that really a Canadian term? The rest of the world is missing out

[@Greene1992]

@@MichaelWLee Haha look up Canadian slang on Google, there's words even I have never heard of. And I'm Canadian!! Lol

[@MichaelWLee]

StevenGreene1992 literally just watched the Will arnett one, somehow I knew almost all of them

[@fadeskywards1245]

I love how natural, honest and down-to-earth this guy is.

[@Pequenno54]

At this point Devin has become some sort of spiritual guide to me

[@Moshpitdrums]

Fully agree.

[@GypsyRock]

Best facial expressions in live music. PERIOD!!!!!

[@franciscoreyes4389]

I am such a great fan of Devin's work, but I am more impressed by his elocuent responses!!! As a psychiatrist I have listened a lot of times the myth that treatmen kills creativity, so I am very pleased to listen an intelligent and hard working person analyzing his situation. Great Devy!!!!!

[@oAPXo]

Look for their youtube page on here, they are doing a vlog of the current tour, I think the latest one "The Devin" gives you a inside look on the guy and how he's into his craft and love of music.

[@jakelester5672]

For me, in recent months, treatment created the creativity. Meditation has given me more clarity to express different things through music.

[@franciscoreyes4389]

Thanks Man!!! I have watched a couple, but I'll check the rest

[@BluesLicks101]

elocuent?

[@blixx8931]

BluesLicks101 lol right.?! elocuent..wtf

[@CuddleShit2]

having the opportunity to watch a Devin Townsend interview is always a blessing. He's so well spoken, insightful, and seems highly intelligent.

[@foulhes4972]

Since the start of this series I was begging for them to interview Devin and Maynard. Yes! Finally got one of them.

[@gaouchos35]

Not sure Maynard wants to do any interviews lol

[@steamedauroraborealis8208]

Ask Maynard about his grapes, he'll be all over that.

[@josephgriffiths2593]

and now we have both

[@Infernoblade1010]

It would be insane to see them interview each other like gavin rossdale and ed kowalczyk did.

[@patrickhuber8630]

This man is so pure and honest. I love this guy.

[@MarkPJordan]

That was inspirational. What a clever and articulate, open dude. Have to go and listen to him now and hoping it'll be a joyful discovery

[@dericanslum1696]

John Smith ...it will...I'm only a few weeks in but...damn...lots of ground to make up...from the heaviest things you'll ever hear to countryesque to drone albums...

[@KaoswareMetal]

"City" is amongst my top 5 albums of all time. Devin's greatest record in my opinion!

[@Casketkrusher_]

Detox, Undernearh the Waves wow masterpiece

[@NyQuilDonut]

I'm with Devin on this one Alien is the best

[@mattymattsidebyeach]

Kaosware - agreed

[@superiormusic]

OH MY FUCKING GOD!! But yes, it's on my top 30 list too.

[@francescosirotti8178]

Kaosware Terria. Motherfucking Terria

[@ziltoidomniscient848]

at the end of it all .... I'm a deconstructed cheeseburger.

[@Casketkrusher_]

Strapping Young Lad was the best thing ever, Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing is a masterpiece.

[@Drinckx2]

What is good here is that although the 'device' of reading Wikipedia seems a crass way of constructing an interview, it results - with an artist as interesting and self-reflective as Townsend - in quite a high level of profundity.

[@BoxUpMyBones]

I love that he said Alien was his favorite. Don’t get me wrong; City is an absolutely fantastic album in it’s own right, but Alien was something else, man... STILL holds it’s weight to this day!

[@szabiakanich]

Gottag love that shining/gold Opeth logo in the background in the Devin camera angle \m/

[@erra7552]

Such an open minded dude. Wish more people were like him.

[@New_Millennium_Cyanide_Christ]

He is such a lovable person with an immense talent

[@burningtheangel]

Did anybody else think he was gonna say "Hold on, I think it's 2 T's. Let me check wikipedia..."

[@shevanel92]

When he was reaching into his pocket, I thought he was gonna use his phone to check the article.

[@Hyperlink1337]

no

[@SeanFlaharty]

YES!!!!! Been looking forward to this one since I saw a quick glimpse during Devin's tour vlog.

[@giovannisolazzo9871]

This interviewer knows his stuff, knows what he's talking about and his interviews are always spot on, well prepared and interesting. Well done.

[@powerforth8400]

He literally just riped info from Devins Wiki to see if it's accurate or not lol... That's pretty low effort man; thankfully Devin is entertaining and gives thoughtful responses.

[@michaelhinte7498]

I'd counter and say he's genuine and asks thought-provoking questions. Even if they are pulled off the wiki, I like the concept.

[@arekhautaluoma4276]

@@powerforth8400 He seems genuine, kind and excited to me.

[@artbyblake]

Strapping Young Lad Alien is the heaviest album I have heard.

[@stephenpemberton9943]

So down to earth yet so out there

[@KozmykJ]

As a recent convert to the DTs, I knew there was something I liked about this guy ... That interview got way Deeper than I thought it was going to go ...

[@NielsBeier]

YES! Been waiting for this since I saw you guys interviewing Devin in his tour-diary! Great stuff!

[@mal-wx6tu]

He's just a extremely talented and versatile musician, everything he makes is so deep, well thought out.

[@Stratking01]

Devin Townsend is a true artist and gentleman. Love everything he’s done musically

[@the6ig6adwolf]

the Frank Zappa of heavy metal.

[@danieljamesshaw]

Chris L That’s exactly what I thought. Almost enjoy listening to their interviews as much as their music because they really have stuff to say.

[@evasl]

Yeah! That's actually what I call him!

[@deepstatethrombosis]

Crank Zap-ya

[@oldm9228]

Steve Vai was one of Frank Zappa's live guitarists. Devin Townsend was one of Frank Zappa's live guitarists. Go figure!

[@auto1nfanticid3]

is this why i dont like either?

[@TheJake3]

Such a human being and an amazing artist. The world needs more of this.

[@HeavyDude3000]

This guys for me is a philosopher. "The Dalai-Lama of Metal" for me at least ;-)

[@jedrashidul6952]

Me too, bro. Me too.

[@bokehintheussr5033]

Alien is one of my favourite albums of all time. Extremely unhinged, manic and heavy but also weirdly beautiful and spiritual.

[@EvilNoobKitty123]

That Hello Kitty keyboard in the background is as metal as Portney's Pokemon drum kit

[@svensvensson9308]

They should have the keyboard player from Dream Theater play some tunes on it.

[@rimmyjimmy8385]

His name is Jordan Rudess

[@beredetump1635]

P O R T N E Y

[@markwildt5728]

Didn't Portnoy play on a Hello Kitty kit?

[@justinchoyer]

@@markwildt5728, He did two videos. He played a Hello Kitty kit in the first one and a Pokémon kit in the second.

[@eziomorte3380]

When I first listened to SYL backmin the 90s I was sure that Devin was completely insane. Looks like I couldnt be more wrong.

[@franlovelsimic8421]

Finally! We need more musicians like him on this show! Best artist of our time imo, can't wait for his upcoming symphony (called Moth) that he'll work on in November :D Transcendence is top 5 albums of 2016 for sure

[@AFRorie]

Absolutely love Transcendence, I heard he was going to put Stars into an album, and I'm glad it was that one.

[@franlovelsimic8421]

one of the best albums of the year easily :D

[@AFRorie]

Fran Lovel Šimić Indeed

[@nickteves9716]

Alien was my first SYL album, kicked me in the throats with a passion. Loved it and ever since then I've loved everything this man has brought into the world. City and Alien are in equal grounds to me, both amazing. METAL!!

[@dantess2693]

Love how Devin is a coffee nut as well. Long live coffee!

[@unclestone8406]

"Yesss, only Earth's mightiest beans for the mighty Ziltoid."

[@arekhautaluoma4276]

Devin Townsend...Mike Patton...Frank Zappa...the coffee Gods!!!

[@pupdowg420]

Caffeine, the gateway drug.

[@BegetterVIIEVEN]

I'm dying for David Ellefson's coffee 😳

[@rawkrentals]

Your vibe attracts your tribe! Classic Dev

[@makiravila7751]

Many people dont know this guy, but he is some kind of a genious

[@a_3x]

Damn I just saw him on the twelfth. He super mellow in real life, and really really nice. He's just so personal

[@jeremynothing]

What a fascinating guy. Canada produces the best musicians with the exception of me.

[@peterveres2942]

And me

[@ashertelvallo9480]

And me.

[@Wheresthepepsibismol]

I'm half Canadian I play bass like Lemmy and Cliff Burton my band doesn't need a guitarist just me, a drummer and lead singer

[@DingusDungus]

And Justin bieber

[@jonkerrmusic]

Great interview! It's always a pleasure to hear the Dev share his thoughts.

[@MouthVisuals]

His consciousness... no surprise where that music comes from.

[@sirefromtheshire]

"Sometimes the comfort of being dissatisfied is way more convenient than letting it all go..." I need to go home and rethink my life.

[@gringochucha]

I think Gruhamed was a bit overwhelmed by that last bit.

[@Yojimbo711]

Here ladies and djentlemen you have one of the most liked personalities in metal. Tremendously cool guy!

[@BurningBeard22]

Devin was afraid of anger because he's Canadian and they're the nicest people on Earth.

[@DriveSMR]

Was fortunate to open for the man once in Vancouver...Devin is a true genius, inspiration and visionary for the last quarter century, and his candid talk about mental illness hits directly home with me, since I am currently discovering a lifelong undiagnosed condition had been ruling me....and lowandbehold Trancendance comes along. Thank you Devin!

[@battousai12]

YESSSS been waiting for this since like, ever.

[@cyberwastemusic]

"Your vibe attracts your tribe"

[@starwolffan13]

So much knowledge pouring out of this guy.

[@DeathMetalheadish]

One of the most intelligent interviews I have seen recently.

[@NeonblueIndustries]

Devin you are a legend. So much love brother. Thank you for sharing your art and the many layer of your self with the world. Strapping was one of the first bands that blew me away and never been the same since.

[@JoelGarfield]

Great interview, so much depth there with Devin.

[@shawnalvarez333]

I got to talk to Devin and the whole band in SYL in El Paso at their bus before their show, they were all super cool, great memory

[@jeusvox2878]

I just discovered a new found love for this man. He’s fucking awesome.

[@noesunyoutuber7680]

He's an astonishingly nerdy looking man. A victory for progress in Metal!

[@NyQuilDonut]

Alien is my favorite Strapping album. Glad Devin feels the same.

[@oAPXo]

City is my favorite SYL album.

[@Gio_Panda]

What a fantastic interview!

[@MIDO6056]

Love Devin and I love Graham rockin that Frenzal T! aussie aussie aussie

[@frotographyphoto]

I saw Devin in a little acoustic show in Manchester Cathedral a few years ago, and it's still one of the best shows I've ever been to. His music is glorious, and the humour he mixed into it was hilarious. Next time he's in the UK I'll absolutely be heading to another show.

[@LudwigVanRyan]

I have so much respect for Devin. Also, love the videos series! thanks for making this

[@curtisworley1711]

Just saw DTP in AZ, great show! He's great at engaging the audience.

[@PigJusticeYass]

I got excited when I realized I'm currently wearing the exact same shorts as Devin, even the same color.

[@samsta2]

Great interview! Some really cool answers there

[@barrybates433]

Love you Dev, can’t wait to see you again March 2020!!

[@faureswanepoel1665]

This one was the best one I've seen

[@steveknucklebones2501]

Hevy Devy you are absolutely the best!!! Carry on!

[@fruttyu]

Frenzal Rhomb! Small town Australia represent!

[@robindreier9796]

I love that one part where says "not the 'Alanis Morissette'-irony but actual irony"

[@muffbit8735]

This man is one of the greatest metal musicians of our time and hes just out there looking like he came back from a nice fishing trip in the middle summinter

[@s13silly]

cool as, and a fucking FRENZAL RHOMB shirt!!! Graham you legend!

[@guyincognito143]

Was thinking that too.

[@HarmonixHealing]

excellent interview

[@letswiki]

Great episode!

[@cyclopsvideo1]

I love that they brought up Jason and tom.Still wanna hear that recording.Good interview.

[@remingtonsteele3581]

I remember watching the VAI fire garden tour in Australia and Devins guitar signal dropped out. Dev stepped back during the song and put his hands together making it clear his rhythm guitar was not coming through the fold back speakers. ( or FOH) He was not happy but very professional, I was also stunned at the professionalism of VAI when he did a knee bend in front of the speaker, still looking forward to let the sound guys know he was not hearing Devin, whilst playing both rhythm and lead, without making scene, complaining or letting the crowd know Devs signal had dropped out. Finally VAI looked to stage left and they communicated they were on to it, and VAI just smiled and kept playing. That was a class act on both their accounts.

[@alexmurphy5289]

He's amazing, so Canadian too. See you tomorrow night Devin!

[@Dalimagnus]

Hevy Devy is a deep dude.

[@GypsyRock]

Devin and newsted. Never knew that. Two greats. Awesomeness

[@rubymeaddle]

It ended up being the reason Jason left Metallica. James and Lars kept trying to block him from doing side projects, despite the fact that Jason (by their own admission) was the most dedicated and hard working member of the band.

[@procrastinatorink]

Great person

[@el_manu_el_]

This guy is not "just saying" random things about stuff he's thought once or twice. He's so eloquently hitting the nail on the head about core ideas that relate to consciousness and the root of an individual's personality.

[@anastaciawood5398]

Love me some heavy devy! Saw them come through Grand Rapids, Michigan last month! Great show!!!!

[@JamesShore1990]

I must admit, I don't really listen to his music, I couldn't name you a single song. But I just really love his persona, his humor, his gearwhoring and all that. Just a really cool, nice dude.

[@nerimadaikon5516]

So awesome!

[@zBOOcham]

The like/ dislike ratio of this video is against the laws of internet! Devin is one of the coolest, most sympathetic dudes out there

[@jacobeberhardt1649]

Good lord it has been 15 years since Alien came out.

[@PopCulturzTV]

Smart, and so grounded...how refreshing.

[@christiancarroll2733]

hell yeah to the rhomb shirt, thats awesome!

[@Still_Me]

Love the Frenzal Rhomb t-shirt! First band I ever saw live, back in about 1998 or '99. Devin is my current love, but Frenzal are awesome too. :)