BEN WEASEL 2020

BEN WEASEL (2020)

Did the experience of creating the Babyfat album (and its reception) give you the sense that the next one needed to be traditional in its feel and length?

Not even a little.

How important is the collaborative process to you at this point in your career, and do you seek out certain qualities in those who contribute?

Be great. Kick ass on your instrument. Serve the song, not your ego. If your agenda involves anything other than the song and the performance, so long, sucker!

To what extent do you expect or hope fans to relate to the nuances and deeper meanings you convey through your songs?

Not at all. People who pay their money are entitled to interpret things however they want. They don't have the right to claim their interpretations are the writer's, but they can read into it what they choose. Or not. If I were to require people to pick up on every nuance, I'd be a bad songwriter.

Do you find it alienating to be a pioneer of a sound that so many have aped for decades?

I don't agree with the premise of this question.

What do you think accounts for the ongoing worship of traditional aesthetics in the pop punk world?

Nostalgia for a time we didn't live through.

What do you consider to be your greatest strengths as a songwriter now, and how are those strengths reflected in the new songs?

Knowing which ideas to pursue and which to shitcan. That strength is reflected in the quality of the new songs.

When melodies enter your mind, do you tend to associate them with a particular concept or mood?

Certainly.

When settling on topics and song concepts, are you strategic in the sense that you want there to be specific musical or lyrical motifs represented on a collection of songs?

Yes, but it doesn't always shake out that way in the end.

You've mentioned that you "dutifully" record voice memos of worthy song ideas for later use, even if there's little hope for an actual release. Is songwriting part of your daily routine, or "in your blood", so to speak? Would you be doing it anyway?

Not daily. I often go months without writing anything. I can't remember the last time I picked up the guitar. I need motivation to work. People not buying music anymore is not very good motivation.

When will you finally write a "New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal" album, and who besides Enforcer would you want to tour with to promote it?

Never. Not my forte.