Guesting on Andrew Haug Radio to discuss his new Lightwork album, Devin Townsend addressed his seeming unwillingness to make another Strapping Young Lad album, which many of his fans still seem to want.
Strapping Young Lad was active from 1994 - 1998, and then again from 2002 - 2007. They released five studio albums: Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing (1995), City (1997), Strapping Young Lad (2003), Alien (2005) and The New Black (2006).
Townsend: "I know why they want it. I love it, too. I love it but I can't do it. I said the other day in an interview, and this was an analogy I thought was really cool. So you go to a smorgasbord, you go to an all-you-can-eat buffet, and you go to that place because they have this type of shrimp, or whatever, that's, like, the shit. It's deep fried, it's got a spicy sauce, and you know that that's the place, and you go there and you get a big plate of it and eat it. And you're, like, 'That is my favorite thing in the world.' And you go back and it's out. And you say, 'When are you bringing more shrimp out?' They're, like, 'We ran out of shrimp. The ingredients that we had that created that dish, we don't have those anymore.' And as opposed to going, like, 'Oh, I understand... it's a bummer. Okay, cool, seeya,' they're yelling at the bowl of shrimp or they're yelling at the restaurant: 'Ah, I want shrimp! More! I want more shrimp..!'
'But, dude, I don't have any more shrimp.'
"The well runs dry. There's no more water in the well. It seems absurd to me to yell at the well. It's like, 'Dude, there's no more water in there. I know you like it...' but the thing that made it authentic, the process that made it important solved what it was that made that so vital. So to say, 'Oh, you can do it again…' I don't blame people for wanting it, and I also don't blame people for not understanding it. What I have to do is it's up to me to make peace with that."
(Photo - Paul Harries)
