Metal Inside(r) Home Quarantine is Metal Insider’s new column during this time of isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked artists five questions on what’s been keeping them busy ranging from their favorite movies, food they’ve been eating, music they’ve been listening to and more. We caught up with Liam Wilson (Azusa / former Dillinger Escape Plan) as he’s been spending a lot of time with his family, working on new projects, and refraining from Netflix binge watching.
What have you been doing to pass time during Quarantine?
I’ve been doing a lot more “bedroom” style collaborations. I did a song with Devin Townsend and a few other great players for his quarantine project, I did “Crazy Train” with Chelsea Wolfe, and Stephen Brodsky for Two Minutes To Late Night. Matt (Hollenberg) and I have been writing new John Frum material remotely at least once a week. I feel like every musical project I’m currently involved with or anybody I’ve ever had an open invitation to collaborate with now has the motivation and the time to get things kick-started. I feel like there’s a lot of creative mining and seed sowing in the ontological soils. Everybody’s filling up their storage tanks. I’ve also been spending a lot more time balancing the parent and teacher roles with my daughter. We’ve been spending a lot more time in our garden, building raised beds for vegetables and getting seedlings started.
Have you been listening to any music or have any playlists worth checking out?
I listen to a spiritual jazz playlist on Mixcloud. Weather Report Legendary Live Tapes 78-81. New Fiona Apple, Myrkur, Jahnavi Harrison’s daily Kirtan on Instagram Live. I made this playlist a few years ago, feel free to share it.
A lot of people have been spending this time cooking including making their own bread, what food have you been prepping during this time?
Guilty as charged – We’ve been making bread buns every Wednesday morning as part of my daughter’s routine and we’ve got two bananas looking ready to buy a one way ticket to that great big bread pan in the sky. We’ve been eating a lot more local vegetables, mushrooms, and greens because it makes more sense for my family to shop at farmer’s markets. Because of the abundance and variety, I’ve been experimenting more with shelf-stable fermented foods like kimchi. I typically make a big pot of Kitchari on Sundays – this week I added some fresh asparagus from our backyard. On the weekends, I make pancakes in whatever shapes my daughter wants, and lately she’s been into “spooky” things. A few weeks ago we were making eyeballs with banana iris’ and blueberry pupils while listening to “20 Eyes” by the Misfits.
In terms of entertainment, what movies, TV shows, books, or games have been keeping you busy?
Ironically I feel like I’ve somehow been left with less time to simply entertain myself. I usually work at a sculpture foundry where I could listen to a lot of books on audible and lectures on youtube, but being home affords me less time to get absorbed like that. I’ve been teaching my daughter checkers and chess and she’s been learning fast and excited to play. When I do have some quieter times, I’ve been getting more into sacred literature from India. I’m fascinated with stuff like the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. I’ve been listening to a yoga podcast called “wisdom of the sages” which discusses ancient texts, specifically the Shrimad Bhagavatam and the Bhagavad Gita, which seems profoundly relevant and enlightening when faced with the kind of challenges we as a society are currently dealing with.
What advice do you have for your fans in isolation during this time?
Try to spend this time actively pursuing something that raises your vibration level that you wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity, time or momentum to dive into. Instead of binge watching Netflix ad nauseam, find a yoga class on YouTube or download a meditation app; create something, or learn a new craft or trade. Use this time as a gift to go deeper into some new personal practices, even if it’s only :20 minutes out of your day, find some way to appreciate this time. Find some way to flip the script so you view this experience as something that happened “for you” as opposed to “to you.” Oh, and check out Azusa’s new album Loop Of Yesterdays.
