The statistics of COVID-19 change with every news cycle, and with growing numbers, stay-at-home isolation and a near-universal disruption to society on a global scale, it is ever more important to consider the human aspect of this coronavirus. Amid the sad surrealism of living through social distancing, quarantines and bans on gatherings of groups of any size, creative professionals — artists, musicians, promoters, club owners, techs, producers, and more — are seeing an effect like nothing witnessed in the last century, and as humanity as a whole deals with this calamity, some perspective on who, what, where, when and how we’re all getting through is a needed reminder of why we’re doing so in the first place.

Thus, Days of Rona, in some attempt to help document the state of things as they are now, both so help can be asked for and given where needed, and so that when this is over it can be remembered.

Thanks to all who participate. To read all the Days of Rona coverage, click here. — JJ Koczan

Days of Rona: Dylan Gonzalez of Diary of Doom Podcast (New Jersey)

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How are you dealing with this crisis? Have you had to rework plans at all? How is everyone’s health so far?

I’ve been working from home since March 19th. It’s been a little weird to adjust, but happy that my company is still operating right now. Normally, I go to a lot of shows in New York City and everything through June seems to have been cancelled. I was planning to head out to Colorado in October, but as more and more shows and events further down the line got the can, I realized putting the kibosh on that was probably for the best.

So far, my health is good. It’s weird walking around with latex gloves on and a bandana covering my face. I don’t have access to a protective mask right now, but I would rather any medical supplies go to the staff who actually need them. What I am concerned with is a close friend in the ICU battling this out. It gets all too real when you know someone suffering from this and suddenly all the holes in how we could have prevented this are very apparent. I think about him everyday, hoping he can come out of this.

What are the quarantine/isolation rules where you are?

Where I live In NJ, school’s are closed and the restaurants are takeout and delivery only, if they have not just closed down already. None of the bars are open by me, but the local breweries have been offering curbside and delivery, so it’s nice that I can still support my friends in that business.

I generally don’t leave my apartment for anything except groceries and it’s still a bit odd to be in a grocery store. Not everyone seems to be taking it as seriously as others, which is both alarming and disappointing. Over the weekend, I went to pick up a few things and it was an absolute zoo. Literally no frozen food.

How have you seen the virus affecting the community around you and in music?

One of my best friends lives a few blocks away from me and I can’t even go to his house to have a beer with him and his girlfriend. My girlfriend lives in Brooklyn and luckily has been fine, but it’s a challenge for us, given we are just a jump across the Hudson from each other.

And, of course, I have seen how much this has affected the music community, especially in doom. Doom and related bands make their buck on touring and it was crushing to see so many shows cancelled or postponed. We had some coming up that we were psyched for and obviously this is no fault of the bands. I have been supporting them by purchasing vinyl, merch, or sending money directly to them. It’s been really amazing to see what the doom and the NYC metal scenes are doing to help out the artists we care so much about.

What is the one thing you want people to know about your situation, either as a band, or personally, or anything?

My situation is not as bad as others. I would like to let bands, artists, musicians, community members know that if they wanted to take this time to speak about what they are currently working on or their situation on another platform, I am happy to boost their voice with the podcast. There’s nothing better to do, I guess. We don’t even have to talk about doom metal, if you want to just jump on and talk to vent or ease your mind, that is fine too. I know there are some bands with records scheduled for later this year, so it would be a damn shame for them to lose momentum on that. This is a weird time we are living in and I want to be able to do whatever I can to help out the scene.

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