The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Steve Janiak of Devil to Pay, Apostle of Solitude & The Gates of Slumber

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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

I just spin my wheels, wondering if there’s a point to it all. I got here by years and years of self-delusion. As a kid I wanted to be a drummer, but my parents bought me a toy kit and I knew it was a toy so I hated it. I think I poked a hole in the bass drum and stuck it in the closet. One day a friend was over and we saw a commercial for Arthur’s Music’s year end sale. He said something about wanting a guitar and I replied “Me too, but my parents would never buy me one” and Mom overheard. I ended up with my first acoustic guitar on my 11th birthday.

Describe your first musical memory.

Either singing songs with my Mom in the car, or wearing little tiger sunglasses and singing Glen Campbell’s “Rhinestone Cowboy” and “Southern Nights” for my babysitter or maybe sneaking my Dad’s records into my room like The Ventures and Johnny Horton. Listening to 8-tracks of Paul Anka and the Fifth Dimension’s “Age of Aquarius,” which I thought was dark and ominous. I remember hearing Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2” on the radio and thinking it was evil. The first record I bought was Boston’s “Don’t Look Back”, obviously because it had a cool UFO on the cover.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

Probably the Gates of Slumber 2020 Euro Tour, or when Apostle played Hammer of Doom in Germany. Or in college, the Pub Sigs endless jamming. But maybe when I first heard myself on the radio, WTTS played a Neurotic Box song, “Open.” We sent them a reel-to-reel copy. That was 30 goddamned years ago.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

In 2020 when I lost both of my parents in a stupid pandemic full of hypocrites, idiots and fuckwits.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

I think it leads everyone to wherever they expect it will lead them, down a rabbit hole that ends somewhere between worldwide success and bankruptcy.

How do you define success?

When you make a connection and someone tells you how your art or music has inspired them, or maybe if you could pay a single bill from something you’ve spent your entire life trying to do, that would be something.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

Animal abuse. Human cruelty and stupidity. Family members turning on each other over politics. Mac Sabbath at Psycho Las Vegas.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

I would love to paint some giant paintings or make my own line of Tiki mugs.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

Expression. Being able to express yourself through music or art is pretty vital and I think everyone should try it. Good or bad, just getting what’s inside and getting it out.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

Traveling again. Putting down the phone and reading more. Hoping like a fool that we can move past this age of bullshit soon.

https://www.facebook.com/deviltopay
https://www.instagram.com/deviltopay_band/
https://deviltopay.bandcamp.com/
http://deviltopay.net/
https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/
https://www.instagram.com/ripplemusic/
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
http://www.ripple-music.com/

www.facebook.com/apostleofsolitude
https://www.instagram.com/apostleofsolitude/
apostleofsolitude.com
www.cruzdelsurmusic.com
cruzdelsurmusic.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/cruzdelsurmusic

https://www.facebook.com/thegatesofslumber/
https://thegatesofslumber.bandcamp.com/
http://thegatesofslumber.bigcartel.com/
https://twitter.com/TGOSdoom
http://doom-dealer.de/
https://churchwithinrecords.bandcamp.com/

Devil to Pay, Forever, Never or Whenever (2019)

Apostle of Solitude, Until the Darkness Goes (2021)

The Gates of Slumber, “The Jury” live in Berlin, Germany, March 6, 2020

Tags: Apostle of Solitude, Devil to Pay, Indiana, Indianapolis, The Gates of Slumber

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 15th, 2022 at 10:28 am and is filed under Questionnaire. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.