The Obelisk Questionnaire: Marian Waibl of Torpedo Torpedo & TarLung
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: Marian Waibl of Torpedo Torpedo & TarLung
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
I’m a drummer in the Sludge band TARLUNG, and now in the Heavy Psych band TORPEDO TORPEDO as well. Plus, there’s a third project in the pipeline, named BLACK AIR, a more mellow instrumental Doom / Darkjazz / Post-Metal thing. So, I’m well occupied – but three bands is enough! But I’m fortunate to have found people I enjoy spending time with, and who inspire me with their ideas and their playing – everybody has their very own specific way of playing and feeling, and you feel that when playing with them.
Me, I’m just the drummer, and I like it that way: I see this as my role, to listen to and understand a riff, and support it in the best possible way with a drum pattern – which doesn’t necessarily mean to repeat every guitar or bass note on a drum, as the notes you don’t play are just as important as the ones you play. It’s about getting the intention, and bringing the idea to life. I like doing that, and while I might not be the best technician, I think I am a good listener and understander.
Describe your first musical memory.
I guess that would be banging on a little tambourine I had as a kid, and destroying it, the poor thing. And making makeshift string instruments with rubber bands… Apart from that, my parents’ house was always full of music, with my father playing the Spanish guitar and the accordion, later on the sax as well. Not much rock n’ roll, but the radio was always on with classical music, and here I am listening to the classical public radio quite a lot again, which is quite good in Austria.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
Certainly the euphoria I experienced at some nice gigs with the crowd going wild… But also in the rehearsal room when it just clicks, and you get the feeling that this right here is something special. But also enjoying great concerts and just melting into the experience.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
Oh, more than just one time… I might have been a rather edgy twen, I admit, with some rather stubborn and obviously false beliefs, like „music has to be fast and technical, otherwise it sucks!“ – But then, I enjoyed stuff like Electric Wizard, EyeHateGod and Crowbar already in my teens, so the tendency to value feeling over technicality was always there.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
Referring to the last question: To value feeling over technicality. Of course, you need to know how to do things, but the technique is just a means, the idea / feeling is the goal. And also an important lesson, I guess: Limitation is good for creativity. Creativity means working with what you got, and making something out of it – instead of going „If I could, then I would…“ – Well, you are here now, and you have what you have. Now go and „work with the acre you are given“, to quote the fantastic song by Steve von Till.
How do you define success?
Being able to do what you love, basically. Having a job that allows you to pursue your musical interests, and as I’m self employed now I found a very nice balance in my life, and I enjoy this a lot.
Apart from that, it’s positive feedback – the quality, not the quantity. Who care’s about „making it big“, a few heartfelt nice reviews, and a few dozen people at a small gig really getting into it – that’s worth more than a big hall of rather indifferent people.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
Lots of things I guess, didn’t need to witness a mayor pandemic and a new war in Europe, for example… but what can you do? One can’t change the winds, but only the sails on one’s boat, to quote Aristotle.
Also, in severe personal crises it certainly wasn’t nice looking at myself in the mirror, but everything leads to something else, and if you are ready to grow, admit mistakes, and leave bad patterns behind you, this can lead to something new and better. And it certainly has – the journey is only over when it’s over, but sometimes I stop and wonder and think: „This has gone waaay better than I ever hoped!“.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
Uh, been thinking of writing some prose for some time now, but I have to admit that I’m still blocked in that respect, having build up expectations that seem to be counterproductive. I guess I’ll have to let that go completely, and then it might become possible… or not. And if I never do it, I’ll be happy with that too. See what I did there? Trying to demonstrate how much I’m letting it go . Showoff :)
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
Two thoughts on that:
„Nulla ars sine purgamine“ – no art without cleansing. A roman inscription I have as a postcard on my wall. Art always comes from some sort of cleansing process, so to put it in a more „metal“ way: from processing negativity. But here’s the rub: There is this huge misunderstanding of the suffering artist, this cliché that suffering is good for creativity. It. Is. Not! As everybody has enough negativity anyways, you don’t need to chase that. I love how David Lynch put this, in his squeaky voice: „There’s this misconception that artists should feel bad. No! You should feel very, very good!“ Paraphrasing here, but he’s so right… listen to the man!
And here’s the second one: Art as secular religion. If you are not into the organized religion thing, you still have the desire for transcendence, the other side, the world beyond, the portal into the parallel sphere… at least I am sure I have this desire. So, going to a concert, a museum, what are those? Houses where no one lives, free of everyday purpose. Temples, in a way. Art frees us from the command of everyday necessity. It is completely useless, in a very positive sense.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
It’s summer again, and I enjoy spending a lot of time on the shores of the old Danube, going for long swims, and laying in the sun, reading and listening to music. This is a very calm, pure state of being, and my personal paradise, so to speak. Eternity is in the moment. It’s all here, right now.
https://www.facebook.com/TorpedoTorpedoBand
https://torpedotorpedo.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/tarlungband
https://tarlung.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/electricfirerecords/
https://www.electricfirerecords.com/
https://electricfirerecords.bandcamp.com/
