The Obelisk Questionnaire: Bob Stokes of Oktas
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: Bob Stokes of Oktas
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
As a bass player I always love the sound of heavily distorted bass chords and tremolo picked bass leads. I feel it’s a sound rarely explored and instead of waiting around for someone else to do it I decided to do it myself.
Describe your first musical memory.
The earliest I remember is when I was a kid and suffered from night terrors. That’s when you have nightmares so intense and you’re screaming in your sleep. It’s like some Freddy Kruger shit. So my parents sent me to therapy for it. One of the suggestions was to play classical music when I’m trying to sleep. Still to this day I have great appreciation for classical music, some of which comes out in our music.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
There’s so many but I’ll narrow it down to a couple. The Type O Negative Halloween shows at the Trocadero in Philadelphia in the late 90’s early ’00s were some of the best shows of my life. I was a young avid pit monkey at the time and the energy and fun of those shows were impactful. I also remember an Ozzfest around the same time when Black Sabbath just started coming back around. This particular show in Camden Ozzy was sick and couldn’t perform. So none other than Rob Halford stepped in and sang the whole set and it was In F***King Credible!
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
Probably with the release of this album. I love most subgenres of metal but I feel a lot of them are treading water. Reproducing the same sound and vibe over and over again. Not that any of that is bad, it’s just the same. We’re trying to do something different with this project. Trying to kick the can down the road a little bit. Whether anyone is hungry for that or not is yet to be seen.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
Hopefully to challenge yourself and your audience. It’s easy and safe to give your crowd the same old tried and true. It’s a lot riskier and scary to go out on a limb and do something different.
How do you define success?
I’ve always been more concerned with fulfillment than monetary success. Money comes and goes but it is never truly yours. Being able to pluck an idea out of your mind and translate that into a format that someone else can relate to is a true skill and power few of us explore. The cathartic and therapeutic results of that are far more valuable than any sum of money.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
We’ve all been through shit we wish we didn’t have too but it’s how we cope with adversity is what makes us who we are. Through that adversity we come out the other side either stronger and more resilient or we can let it destroy us. I choose the former than the latter.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
Oh there’s always a laundry list of things I’m working on. I used to throw a bunch of art shows but then the pandemic hit and destroyed that. So more art and music shows in the future. I also have some business ventures I’m still fleshing out.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
Communication. Communicating a thought, an idea, an emotion, an exploration of medium, a memory, a struggle, a fantasy, a reality, a dream, a nightmare and connecting with an audience or individual.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
Traveling. I draw a lot of inspiration from traveling, especially out in nature. It’s been tough the past couple years for obvious reasons but traveling is important. Seeing other parts of the country and world are intrical in understanding ourselves. Once you get past the fantasy of what other places are like then you discover how we’re all doing the same thing, just figuring things out in different ways.
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