The Obelisk Questionnaire: Daniel Gustafsson of Mammoth Volume
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: Daniel Gustafsson of Mammoth Volume
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
The Swedish idiom I use is ‘hobby-musician’. If the person I’m talking to still hasn’t left after that description, I get into subcategories like ‘bedroom recordings’, DIY, Black Sabbath- and Mike Oldfield worship. By now I’m talking to myself for sure, and that’s when I like to add that one doesn’t choose an artistic hobby, it chooses you. Music picked me. I’m a subpar poet and a terrible painter, but writing, playing and recording music is the gift that keeps on giving for me.
Describe your first musical memory.
An Elton John live concert on TV, and particularly a rock and roll song. I was playing the crap out of the sofa pillows for drums, but I also decided to learn to play the piano then and there. (I half delivered on that promise.)
Some years later, and probably more profoundly, I sometimes got to stick around at my grandfather’s place when his friends came by with their violins, accordions and acoustic guitars (and alcohol!); they were jamming on Swedish folkmusic and trading hot solos. To this day, unplugged folky jams are probably my favourite. And alcohol.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
Some time along the 2001 MV tour the band started to get more and more loose, and it was during some of those live improvisations I started to feel that we as a group had a pretty great chemistry. Now trust me, we didn’t always slay! BUT it was a real ego boost to feel that the band could throw itself into any old vamp, and still make quality music. Opinions may vary on that of course.
On a ‘higher’ level, the best musical memory would be when I realised cannabis made my favourite records five times better. I’m down to 1.5 times better by now, but still totally worth it.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
I was brought up a materialistic working-class atheist, then I switched to young adult Christian for 15 years, and then I went back to middle-aged agnostic-atheism, so there’s that. First hand experience of how the ‘grand narrative’ really does shape one’s worldview.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
I’m sure you chose that phrase — artistic progression — precisely to mess with musicians [Not true. – ed.]… so here goes:
I am a little suspicious of musicians who keep “broadening their horizon” for one thing. Sure, there have been a few great artists who have pulled it off qualitywise, but us average Joes shouldn’t be so ambitious. I say it’s better to dig deeper rather than to look to your sides for inspiration. But then again, I am very much an introvert in the jungian sense. If somebody says they love “all kinds of music” I go into crazy tourettes mode and start listing bands and artists, demanding to know if the person ACTUALLY loves Stockhausen, Portal (Aus), Ornette Coleman, shrieking Muslim calls to prayer… Some people’s sanctimonious virtue signaling using different kinds of world-music in particular is laughable. It’s OK to dislike certain styles of music; in fact if you don’t, that means you have no quality standard by which to make an aesthetic judgment. Whatever.
Secondly, I think there are fundamentally distinct aspects to ‘art’. Similar to how music consists of melody-harmony-rhythm-tambre, there’s art for pleasure, for education and propaganda, for communion, for introspection; art from the head and art from the heart, sometimes even art from your naughty bits. For example: I didn’t learn to play the guitar to get chicks, so if I turned into Tommy Lee’s penis on our next tour that would not count as artistic progress. I have a few aspects of making music that I focus on (e.g. improvisation/chance; through composed harmonies over improvised music; the instrumentation) so artistic progression, for me, means doing more of the same but with a slight variation. More like Darwinian evolution than some crazy Frankenstein scientist mixing a little bit of this, a little bit of that, hoping to suddenly get it right.
How do you define success?
Crush the enemies. See them driven before you. Then, hear the lamentation of my super-ego wailing “What are you doooing!”
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
Dad’s porn collection.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
How about a concept/rock opera album. But a really good one. No fillers. The second side of the LP is one long track of course. But what’s the concept? Undecided at the moment. If you asked me two days ago I would suggest the sinking of the ferry Estonia 1994. If you asked me two weeks ago I would say The Life of Jesus (part the first). At the moment I am reading up on some hella exciting psychiatric diagnoses, that would be great fodder for a concept album. I think this project will have to wait until I’ve made up my mind.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
I think there are a couple of different functions of art, because there are a couple of different aspects to this thing we call ‘art’. As I have already hinted at, the self-reflecting function of creating and working with music is a key aspect for me. Art as a way of holding up a mirror (in this case to myself, as opposed to society). But I also unironically appreciate the pure beauty of some art/music; a few moments of sublimated pleasure, a glimpse of perfection. That meeting can raise the spirits in an important way.
And a different sort of function: my chosen art ‘music’ becomes a conduit for things not necessarily music related. For example, the problem solving aspect of editing music is almost as rewarding to me as the actual writing of the music. That whole trial-and-error process, guided by educated guesses, fills up my quota of crossword puzzle brain gymnastics. If I didn’t have music I would have to get that fix somewhere else but as it happens art, qua function, has that covered too.
Lastly, the act of listening to one’s intuition, a vision if you’re lucky, and then to follow that vague sense of direction, that builds character. Forget about being in charge, forget about applying your training; listen closely to your intuition and have faith that you’re going in the right direction. Making music can be a safe training ground for working on that skill, which then has a chance of spilling over into ‘real’ life.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
No.
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