The Obelisk Questionnaire: Nessie Spencer of Freaks&Gigs Photographie and The Sleeping Shaman
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: Nessie Spencer of Freaks&Gigs Photographie and The Sleeping Shaman
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
I write album reviews, live reports and do some gig photography. I’ve been writing on and off since I’m 19 and properly started gig photography when I was 25, because I was frustrated with my small compact camera taking shit pictures all the time.
Describe your first musical memory.
My mum would probably say me watching video clips on telly and giggling every time I loved a song. My first musical memory was when my father bought home a cassette of Soundgarden’s Badmotorfinger. I loved everything about these guys and was curious to know more about this band. My parents understood quickly how much music meant to me, so they would make sure to always play the radio, which played a lot of different genres at the same time. Gosh, I miss the ’90s.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
Without a shadow of a doubt, 4th July 2014, the day when Black Sabbath, Soundgarden, Faith No More and Motörhead were playing in Hyde Park. I went there as a 25th birthday gift to myself and got so excited the entire time. The whole day was magical, I got to see Lemmy and Chris Cornell for the last time and my favourite band of all time, Faith No More, not only opened the show with my favourite song of theirs (Zombie Eaters) but also debuted new material that made it into their latest album, Sol Invictus. I happily cried the entire time, it was the best birthday party I’ve ever attended. Other great musical memories include when I interviewed Page Hamilton for a French webzine I used to work with, Metal Sickness. This was astounding and ended up to last 20 minutes more than scheduled because Page was giving me a lecture in jazz history. I don’t even like jazz, but I learned so much from him, this is still something that I’m grateful for.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
When was a time when a firmly held belief wasn’t tested? On a personal level, it happens more often than I’d like, but I’m always willing to learn. On a musical level, well, I suppose I can mention the times when you discover that someone from a band you love is an abusive arsehole, a racist arsehole, a homophobic arsehole or all of the above.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
In terms of photography, artistic progression is not something that you can really measure yourself, it comes from how well the shots are being received by the bands or the people in the audience. If people like what you do, it will give you the motivation to do more, do it more often and do it better every time. I think that it could be applied to every aspect of this industry, whether you are a musician, a photographer, a writer, a designer or a tour manager.
How do you define success?
Success is when you are being recognised for what you do, not only by the amount of money you make out of your career.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
Swans at La Villette Sonique (Paris) in 2013. I knew them by name but never listened to any of it before. Fuck me, that was awful. I’ll never understand the hype around the band or Michael Gira. The whole thing was cringe. Cringier than my old Facebook statuses gushing about Hellfest.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
I’d love to go back to drumming lessons because I love drums, and I’ve always been in admiration of people like Patty Schemel, Dave Lombardo, Dale Crover, Hozoji Margullis… In the meantime, I want to be able to get more paid photography gigs opportunities and get my name out there as someone who can capture great moments from great shows. So, any tip to become a better photographer will always be welcomed.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
Art is an extension of ourselves. When we create art, we share our most intimate thoughts to a wider audience, hoping someone else can relate to what you are trying to convey, which is why it is so important to protect and celebrate art in all its forms.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
Payday. Because I’m broke, and I want to get myself a primer lens for my birthday. That could definitely help my photography skills.
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