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: Jonathon ‘JB’ Barwick of Fierce Deity

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

I’m a songwriter, producer and music fan – I discovered this in 2017 as I realised I’d fallen out of love with the monotony of performing live to the same >100 people in the same places 2-3 times a year for 16 years. What really turns me on are artists with a creative record/body of work and I knew I had to focus on building my own.

Describe your first musical memory.

My mum and dad were big music fans so between all The Beatles, Stones and ’70s glam sounds that make up my childhood I dare say the first must be seeing The Beatles movie ‘Hard Days Night’ for the first time – ‘HELP’ is my favourite Beatles movie though.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

Hard to go past being hand picked by Lemmy to open for Motörhead back in 2011 but I think the best show I’ve ever played was opening for Nightwish at The Enmore Theatre in 2016 – some nights you can just do no wrong so to have one of those nights with almost 3,000 people was special.

Aside from that my favourite musical memories are hearing an artist I come to fall in love with for the first time – I’ll never forget the moment I heard Malcolm Young SMACK the intro to ‘Jailbreak’ for the first time or being lost in life and hearing Ben De La Cour’s ‘Uncle Boudreaux’.

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

Well, I go into this story more on the ‘For The Record’ series on my YouTube but in 2018 I stood in front of The Budokan in Tokyo and realised I was nowhere near my dreams of sold out tours across the world. Honestly, though I didn’t know it then, the wheels of Deity were set in motion that day.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

For me it leads to the next idea – I’m lucky because I’ve had an awkward amount of success in my 16 years in the game. My old band opened for some of the biggest bands of all time but we couldn’t seem to harness those moments into any lasting progress. Which I think has been better for me as an artist because despite the highs and lows I’m still here doing what I want to do. Survival is the key to progression and I’m free to follow any idea I find interesting.

How do you define success?

Waking up every day and wanting to get out of bed because your life is made up of things that are interesting/serve a purpose/bring value to yourself and others.

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

The proliferation of corporate media.

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

A visual album like Sturgill Simpson’s ‘Sound and Fury’. Sturgill is one guy that I really look up to – I really enjoy how he goes about making this wild and free music as Elektra Records failed trying to squash him into the country market so they could sell product. Everyone go type “Sturgill Simpson Call To Arms SNL” into YouTube right now.

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

I can only speak to my own experience but all the best art in my life has helped me feel either not so alone in the world – or – more alone than ever but solitude is a beautiful thing. So I guess it’s essential function is to detonate some kind of feeling in you that language simply fails to do.

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

The Witcher season 2! I fell in love with the Witcherverse when I played Witcher 3 and have since read the books and I enjoy anything to do with it.

https://linktr.ee/fiercedeityband

Fierce Deity, Power Wisdom Courage (2021)