We were lucky to catch up with Dusty Gannon recently and have shared our conversation below.

Dusty, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I took a huge risk this year leaving the Fire Department as a firefighter and paramedic to go full-time in music and content creation. I had been working in that field for the last 5 years, and I truly loved it, but the band was growing at a pace that became incompatible with the schedule, so I decided to take the leap of faith and focus my efforts on my greatest passion in life, which is creating art.

Dusty, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Dusty Gannon and most people know me either as the lead singer / guitarist of Vision Video, or as the internet’s “Goth Dad” character on Tiktok and Instagram. Vision Video is a goth rock band based here in Athens, Georgia. We right music about topics like mortality, mental health, war and trauma. Music is a form of trauma processing for me and allows me to divert negative memories and emotions into something beautiful and constructive.

Musically we take influence from bands like the Chameleons, the Cure, Joy Division and Bauhaus, but we bring a more modern slant to that classic post-punk sound.

The character “Goth Dad” is a wholesome midwestern vampire that I created who teaches the “baby bats” about the goth subculture, cooking, makeup and music. It has levied a following of over 500k on Tiktok and is a huge source of serotonin for me!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Connecting with people who relate to our music is so satisfying. I’ve had a lot of fellow veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, fellow first-responders and people who’ve been through a lot in life tell me that they really commiserated with the songs we write.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I built our platform over the course of years. My biggest advice is to post regularly and consistently if you’re trying to grow a following. It doesn’t happen overnight, so don’t get discouraged. Focus on a plan and stick to it, and produce content YOU would want to see and it’ll all work out!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.visionvideoband.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/visionvideoband
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4svQNinzRKM2BbuPjVXRJF?si=Qf_gJedNSmWxu8qLYnXQoA Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@visionvideoband

Image Credits
Jason Thrasher Grant Beecher