We were lucky to catch up with Darren Deicide recently and have shared our conversation below.

Darren , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I learned guitar the way every good teenager does – by listening to music, experimenting with altered states of mind, and trying to find a unique voice within it. In essence, that is “studying”. I don’t think there’s a singular pathway to that process. The only way is to do it. Sure, it means making a lot of unrefined things you won’t like, but you have to do it. Some say you should imitate and then innovate, and I think learning from the masters is helpful. But I think the biggest obstacle a creative faces is being intimidated by this process. Stop theorizing and create. Be brave and open to improvement. That is the alchemy of your craft.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As Darren Deicide, my solo work, I have 3 full-length albums and a 7-inch record. Lately I have focused on The Wedding Funeral, a gothic-americana duo that I do with Ethel Lynn Oxide. It has been a conduit for further exploring the frontiers of dark music for us. It has become evident that it isn’t for everyone and we like it that way. For me, the worst insult is ambivalence. I think The Wedding Funeral exists partly to challenge the acceptable boundaries of expression, because darkness isn’t just a costume. It’s staring the forbidden straight in the eyes. That requires an honesty most people aren’t prepared for.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I think artists and creatives need to stop down-marketing themselves or relying on taste-makers for validation. That kind of gate keeping restrains creativity. We can learn a lot from the punk movement about this. Forget “the industry”. Forge your own destinies by creating your own scenes. In recent years, we’ve seen a lot of capitulation on this front. It’s led to a lot of top-down creativity, but if you look at the great musical movements in history, they came from the bottom up. Be independent and don’t let anyone wipe their ass with you.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

There’s nothing more rewarding then meeting someone who genuinely understands your music and for whom it speaks to them in a way that nothing else has. If that isn’t what is motivating your art, I have to wonder why you’re doing any of this at all. If you want a career, get a job. Careerism has been ruining music for decades. Without honesty, you’re just pushing a product and we have plenty of that. I’m sick and tired of it.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://theweddingfuneral.com
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/theweddingfuneral
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/theweddingfuneral
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@theweddingfuneral/playlists

Image Credits

1st photo by Raul Garcia
2nd photo by Kate Collis
3rd photo by Kevin Link