I Love Devy just like the rest of y'all,...however, I got a BIG gripe that I have to explain here;

Devy music is HUGE,..it's downright "epic". He's got this way of sucking you inside his music with those lush, thick, layered, diminished chord progressions. I don't know how he does it but I hear a song like "Earth Day",...and somehow I always get sucked into this musical, spiritual, "black hole"....It's like,...it's so hard for me to drive when I hear that song. There is a strange force that compels me to close my eyes and meditate. It totally envelops and surrounds me in some weird,....what I can only describe as,... intense "musical extacy".....or something like that??

So I'm experiencing the moment,...hearing and "feeling" my way through those dense textures and trasitions...from one intense emotion to the next,...Devin weaves and works my way heading straight for a musical orgasm and SUDDENLY HE DOES IT!

Seconds before my peak climax,...Devy abruptly busts out with. "....well it's just entertainment folks..."

What? Huh?...what is this deviation? Is this "comedy" smack dab in the middle of such an intense and overwelming moment?

Devy,...do you know what that does to me? It's like I'm making mad passionate love to my wife and right before the climax,...you jump into the room with a big grin and throw a pale of ice water on me and say afterwards..."OK,..as you were, Cliff"

Oh man,..you did it to me again,...even worse,..in "Triumph"...I'm freakin out, going nuts over this song, I'm feeling it soooo hard and I'm being sucked in deep into those magical chord progressions...it's so intensely serious and suddenly BAM!...I'm rudely woken up form my dreaming by a few bars of "hillbilly honky tonk jam"....and then the "real music" returns as fast at it left....once again not allowing me to achieve another true (uninterrupted) Devy euphonic orgasm.

[Sigh) I know Devy that you must be laughing at me right now. You are seeing the fruits of your piratical jokes and sarcastic pranks,...and I'm the one that is left to suffer. (Am I the only one?)

Well,...at least I have "Death Of Music" from BioMech. Fortunately for me, you do not break into circus music in the middle of "...Don't die on me, don't go away...."

Yes Devy,...that song HAS almost caused me to crash my truck and drive off the road...I must close my eyes when I hear it. It's ability to surround me and induce meditation inside of me is that strong. Sometimes I gotta pull over the side of the road to listen to it....it's safer that way.

You are wrong Devy,..your music is NOT "just" entertainment...It's far far FAR more than that.

When you spend late nights pouring your soal into that flashing hard drive,...some of us out here are listening really really carefully and connecting to it it ways you might not expect.

You are amazing dude.

You are 'touching" people in this world that you do not know and probably never will....how weird must that feel?

I have always found you to be a very rare and wonderfull artist

This "stranger" thanks you for being who you are. (and Tracy too!!!!!!)

Love

CT : - )

i happen to enjoy those weird quirky parts of the songs. i think they add alot. the banjo section in triumph is awesome and its followed by one of the best bits

Death of Music is friggin' amazing.
One of Dev's best songs, in my opinion.

[Blazingmonga]

Hi Cliff, great post. You have explained yourself very well, and that is something that is not always easy to do here, especially with Dev's music. Well done!

I understand your point here, and I agree that this would probably make Dev chuckle a fair bit!

However, I think this is all part of the magic of Dev's music. I believe that there is many kinds of entertainment, but that Dev's music encompasses them all. I too have had problems concentrating while cycling late at night...almost crashing because I have wanted to close my eyes and grasp that moment you speak of.

This to me though is what makes an album like Infinity so special...it is like a complete spectrum. It can make you laugh, cry, feel afraid and then overjoyed...all in 46 minutes. I don't think the parts that make you shiver would be so rich if there wasn't this range....if Devin was serious 100% of the time, I think I would find his music cold or maybe even pretentious.

As it is, when we find a part funny, we laugh...but when something really makes your heart leap or puts a lump in your throat, you know it is genuine. In a way, we know Devin is sincere because his music is so open and honest. Real life is like this!

Triumph...what a ride. That bluegrass bit is hilarious...but it can serve to whet your appetite for the reprise of the "One word..." bit towards the end. Sensational!

It's part of what makes him unique. He can be so intense and serious and then just throw humor in there. I love in "Nobody's Here" when he goes "I think I know...fuck off". Such a sentimental song and then he just says that.

Of course it's just entertainment! Nothing more than that! It's a good to enjoy it, but if you feel the need to close your eyes while driving, because you're listening to a song, you're taking it all way to seriously.

Of course it's just entertainment! Nothing more than that! It's a good to enjoy it, but if you feel the need to close your eyes while driving, because you're listening to a song, you're taking it all way to seriously.

Eh, I disagree. Music should be a spiritual experience like that, that lifts you up, gives you chills, makes you cry. Devy can do this to me. It's probably better just not to listen to his stuff in the car in that case. Unless it's SYL, in which case you'll just induce road rage.

I understand what you mean, although for me the banjo break in Triumph is more a tense moment to hold your breath before the climax of the song. Same thing for a lot of the other silly stuff he throws into songs. It's sort of like "build up... build up... build up... *pause* BAM!!!"

I also think its Devin's way of laughing at us since he's just like "haha look what I can do to your emotions mwahahahahaha" and then he just unloads it on you.

Of course it's just entertainment! Nothing more than that! It's a good to enjoy it, but if you feel the need to close your eyes while driving, because you're listening to a song, you're taking it all way to seriously.

Eh, I disagree. Music should be a spiritual experience like that, that lifts you up, gives you chills, makes you cry. Devy can do this to me. It's probably better just not to listen to his stuff in the car in that case. Unless it's SYL, in which case you'll just induce road rage.

It IS "entertainment"....most certainly. It's "entertainment" that really swells up some big time, intense feelings inside me.......and that may friend, IS quite "entertaining" to me.

Y'know,..I have a MASSIVE and eclectic CD collection...but I must say that very few artists are able to touch my musical/spiritual G-spot the way Devin Townsend does.

He's style is not for everybody. My wife who is an accomplished piano player simply cannot get into Devy, no matter how hard I try to enlighten her. She just doesn't connect with him and she can't understand why I do so deeply.

So yeah dude,...no big deal. You might not understand what we are talking about, you aren't the only one out there. But hey,..it's all cool in the gang.

Oh,..I don't "literally" drive my car off the road,..but I do feel the "urge" to close my eyes when I hear certain Devy tunes.

I'd love to hear Devy on this subject...would this thread really make him laugh?

CT

On his next CD,..I can see him in the studio recording this huge epic, powerfully moving tune and thinking,..."Hmm,...let me throw 15 seconds of Chineese circus music right on this spot,....that should freak out that "Cliff" guy out there and break his concentration..hee hee".

Actually, I get what you're saying quite perfectly, as I've experienced many similar things myself.

It's part of his genius. Kinda like how Zappa was a genius with music but wrote goofy lyrics and parts just cause he's nuts.

I Love Devy just like the rest of y'all,...however, I got a BIG gripe that I have to explain here;

Devy music is HUGE,..it's downright "epic". He's got this way of sucking you inside his music with those lush, thick, layered, diminished chord progressions. I don't know how he does it but I hear a song like "Earth Day",...and somehow I always get sucked into this musical, spiritual, "black hole"....It's like,...it's so hard for me to drive when I hear that song. There is a strange force that compels me to close my eyes and meditate. It totally envelops and surrounds me in some weird,....what I can only describe as,... intense "musical extacy".....or something like that??

So I'm experiencing the moment,...hearing and "feeling" my way through those dense textures and trasitions...from one intense emotion to the next,...Devin weaves and works my way heading straight for a musical orgasm and SUDDENLY HE DOES IT!

Seconds before my peak climax,...Devy abruptly busts out with. "....well it's just entertainment folks..."

What? Huh?...what is this deviation? Is this "comedy" smack dab in the middle of such an intense and overwelming moment?

Devy,...do you know what that does to me? It's like I'm making mad passionate love to my wife and right before the climax,...you jump into the room with a big grin and throw a pale of ice water on me and say afterwards..."OK,..as you were, Cliff"

Oh man,..you did it to me again,...even worse,..in "Triumph"...I'm freakin out, going nuts over this song, I'm feeling it soooo hard and I'm being sucked in deep into those magical chord progressions...it's so intensely serious and suddenly BAM!...I'm rudely woken up form my dreaming by a few bars of "hillbilly honky tonk jam"....and then the "real music" returns as fast at it left....once again not allowing me to achieve another true (uninterrupted) Devy euphonic orgasm.

[Sigh) I know Devy that you must be laughing at me right now. You are seeing the fruits of your piratical jokes and sarcastic pranks,...and I'm the one that is left to suffer. (Am I the only one?)

Well,...at least I have "Death Of Music" from BioMech. Fortunately for me, you do not break into circus music in the middle of "...Don't die on me, don't go away...."

Yes Devy,...that song HAS almost caused me to crash my truck and drive off the road...I must close my eyes when I hear it. It's ability to surround me and induce meditation inside of me is that strong. Sometimes I gotta pull over the side of the road to listen to it....it's safer that way.

You are wrong Devy,..your music is NOT "just" entertainment...It's far far FAR more than that.

When you spend late nights pouring your soal into that flashing hard drive,...some of us out here are listening really really carefully and connecting to it it ways you might not expect.

You are amazing dude.

You are 'touching" people in this world that you do not know and probably never will....how weird must that feel?

I have always found you to be a very rare and wonderfull artist

This "stranger" thanks you for being who you are. (and Tracy too!!!!!!)

Love

CT : - )

dude seriously... shut up

just shut up and enjoy it, they're only songs

No!!! Don't shut up! I love hearing other peoples experiences with Devins Music. Spiritual G-spot? That's one of the greatest things i've ever heard, dude. Bummer about your wife, though. My wife loves Devins music almost as much as me. I'm a lucky man.

What makes Devin so great is his ability to be unpredictable! Is he so wrong for deviating from what you expected? Hell no! To me that is what makes it so right! You think he's going one way, then turn around and see his ass high-tailing it the other and you stand there dumbfounded!

That is only part of the genius behind this man's music.

dude seriously... shut up

just shut up and enjoy it, they're only songs

I love the people who combat intelligence with stupidity. Good post.