The human condition is bizarre.
There are three huge questions in the world of science that have excited me for years:
- what is the universe within which we seem to exist?
- what is the Life that we seem to be part of?
- what is the consciousness that allows us to contemplate the first two questions?
However, while these questions are truly fascinating, the deepest and most profoundly useful query I have ever encountered relates to what may be considered the “dark side” of human self-awareness:
How do I live when I know we must die?
This is the fundamental question at the basis of what it means to be a member of the Homo sapiens species. And, it is in pondering this enigma that I am driven to curiously explore engaging topics and chat to interesting people.
I am Ciaran The Quarrelsome O’Regan and this is Quarrelsome Life Radio.
Website: QuarrelsomeLife.com
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Apr 21, 2019
Limerick musician Brian O'Brien on the utility of loneliness, cathartic art, the creative process, and much more.
Here is a small quote from our chat that might offer a glimpse into Brian's mind as it relates to art:
- “Just do something while you’re here… if you try and be creative in something and you feel like it didn’t work, try something else… there could be an amazing actor inside in you, there could be an amazing dancer, an amazing singer, an amazing poet, an amazing painter. All these things could be locked inside in you and you might never know. Why would you want to die and never know that?” – Brian O’Brien
In this episode of Quarrelsome Life Radio we chat about a host of interesting topics included but not limited to the following:
- - How he ended up playing Metallica in Sunday mass during communion as his first live solo performance
- - His musical influences early on and how they changed over time
- - His early experiences with bands and supporting The Rubberbandits
- - How he ended up in Canada and the benefits of leaving comfort zones
- - Using music and songwriting as a cathartic healing process
- - The utility of loneliness in creativity
- - The need for struggle and the existence of art in tragedy
- - What is special to him about music compared to other art forms
- - The pressures of external validation in music
- - Getting to know yourself as a path to feeling empathy for others
- - How to know when a song is finished and in no more need of alteration
- - The influence of the crowd on a live performance
- - Getting the mind in the right place before getting up on stage to perform and the parallels in sport psychology
- - Learning from active reflection on live performances
- - How he carves out words in his own songwriting process
- - Finding balance in lyrics between factors such as poeticism and palatability
- - His creative frustrations and his search for an inspiring environment to facilitate his artistic process
- - The difference between performing away in Canada compared to playing at home in Limerick
- - Creativity as a way of improving the human experience
- - The realities of the music industry
Brian's song "O'Callaghan" from the start of the podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az5d5bm8oG0
Youtube: Brian O'Brien
Twitter: @iambrianobrien
Instagram: @iambrianobrien
Website: https://www.brianobrienmusic.com/
Ciaran's links:
Twitter: @ctquarrelsome
Instagram:@ctquarrelsome
Website: quarrelsomelife.com