The Obelisk Questionnaire: David Wachsman of SÖNUS
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: David Wachsman of SÖNUS
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
I’d define what I do as basically trying to create my ultimate band; a mix between Black Sabbath, Hawkwind, The Stooges, Motörhead, Monster Magnet, etc. I discovered Hawkwind through falling in love with Motörhead; a few trips (in the chemical sense) around the cosmos later and I would forever be a convert. Space Rock, Stoner Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Heavy Metal, Rock N’ Roll, perhaps touch of Chaos Magick… Call it what you will, but as far as I’m concerned, I just want to take the noises I hear in my head and share them with all you lovely people!
I came to it by being introduced to Rock and Roll by my father before I was even born. It was planted like a seed in my psyche when I was just a little bit more than a seed myself, and it grew with me as I grew. This incredible music, the unfathomable power of it! One day my mom gave me an electric guitar and an amp for Christmas and well… here’s the result of that decision all these years later — the gift that keeps on giving! I taught myself how to play, developed my style, dabbled in a few bands and projects and put it aside to finish my degree until one day the whole world closed down and I had nothing but time… and so my first (and upcoming second) albums came to be!
Describe your first musical memory.
My first musical memory is hearing my Dad play Led Zeppelin on one of his many post-divorce weekend visits with me. I don’t know how old I was exactly, but aside from playing them for me in the womb, my dad would always bring a few albums to listen to on the long drive up to San Francisco where I’d stay with him every other weekend as a kid. What can I say, it was quite formative! As I grew he would introduce me to more and more amazing bands that would coalesce into my taste in music; Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Ozzy, Blue Öyster Cult, etc., etc.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
Perhaps my best musical memory (and I’ve been fortunate enough to have quite a few great ones) was meeting Nik Turner of Hawkwind before a club show he played in San Francisco. As he shook my hand he asked me what song I hoped to hear that night, to which I replied “Ejection!” He smiled and thanked me for coming and then walked away to get ready for the show — I was awestruck! But it doesn’t end there… As they played their electrifying set of classic Hawkwind Space Ritual-era tracks, I was moshing with this middle aged man who was clearly an old school punk by the way he was thrashing around. He was a nice guy, we were singing, grinning, and moshing along with each other for some time.
At a certain point in the set he put his arm around my shoulder and said “Hey man, what do you want them to play?!” I replied with “Ejection!” To which he assured me that he had heard they weren’t playing that one on this tour. It wasn’t really disappointing as I loved all their songs anyway (and I do mean all — Hawkwind is nearly a religion for me). Well, wouldn’t you know it but just as that middle-aged punk got done telling me they weren’t playing “Ejection,” from the stage Nik Turner says “…and now I’d like to introduce my friend Jello Biafra to the stage…” and so the old punk turned to me and smiled before rushing to the stage!
I shook Nik Turner’s hand, and moshed with freakin’ Jello Biafra! AND they played a goddamn incendiary version of “Ejection!” It almost seems like a fantasy, but it happened! To make that night more legendary — I had just recovered from an inner ear injury which had me bedridden with intense vertigo for a month about a week before the concert; being so discombobulated, I managed to headbang so hard that night that I gave myself whiplash and a minor concussion from rocking out so goddamned hard. To this day I still say it’s well worth the occasional neck pain and tension headaches for that absolutely legendary experience; I’m just glad I was able to remember it given the concussion!
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
My mother raised me as a Christian until I finally accepted that I was an atheist, or an agnostic at age 16, much to my father’s relief. She took me to church every Sunday, and I went to the youth group where I befriended a very sweet and kind girl who was six years older than me. She dated a boy from the church who was two years older than her. They gave talks about practicing abstinence… of course it was inevitable that one day she was brought before the congregation to announce that she was a filthy sinner, and that she had given into lust and had become pregnant.
Now, the boy was not brought up to face the scorn of the congregation with her, mind you, he was seated uncomfortably with his head hung in shame on a pew on the other side of the church. I watched this kind girl cry and plead for forgiveness — for the restoration of her soul — for salvation from the fires of hell. I saw in her eyes the shame, the fear, the self-disgust. I saw the judgement and a peculiar sense of what I later realized was conniving joy in the eyes of those around me — they loved every salacious second of it. They loved the way it made them feel morally superior to sit in judgement of this young girl as if they sat on the very throne of god himself. I thought, is this the mercy of Christ? Is this the love of god? And of course, that’s when they sent the donation baskets around… That’s when it all clicked in my young mind and I learned a truth about the relationship between human nature and power that I would not forget.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
Hopefully to new sources of inspiration and fulfillment weaving into a sense of pride and satisfaction in what you’ve managed to create. Hopefully people will take interest in the unknown and the uncomfortable; hopefully they will appreciate the challenge and join you for the journey, but as long as you believe with conviction that you are pursuing your art and expression, then you can and must go, perhaps alone if need be, into the uncharted reaches of your imagination and the very limits of your capabilities and there you must batter down the walls that seek to hold you in and limit you, time and time again.
How do you define success?
Being able to live a life of contentment and relative comfort with those you love. Inner peace in the face of outer turmoil. Remaining uncompromising in your art.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
I’ve seen a few disturbing sights in my time. Before turning to music, I studied as an Archaeologist and Anthropologist; I’ve worked around California as well as Ecuador and Ireland, and I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to travel around a fair amount. I’ve seen the ways in which people live in affluence and in poverty, I’ve seen the ways in which people are exploited or abused by governments and business interests both foreign and domestic. I’ve seen life, death, joy, and sadness and I would not wish away any of it as each experience, pleasant or unpleasant, contained a lesson.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
I’d really like to one day write some short stories; sci-fi, sword and sorcery, horror — I have a deep love for those genres as is obvious to anyone who’s ever listened to my music. I think that’d be a lot of fun, and it’d be great to expand upon certain ideas I’ve had lying around for years.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
Art is the expression of an individual’s soul — the attempt to encapsulate a fragment of the totality of their being. A landmark in time proclaiming your existence. A rebellion against the anonymity forced upon us by the unstoppable march of the ages, and perhaps one of the few good things to manifest from the ego.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
Seeing the ways in which our society is altered (hopefully for the better) after the fallout of this pandemic, hopefully seeing the nations of the world work together to combat the many forces that threaten our continued existence. But barring that, I’m looking forward to the Next Michael Moorcock Elric novel to read as the world either slides deeper into the shit, perhaps actually improves its condition, or merely limps along into the next era with all of the requisite hopes and horrors therein, after this dark period.
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