And then you basically just stopped making music?
Yeah, it was a while. Maybe like ten years of quiet? I just stopped doing it; things shut off. I think I was just burnt out. And then I basically made Gun in 15 minutes last year. I had just started dating an amazing girl who is also a songwriter, and I think she kind of pulled it out of me.
Yeah, I really like that. That song really gives like male bedroom pop.
Not sure if that’s an insult, but thanks. I don’t know—it’s weird, I didn’t plan any of this. The way the account has evolved and the writing and my personal life, it’s all just a big fun mess that’s been posted online.
And people can scroll down through your account and piece together a narrative of your life. And you’re now the cover model for John Doe’s book.
John Doe is a close friend. But yeah, people scroll, they read, they paint a picture in their head, and they listen to the songs. I have no idea, really—I’m just posting.
Shout out John Doe.
He’s a good one. He introduced me to Delicious Tacos, and it’s this stupid kind of cliché layer of boys sitting around talking about their writing projects.
And exchange war stories?
Pretty much.
He’s completely anon, right?
Yeah. My thing was anonymous for a while too because it was the easiest way to write as myself without feeling fear or anything. And then I realized at some point that I was kind of hiding from myself. And I was like, well, I gotta own this, right? Especially with music. It just felt like the right thing to do.
So you’re moving to NYC? A lot of people critique the literary scene in New York, but it is very much alive—troubled, but there’s a beating heart.
The NYC vs. LA thing is pretty tired, but Peter Vack took me to Confessions reading, and I really liked it. And I generally hate reading.
People in New York really need each other.
Yeah, I think that’s what it is. Maybe it’s a proximity thing—you know, bodies on bodies. Everyone is just mashed up together differently compared to LA.
I feel like a lot of people get successful in New York, and then they move to LA and fall off immediately, like it makes them stupid or...?
LA is a beautiful fantasy, and for a while, I needed that. Not saying my relationships were, but it’s more like you’re in this beautiful bubble, and it’s so easy to float. I miss my city, I miss my family—I wanna be cold again; I don’t even remember what that’s like.
It’ll be good to have you back in the city.
I feel like it’s a healthy place for Cancel to play around. I think it’s like it’s where I’m supposed to be. It just feels right. I can always fly my muse across the country.
