Woz on The Things He Loves the Most
[UNPUBLISHED:] Congratulations on releasing your new single, “The Things I Love The Most”! You take a very raw but relatable view of growing up with your brother as a sibling rival while also pointing out the looming reality that you both faced: the fear of becoming the type of person your parents were. Can you tell me a little bit about what this song and your brother mean to you?
[WOZ:] Thank you! I love my brother, and it felt incredible to finally nail a song that really got across that love in a way that felt right. Me and him are so close in age, that we've lived the same life to a point, and through all that, we're thick as thieves. He and my other brothers were the first people who believed I could ever make music!
[UNPUBLISHED:] You talk about how your brother turned to God but you turned to wine—how do you think watching your brother cope with your shared circumstances differently has affected the way you live your own life?
[WOZ:] I think about that a lot actually. Growing up, I always looked up to him. He was always popular and had lots of friends, whereas I was always very shy and timid. Having someone like that in your life, it pushes you to wanna do better for yourself, and having that benchmark has done so much in getting myself out of my own way. It’s the healthiest form of a sibling rivalry, and it's motivated me out of so many different dark places.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Were there any memories with your brother that you reminisced over while creating the song that you would be comfortable sharing?
[WOZ:] Tons! We actually did share a skateboard! We'd take it to 7-Eleven and back, it was fun. I think the lyric about him joining the military was the most poignant one. Me and him were so close, and we shared a room. I think once he left home, I was equal parts happy for him that he was able to get away from things, but it meant that I was alone, which took some time.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What message would you like fans to extract from the single?
[WOZ:] Cherish the seconds you have with the ones you love. It's a cliché, but from experience, when my problem with addiction was at its worst, I let those seconds slip, and pushed a lot of people away from me for a bit. I was just lucky enough to turn it around and get them back, which I'm forever grateful. Don't make the same mistake.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Also, congratulations on the release of your other recent single, “Medicine”! I must say, it’s pretty intense; the rawness of the lyrics combined with your deep alt sound really took me aback during my first listen. Can you tell me a little bit about what this song means to you and what you hope others take from listening?
[WOZ:] Thank you! I'm so happy that song is out there now. It means the world to me, I still cry anytime I listen to it or sing it. It has a new meaning to me having gotten sober. At the time, it meant that all of the awful parts of myself, like my mental illness and self-destructive behaviors, were just part of me, and I have to come to terms with that, and that I am truly doomed. Now that I'm better, there’s a quote in Alcoholics Anonymous I think about. I'm not a godly man, but the quote is "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, and the courage to change the things I can.”
[UNPUBLISHED:] One of the most powerful lyrics for me was definitely “Drinks and injections, there’s no resurrection. When everyone goes, nobody comes back and there’s no medicine for that.” Was there a specific lyric in “Medicine” that was particularly difficult to write or, alternatively, say out loud?
[WOZ:] Thank you! That one was super difficult, I choke up anytime I think of that. "My friends wouldn't believe how much I've changed," destroys me. When I wrote it, I was accepting that my friends had no clue who I had turned into. Whatever redeemable parts of me that were there, drugs and alcohol stole them, and I was angry, cold, and bitter. I was unrecognizable at that point, so it hurts.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What did the creation of “Medicine” look like?
[WOZ:] Weirdly, it was equal parts gut-wrenching, yet super duper fun. Me and my buddy Alex were thinking of ideas, and she's like a therapist. We just talk about stuff, and then she'll ask you questions that you never even thought to ask yourself, and gets out of you these super deep existential revelations. The songs get heavy, and having that dialogue can get super emotional, and I learn a lot about myself from her, she's a genius. And it was just fun! I literally winged that whole outro on the mic, and somehow it was sick. I did two takes of random screaming, and then my producer Dallas put them on top of each other, and we were like "WOAH." He's music production Jesus, I love him. We didn't edit anything, it was just the two takes, done in one shot.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Your genre gives me a lot of late 90s and early 2000s nostalgia for times when all I would listen to was alternative and classic rock on the KROQ radio station. Is this an era of music that you found formative when finding your own sound and voice in your music? Is there a different era that you pull inspiration from?
[WOZ:] Totally! KROQ was always on in the car. Over on Long Island, we have "The Shark," it's this super dope rock station. Heavier music and rock put into context how I felt growing up. Whatever rage I felt could be expressed in a song. A lot of emo stuff like MCR, or metalcore stuff like Crown The Empire. All the way down to Helter Skelter by The Beatles.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What inspired you to use music creation as a creative outlet for emotional experiences? Do you have any other methods you use to express your emotions?
[WOZ:] I don't know to be honest. Music was kinda the only thing I ever wanted to do, and I don't know if I truly understand why yet. Maybe one day. I love to draw too! I grew up on comics and comic book artists like Frank Miller and Jim Lee. I haven't drawn anything in a while, though, I can draw a killer Spider-Man.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How do you think music, both that you produce and from others, has changed your life?
[WOZ:] In so many ways. I'm not sure I would have survived this long had I not had those couple artists. Everyone has their top three, and without mine, I'd be lost. Art puts things into context, and some songs just nail exactly what you’re feeling, and you never let them go. The dream is to do that for others, in every song I write.
[UNPUBLISHED:] If you were to write a song to yourself 10 years in the future, what would the title be?
[WOZ:] "Ignore your friends, buy a motorcycle." I want a motorcycle, but my friends think it’s dangerous. Me in ten years should get a motorcycle.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Are there any experiences you’ve had while making music that surprised you?
[WOZ:] People liking it was the biggest surprise honestly. My jaw dropped when that happened. Frankly, I have a fear that everyone is lying to me.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What else can fans expect from you in the near future?
[WOZ:] Shows! I can't wait to do shows. I wanna climb on top of things and jump off of them. My dream is to do the Kurt Cobain thing, where he jumped onto the drumset. But yeah, expect some shows and new music!
[UNPUBLISHED:] Since you’ve spilled all on your music, there’s only one last thing I would like to ask about: your dog! Please tell me everything!
[WOZ:] Word! I love him so much. He sleeps in my bed, bangs on my door if I close it on him, and he puts his head on me when he lays. He gets back from doggy school today actually! He's super well-behaved like he's the nicest dog I've ever met, but me and my roommate figured it's better safe than sorry. He is ninety pounds of pure pitbull muscle, and my entire head could fit in his mouth.
