Name: Scotty Irving
Occupation: Composer, drummer
Nationality: American
Current release: Scotty Irving is joined by Mike Watt (Minutemen, fIREHOSE, The Stooges), Kawabata Makoto (Acid Mothers Temple), and Benjy Johnson (Grammy-nominated producer) for the Spirit of Hamlet album Northwest Of Hamuretto. It is out now via Broken Sound Tapes.

[Read our Kawabata Makoto interview]
[Read our Kawabata Makoto interview about his creative process]
[Read our Mike Watt interview]
[Read our Benjy Johnson interview]

If you enjoyed this Scotty Irving interview and would like to know more about his work and music, visit him on Facebook.  



Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?
 
It's a little hard for me to explain. Oftentimes I simply start creating and don't really know where the inspiration comes from. Sometimes I will realize later on that a certain book, film, event, etc., had much to do with the direction I chose to go in at that time.

I've been an artist / musician so long that I usually just start something and see what happens.

Dreams have been an inspiration on a few creations. Personal relationships are something I don't usually focus on ARTISTICALLY unless I bring them into my spiritual creativity. That would be more for my one-man performance, Clang Quartet, than something like Spirit Of Hamlet.
 
For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualisation' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

I sometimes plan or write down my version of a blueprint. My imagination is usually far, far and away more grandiose than my usual budget allows. Many of my favorite films have been made the same way.

"HERE IS WHAT I WANT, BUT HERE IS WHAT I HAVE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN" is a way of life of life for me. I think it makes me more creative when I have to come up with my own way.
 
Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions'?
 
I oftentimes set up individual pieces of something I am building in front of me next to a TV. I glance back and forth at the screen and the objects, all the while coming up with ideas as to how something might work.

I will usually have several books out and open at a time if I am researching a possible solution to my problem. My wife has walked in on me with books all over the place! "Researching again, I see?" She is also an artist, but I think she wonders about me at times!

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?
 
I always have water, milk, or a soda nearby. Usually, I don't set the mood, as it were, but my drum room (shed) has space / fantasy-oriented tapestries hanging around the entire kit. It was more interesting than looking at all the usual items in a shed!

I usually have a monster movie with the sound turned down when I play guitar or other noise-oriented sounds in the upper room of our house. Once I was recording a freeform guitar part. I turned on three strobe lights in the room after taking my pain medication for a recent surgery. I wanted to see if all this combined would produce something worth keeping, but it really wasn't that successful in my opinion. Sigh...😁
 
What do you start with? How difficult is that first line of text, the first note?
 
Sometimes a beat, sometimes a note. But oftentimes a big wall of HARSH NOISE.

When do the lyrics enter the picture? Where do they come from? Do lyrics need to grow together with the music or can they emerge from a place of their own?
 
I have only started writing lyrics for Clang Quartet in the past few years with the addition of my voice as a more prominent instrument.

For me so far, the sound and words are written at different times. That could change. Benjy wrote all the lyrics for SOH.

What makes lyrics good in your opinion? What are your own ambitions and challenges in this regard?

Generally, I am fine with someone else's lyrics if they make them work within the context of said project. Benjy did a marvelous job and kept it fun at the same time.

As for what I write, I just hope I am seen as authentic. I am not very good at writing lyrics, I don't think!
 
Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control over the process or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?
 
I try to let God guide my thoughts and actions.

No, I don't think God should take the blame if what I came up with sucks! HA!

Often, while writing, new ideas and alternative roads will open themselves up, pulling and pushing the creator in a different direction. Does this happen to you, too, and how do you deal with it? What do you do with these ideas?
 
I try very hard to stay focused on the idea at hand, but that pushing and pulling is very real. You have to be careful, otherwise you forget what you were trying to do and may wind up with a train wreck!

Yes, I am speaking from experience! Learn from my mistakes, friends!

There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?
 
Part 2 was answered a few questions back. I pray before EVERY session and show.

Not sure if I have a description of what my state is like. I wonder what answers you would get if you asked others about me??? AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHH!!!

Especially in the digital age, the writing and production process tends towards the infinite. What marks the end of the process? How do you finish a work?
 
Sometimes I simply run out of space or have I time limit. It's likely that some of my VISUAL art will be enhanced at a later time. I try to leave audio recordings as is.

I could be like George Lucas was about those first three Star Wars films. JUST KIDDING.

Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you're satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practice?
 
A fellow artist once said that we need to treat eack piece like a child. Eventually, you have to let them go and be themselves. "Cut the cord", so to speak.

There is no doubt that I would keep refining and refining and ruin some of my pieces If I didn't just say "DONE", and let it go.

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? How involved do you get in this?
 
Some of this I have learned from home recording. But Mister Benjy Johnson has taught me a great deal. I still consult him on the final processing of my home recording because I know he will bring a quality to it that I cannot.

I like to be involved with ALL aspects of ANY project that I am a major contributer of. Clang Quartet and Spirit Of Hamlet being the main ones at this time.

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?
 
I have never been asked this before! Great question. You're right about the post recording emptiness. It's something I have experienced somewhat, but usually I have something else lined up to do right afterward, which helps considerably.

I can only imagine what it would feel like without having something to look forward to.
 
Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?
 
I make pretty lousy coffee, so I hope the two are different!

If your art was in a food service of some sort, I can see where making that cup of coffee might not be so mundane. For me, music has always been something I can use to express myself, use as a form of catharsis, and in some cases, use as a form of language between myself and another who may not be able to have a normal conversation with me. Possibly because of a language barrier or perhaps a cultural one.

I have played music with people who have opinions that clash with mine, but when we play music, none of that rears its head.