Astreaux World was fortunate to be able to interview the great prolific Space/Ambient artist Jonn Serrie about himself, his beliefs and his music. I hope this gives you a little more insight into this deeply thoughtful creator of wonderful music!
AW: Can you describe the way you receive your inspirations for your musical creativity?
SERRIE: I'm one of those folks who hears and responds to music in a completely visual way. I guess there's some kind of built-in ability in my brain to do that. Space music is, at its foundation, a visual art form in my opinion. I have a collection of rare sc-fi illustrations and astronomy photographs that I use to trigger musical images in my imagination and then apply "visual to sonic" translation processes to the keyboards and studio equipment. Synthesizers seem to have the ability to create sonic images that speak directly and naturally to the visual universe. I sometimes use complex mathematics and quantum physics textbooks with strings of equations in the same way. I don't know why, but the music just seems to jump off the page.
Another inspiration source is a constant dose of sci-fi reading. Alastair Reynolds, Jack McDevitt, Arthur C. Clark, Larry Niven and others are regular companions to my work. Two titles from Thousand Star, "Enroute to Delta Pavonis" and "Nostalgia For Infinity" come from chapters and ideas from Alastair Reynold's Revelation Space series, which I highly recommend. Meditation is also a significant influence.
AW: Of all of your music that you have created over the years, what is YOUR favorite Jonn Serrie track and why.
SERRIE: That's a hard one. I'd have to say there are several because of the head and heart space I was in when they were created. "The Far River" from Stars is a favorite, as is "Le Tresor" from Ixlandia. Very different reasons between those two. "The Stars, Like Dust" from The Stargazer's Journey and "Enroute to Delta Pavonis" from Thousand Star are favorites because of the far-flung spaces they describe and the electronic textures and programming I developed to get there. "Star Shower" from Lumia Nights stands out as well because of the romantic elegance and "first kiss" images built in to it. I consider the piece to be my doctoral thesis in romantic space music. They are really all my favorite tracks in the long run!
AW: Many folks are unaware of your work at Hospice. Would you care to describe how you are helping people with your music?
SERRIE: Actually, I rarely use music at Hospice; I am in a state of silence and deep meditation in rooms with patients who are very close to death, are dying or who have just died. When you're in those rooms at those times, you are on holy ground, perhaps the most sacred of all environments to be in. I've been practicing an advanced form of meditation for 37 years, techniques I had learned in India from a teacher in 1972. Like any meaningful endeavor, constant practice is essential. The chaplain says that many years of consistent spiritual practice and an absolute transcendence of the fear of death are required to do this level of spiritual Hospice care. There are other levels of spiritual care at Hospice as well, and folks can participate and contribute on the level they are comfortable with.
AW: Many know that you are a very spiritual person. Were you always in this plane? What changed in your life to move you in this direction?
SERRIE: I was drawn to the spiritual aspects of life at an early age for some reason. I was brought up in the Roman Catholic Church and was an altar boy from the earliest to the latest age allowed. I also learned to play the Church Organ while there. I guess I wanted to answer the Big questions first, before I got too involved in the external aspects of life on Earth. I went to India shortly after college and that was a real eye opener as to how much effort was necessary to arrive at life's ultimate gift; clear and direct experience of the Divine Consciousness which exists within every human being and living organism.
AW: As an active pilot performing search and rescue missions, can you relate how your flying career has influenced you musically?
SERRIE: I had always wanted to fly and the choice between music and professional flying was a difficult one. I chose music because it felt the most natural to me. However, I come from a military family with my father being in the Navy and holding a high position in the Trident Nuclear Submarine program for the Defense Department. This was during Vietnam and several of my friends had gone on to flight school and were shot down and killed there. This was the period of my college days and journey to India. I never lost that dream, so in 1994 I learned to fly. Flying and music began influencing each other. After September 11, 2001, I was looking for a way to serve the country and found that the Air Force had a Search and Rescue Auxilliary for civilian pilots. I'm having a great time with it, the training was superb, I'm privileged to wear the uniform of the United States and I won't get shot down!
AW: Live performances and touring outside of your home base area... any thoughts of shows in other areas?
SERRIE: I've toured in Europe and in the states on occasion, but not often enough in my opinion. This is an area I'll be concentrating on in the next few months and years to come. I love performing in Planetariums and I do a fair amount of corporate events. Time to hit the road and meet cool folks out there!
AW: Who does Jonn Serrie listen to? What genres of music do you enjoy? How have they influenced you?
SERRIE: There's some fine musical moments in every style and period. I try to listen to a wide variety of music, including country music for the polished production values, engineering techniques and melodic structures in that style. Gregorian Chant, Bach, Mozart, Rachmaninoff and Haydn are favorites in the classical tradition as well as Handel's Messiah, which I can't get enough of. Robert Mason, Wendy Carlos, Larry Fast, Christopher Franke and Patrick O'Hearn are top folks in the electronic realms. Film music is a definite favorite. I go back and listen to 40's, 50's and 60's music on occasion for the exceptional song writing, engineering and production values that happened under primitive circumstances. Frank Sinatra, George Martin and Brian Wilson come to mind.
Had a mad crush on Shelley Fabares and Lesley Gore growing up...Dusty Springfield was the Enya of her time in my book.
AW: You have been very prolific with your releases over the years. Are you still inspired to keep up the pace of your creativity?
SERRIE: Absolutely, there's no reason to stop. I usually try to come up with titles of albums first, and let them simmer in consciousness for a period, then launch when it's time. "Cosmology Of Wine", a special projects album for the wine industry is next, followed by "Mercy's Dream" an ambient album influenced by my spiritual care Hospice meditation.
AW: Do you feel that the internet has helped or hampered the growth of your music and followers?
SERRIE: In a word, helped; no doubt about it. Now we can talk to each other around the world at lightspeed and that's a very special connection to have going for you. It really helps in this Internet era if you follow the Golden Rule propagated by Frank Zappa: Own Thy Masters!
AW: If you had to describe your music to someone who has never heard it before, how would you respond?
SERRIE: Space Is The Place...
AW: Many thanks for taking the time to respond. Much appreciated!
SERRIE: My pleasure and thank you! Listen for Jonn's many songs on Astreaux World! Visit Jonn's "Journeys into Thousand Star" on FaceBook - Click Here Jonn Serrie's Website: http://www.vipinfo.com/jonn/ |
