Deafheaven Interview: George Clarke & Kerry McCoy on their Success & The World of Blogging

by | Mar 26, 2014

It’s hard to imagine that Deafheaven’s success all spawned off the release of their 2010 demo. Even frontman George Clarke and guitarist Kerry McCoy are among the disbelievers, especially since they recorded the four-track effort out of boredom.

Since then it’s been a whirlwind of events for the San Francisco black metal/post rock phenomenon. Praised by the press, hated by black metal purists — you either love ’em or you don’t. And according to McCoy, that’s the way they like it.

We sat down with Clarke and McCoy to talk about the band’s seemingly overnight rise to prominence, how the world of blogging impacts bands today, and how the desire for success can often be detrimental to success itself.

We know you’re busy. Here’s what’s covered:

  • 00:03 Memorable intimate shows
  • 00:58 Lessons learned from Russian Circles
  • 01:51 Rules of shows/venues
  • 02:33 Critical praise
  • 03:18 How blogging affects success of bands
  • 05:02 Dealing with haters & internet trolls
  • 06:00 Previous jobs
  • 06:18 The writing process
  • 07:20 How desire for success can be detrimental
  • 08:01 Advice to young musicians
  • 09:47 Thoughts on their own success

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