Nathaniel Rose - Stoneburner / Ego Likeness

Nathaniel Rose visits the Void for a candid discussion about creativity, community, and the struggle to actually finish the art you care about. Nathaniel opens up about his efforts to break out of perfectionism and finally commit to completing a long-promised solo album. 
Featured Songs:
Stoneburner - This Machine Kills

https://stoneburnerofficial.bandcamp.com for more Stoneburner.
https://egolikeness.bandcamp.com for more Ego Likeness.

https://darkforcefest.com for more information about Dark Force Fest.

Void Signal intro courtesy of Processor. Visit https://processor2.bandcamp.com for more Processor.

Transcript

Nathaniel Rose: Hi there. 

Brian Prime: How are things? 

Nathaniel Rose: Oh, that is such a loaded question these days. 

Brian Prime: it's good to see you. wow. It's all glowy and stuff, where you are. 

Nathaniel Rose: Full disclosure, believe it or not. 100%. No. Bullshit. Not planned, staged in any way. I th opened my laptop. 'cause last night, like this is a noise place.

Mm-hmm. And last night I just left everything up. Okay. Rushed home from work, sat down, took one look in a video screen, [00:06:00] and immediately had this thought. I said, I think this is the first time since like kindergarten where I feel like that kid who shows up, like on show and tell day where he is just like.

And this is my stuff, and over here is my, yeah. And if, like, if had I had more staging time, I'd literally like, all right, let me clean up around here. It looks like a mess. 

Brian Prime: I'm very impressed. It looks very clean and very like, you know, you're busy and, it looks like you're in mission control. 

Nathaniel Rose: If nothing else, let me turn off the damn lights there. As you can see, I'm, I'm sure I'll banter about it at some point, but lately I've, I've been trying to put myself in a specific head space and know these lights are, I audio activated. And so as I'm sitting here recording, I'm pulsing lights around, trying to take myself out of the world and a little bit, I guess.

Brian Prime: No, I get that. And that's rad. I mean, I, have mood lighting here, usually like, you know, I have like LED lights and shit that I turn on. we'll just, we'll [00:07:00] just keep it going. Fair enough. Well, we can, we're already rolling, so we can just go ahead and begin.

but thank you so much for making this work. I appreciate your time. It's kind of been in the making for a little while. 'cause I met you originally at Mechanism like three, four years ago, something like that. And, 

Nathaniel Rose: I'm, I'm, this conversation keeps coming up over and over again lately, over, like many of us, ever since, pandemic, I have no concept of time anymore and things that I'm convinced the shadow of a doubt like that was three months ago.

That, Nathan, that was, it was like four years, man. 

Brian Prime: Yeah. 

Nathaniel Rose: Terrible. 

Brian Prime: Or when somebody's like, ah, that album came out four years ago, and I'm like, the fucking what it did. Like, oh, I, it still seems so fresh to me. you know, I'll often be like, oh, have you heard the new album from blah, blah, blah? It came out two years ago.

Is it really new? 

Nathaniel Rose: I am the king of, being late to the party. And it's, I [00:08:00] only really have two modes, either a, I'm ahead of the curve and telling friends. I'm like, oh, if you, you haven't heard about this yet, you know, this is like, so cool. Oh, you, you will, like feeling a little smug about it or I'm the exact opposite.

great example of this one. I love to poke fun of myself for the fact that I am so late to the party on pixel grip. Like, I think it's hilarious that, I think, December I picked up, the album, percept Aide, and I start listening to this. I'm like, where the fuck has this been? This is my jam.

And I was so excited about it, talking to a ton of friends, like, Hey, have you heard this? I'm like, yeah man. That came out like June. 

Brian Prime: I'm either way ahead of like, ah, check out this cool underground thing that you haven't heard of, or, you know, just fucking fabulously laid of like, oh wow, this is cool.

And everybody's like, yeah, we know, really bad without, with movies like of, you know, whatever the latest craze is, ah, you gotta see [00:09:00] Suchy such, two years later I'll be like, Hey, that was pretty good, or whatever. 

Nathaniel Rose: see, I'm kind of the same thing. I'll stay, stay ahead of the curve. most of the time on films, always watching some sort of film, but not infrequently I'll hit that movie that somehow just flew under the radar.

It was less than two years ago was the first time I saw Tron. 'cause growing up, so I never saw Tron, any of the sequels. And one day I, said this to, band mate, BFF, Steven, and he just kind of had this mo like, what y you haven't seen was one of those of all people.

What are you doing tonight? No, you know what? I'm not giving you a choice of what you're doing. We're watching Tron, you're kind of thing. And I ended up fanatical over it, like, you know, running around wanting to, to, you know, when you find the new thing you're excited about, you wanna talk to your friends about it and they're at this particular case, it's like, yeah man, that was, 30 plus years ago for me, but glad you're jazzed.

Brian Prime: [00:10:00] yeah, I've still never seen Tron, looks. 

Nathaniel Rose: I never have had this moment before. Hold on. I need to take the momentary. 

Brian Prime: Yeah. Thank you. I appreciate that. I'm glad that I got to feel that judgment from you. 

Nathaniel Rose: Not like a lot of judgment. I mean, that's for awfully far to throw, to go casting those stones in my case.

Brian Prime: and I just try to never do that in general anyway, just because the world is enormous. Like there's a million things going on, like, you know, things get missed. 

Nathaniel Rose: Actually, when you think about it, it's kind of wonderful. If I could go back in time and do anything for the first time, I would want to rehear so many of my favorite albums and favorite movies, see my favorite movies for the first time all over again, because there's so much in the world, so many things that like you really only get that first time once that first exciting, like where has this been?

so now as much as I, I, I will, you know, tease your friends or whatnot, secretly, deep down [00:11:00] inside there's almost like a certain degree of jealousy for that friend you discovered. Like you haven't heard, blah, blah, oh, buddy, you know, 

Brian Prime: The upside of that is when that does happen, I do get the satisfaction of sort of.

re appreciating it again, of like imagining the person experiencing it for the first time and how much it impacted me. And, you know, it gives it a, a little fresh coat of paint. like, I, a young coworker of mine like discovered leather strip for the first time and I'm like, oh my God. Okay. I don't even know how to engage with you on the subject 

Nathaniel Rose: That one would be tough for me by virtue of the fact that with most bands, even ones that have been around for decades, it's like, alright, I've got seven, eight, maybe 10, you know, choices total here on a, you know, busy discography for, for most bands. Leather strip, Jesus fucking over crying out loud, Klaus, it's those like literally the last thing I bought.

On Band Camp [00:12:00] was a leather strip album. and I'm not, to be honest, and in no way a knock toward, towards, the whatsoever. Actually, it was fricking great. You know, it was all these awesome covers. But, it, it almost, the downside of it, it almost felt like it was just kind of a little ho hum because there's so much material.

Like you have to be super uber like mega fan to keep up with that discography. There's just so much. But yeah, I mean, I guess it's a cool problem to have if it's good material and in clause's case it kinda is. So, 

Brian Prime: yeah. definitely continuing to deliver, what we've come to expect. 

Nathaniel Rose: And yeah, like I think in most cases, my general vibe on a lot of that stuff tends to just be the man only hits, like good, like the worst material I hit, like he's gonna release. I'm still gonna like. Cool. And on the other side of that, there's gonna be something I'm like, he covered what he recorded what?

And there's just something to be [00:13:00] excited about. So, I mean, I guess if, with all the crap in the world, I suppose if you're hitting good on the bottom, on the low end every time, then it's pretty damn impressive. So, 

Brian Prime: speaking of crap in the world, let's, let's get down to talking about you and what you do.

so, for people who may not know you are, a significant portion of stoneburner and, you've got your fingers in a variety of musical projects and working on something of your own, as well. can you tell me a little bit about what you're working on and what the future looks like for you?

Nathaniel Rose: I started some works on some songs recently, with this to find goal of, completing an album in the next 12 to 18 months, which I just screwed myself because you're not supposed to say it out loud. If you don't say it out loud, then you can keep kicking that can down the road.

But this is actually kind of important, that I say it out loud 'cause, to give something a timeframe kind of forces you to, you know, into a corner to, [00:14:00] okay, well. You know, I, I forgive the turn of phrase, but, you know, should or get off the pot, you know, I've been talking about, you know, wanting to do this for, shit a couple decades now.

I've run around with a bunch of other bands like you mentioned. You know, I, play with, Steven Stoneburner, another Steven in Recon. But doing this kind of recently, I guess I've had been trying to learn a shift, like a, like a shifting my train of thought, shifting the way I think about things and forcing myself to kinda reshape shape the way that I approach things, because I mean, for a very specific purpose.

So I've got the bones of this creative vision worked out in my head. But I'm the walking epitome of that person who's gonna let, perfection get in the way of progress. So to make this happen, I've kind of, after a long time, I had to push myself into some places that are kind of uncomfortable. You know, not, it's not how I, I work, [00:15:00] basically do something other than the thing you've done over and over and over again.

failing. And some of it, I've been getting help from some close friends. Like, I have this funny story from only about a month ago, Steven's down visiting Steven Archer, stone Birder, you know, he's down visiting me and I just ask him very matter of factly, like, how do you write a song? And he has like, like, no, no, no.

How do you structure this out? And he is like, oh, well come here. And we sit down, you know, in a studio and he starts kind of roughing out some, some of the, I guess the bones of it. So roughing out, you know, the sections and here's, you know, the intro and we got a little verse and you know, a little chorus and outro and I'm staring at what he does.

It really quickly throws together just bones. And he is, he mentioned, he is like, it doesn't matter if it's good, doesn't matter if this is, any of this is gonna stay. What's matter is you get something down. And I remember looking at it and just staring at what he'd thrown together in like a half hour.

[00:16:00] And I was just in complete awe over the fact that. There's all these holes and things not finished out. And it was the exact, basically it was the exact opposite of what I do, which is sit down, focus on one tiny little part and agonize for six hours if this works, if this is good, you know? And it ends up in failure each and every single time.

So I'm watching him do that, and I literally remember just breaking the silence of not saying anything for a while and just like, you can do that. Oh, and in the moment, just like you can not make it perfect. And it was kind of this aha moment for me of don't stop letting. Perfection get in the way of progress.

I'm trying to find this intersection between how do you take a lot of the things that I find fulfilling and actually apply them into some sort of structured manner with like tangible goals and fusing the fun, chaotic parts with the parts that actually get things finished.

I mean, like [00:17:00] I love sound design and experimentation and thinking of unconventional approaches of making interesting sounds that don't involve destroying the blender upstairs. And I think that I have this in common, which a lot of my industrial brethren, but I, but I mean, that's the goal, right? Making strange noises without sacrificing the home appliances.

So ultimately navigating that weird tension between those experimental impulses and actually finishing structured repeatable tracks with actual arrangements. And for me. This is the roughest definition you could possibly give of world's colliding. But because that's not what comes naturally to me, what comes naturally is I'm gonna hyper fixate on this little thing for six hours and get nothing done.

But the good news after all of this is I'm, it's, it's, I'm playing a lot of tricks on myself and it's working over the last, like, you know, it's only, I only really started this [00:18:00] journey, I guess a month and a half or so ago, and I've got almost two almost completely roughed out, you know, tracks that I'm actually excited about, which is cool because I hate everything that I record.

It was like, this will never be good enough. And that's not to say it's not even know bad. These things aren't even bad, it's just. When you have some unattainable undefinable definition of what good is, how the hell do you hit it? So yeah, absolutely. yeah, so that's kind of what I've been diving myself into, you know, trying to, you know, I was telling you right before we started, Miranda, you see me surrounded all of this and this was not me staging some sort of, you know, like, oh, gonna be doing, you know, a little, you know, interview.

No, this is me every night, come home from work, try to remind myself that my loving, wonderful, amazing fantastical wife, you know, deserves a little bit of attention [00:19:00] too. Spend a little time with her, or she goes to bed and I come down here for hours on end and try my damnedest not to fixate on tiny little dumb details like I did last night.

We're gonna ignore that, but, and try to actually push the ball forward. And I've got a ton of support. I lead a very charmed life. 'cause we met at Mechanis and kind of in the same vein, I all over the place all the time and have met so many cool, genuinely rad people all over the world that, aside from them, being very interesting individuals themselves, very creative individuals themselves, most of them are really supportive, really like, you know, they're the cheerleaders in your corner.

They know the people that don't mind you hitting 'em up of, oh, you're having this problem. Well, I, I had this once too and this is kind of, you know, an idea I had or maybe even just cheering you on. So I'm, I'm very fortunate to be surrounded by a lot of that, [00:20:00] especially these days, you know, especially such a chaotic.

Fucked, you know? Yes. 

Brian Prime: Yeah. now is the time for community, for sure. 

Nathaniel Rose: community, creativity, 

Brian Prime: and we are bl you know, very lucky to be in a scene that community matters and has cool people in it. Like you said, you know, I've been able to go to a lot of festivals, meet a lot of cool people, and it's nice to meet people whose art you appreciate and they're not self-obsessed dicks or whatever the case may be.

they're actually cool and they want to talk about art, and they want to talk about craft and, oh, I can get down on talking about craft and the creative process and all that shit. Like, I love that. That's, 

Nathaniel Rose: yeah, it doesn't matter what it is, but everyone, no matter who you are, has something. Some people might not have even figured out what that something is, at least on a conscious level. But everybody's got that. Something [00:21:00] where you broach the topic or things kinda list in that direction and you kind of see this slight, slight change in their face, a little bit like this.

Like, oh, we're, we're gonna talk about that. And suddenly you have that random friend regurgitating, you know, 20 minutes of monologue, of enthusiasm about the history of radio communication and signals out in space or something just comes. Arbitrary and weird. And that's kind of the most amazing thing of all of us because some people are enthusiastic about a thing, some people are excited about lots of things.

I, I'll joke with people that I, I think I'm, I'm under the impression I might be the single most excitable human being, you know, because I'm excited about everything, which is great for me because no matter what anyone around me is into, usually it's really easy to get me excited about it too. 

Brian Prime: Yeah. And I, that is a [00:22:00] thing I've sort of commented about you in the past to other people of, like, after meeting you for the first time and then running into you at a few other festivals, I was like, man, he's got like dog energy.

He's just like, excited about, he's just enthusiastic about whatever's going on and like, ah, here's a person. Ah, hello. what's, you know, just, and I was like, alright, that I can get down on that. Like, that's fun. but 

Nathaniel Rose: everybody's got. Their thing. And I mean, not to turn it dark, but with so much just shit in the world, you know, especially right now.

So I, I, I've noticed a definite, definite, notable spike in my general happiness level whenever I'm creating something. I don't think it really matters what the act tends to be, just as important as, you know, an end product, if there even is, an end product. And I mean, the takeaway from that for me is just kinda like, hey, so if creativity tends to be this, like.[00:23:00]

Antidote to doom scrolling. Like if you can't fix the world, but maybe you can, at the very least, make weird noises that make you feel alive for a little while. So, I mean, take that sentiment for me and apply it to, you know, everyone, no matter what the thing is, you know, whether it's making noise, taking a paintbrush, you know, to a canvas, whether it's, you know, writing, 

I, it doesn't fricking matter once I get too weird on you, but, oh, sitting here over to my right is, it's technically, it's called an anti radio, and much like a normal radio, is, designed to filter out, aberrant frequencies that are like to, to make the signal really, really clear. This thing's job is literally to pick up everything that normal radios filter.

And I'm all excited recently to go around with this little field recorder and try to pick up weird radio signals sitting around. [00:24:00]

Brian Prime: But it makes me 

Nathaniel Rose: happy, figuring out like, oh, this is wild that this paper, where did this come from? How can you use this? I did a, my, technically my second, but the first didn't go as well, live stream a couple nights ago, just to kind of as a test, you know, a music thing.

And, I took some of those samples and just dropped 'em, you know, in the middle of, that, and I'm just, I don't know. Everybody's got to have, find something these days to latch onto too. To, to find that tight relationship between how creativity relates to mental health, emotional regulation and make that double E.

So for those of us with pretty terrible focus issues and you know, but I don't, I guess maybe this is the world's longest way imaginable to just say the things that keep us alive and make us not even just alive, but keep us thriving and exciting and, you know, living for. What's tomorrow? 

Brian Prime: And I, it's a thing that sort of keeps me doing void signal is meeting, you know, [00:25:00] random person who, you see that spark in their eyes of like, ah, I am activated. I'm about to tell you all about this thing that I love and just the way people light up. I just, I'm a big fan of that 

Nathaniel Rose: AC activated. I love that.

Brian Prime: do. I, 

Nathaniel Rose: that's such a great way to describe it because I called it this aha moment, but I hope everyone can relate to, you know, imagine that friend that will talk incessantly about the thing. Maybe it's even annoying a little bit or whatnot, but you have to appreciate that spark, that little thing.

When they activate, you know? Yeah. That moment like, ah, yes, 

Brian Prime: I love it. Yeah. And it's, it can be fun too. even if you're just the only person in the room who knows about a thing. Like, I recall a long time ago being out to dinner with, you know, my ex-wife's colleagues and just all night I'm like, I have nothing to contribute to these people.

We have nothing in common. I have just, I've been quiet and polite [00:26:00] and making conversation, but, you know, not activated. And then they're like, oh, have you heard about this photographer from San Francisco, blah. And I'm like, Robert Maplethorpe, is that who you're talking about? Hold on a second, lemme tell you about why that's important.

Nathaniel Rose: Alright? 

Brian Prime: Yeah. Let's, I'll sit down everybody, the lecture's about to begin. let me tell you all about the significance and, you know, it's, it's fun. 

Nathaniel Rose: I always wanted to do one of those with the nerdiest concept imaginable. And I've always just been afraid, you know, would people be into this or whatnot? I wanna throw a house party where everyone's supposed to show up, making a PowerPoint presentation. Stay with me. Okay? Oh, let's cover five minutes. five minutes.

I don't give it a time limit, you know, up to 15 minutes at max or whatnot about anything you want. Doesn't matter what it is. People come up with the most, just either a, things they're super jazzed about and just want to talk about because I'm into it. Or b, the funniest, stupidest, most [00:27:00] nonsensical bullshit.

I'm like, we're going to talk about the Galapagos Islands. I don't know what, you know, just the most off the wall, whatever the hell. 'cause maybe it's just drunk brain, but to me that sounds like it'd be the funniest shit imaginable or fun and interesting. I dunno, 

Brian Prime: I, 

Nathaniel Rose: like that 

Brian Prime: idea. I would definitely go to a PowerPoint presentation party with like, you know, people giving like little, I would make one for sure.

Nathaniel Rose: I do think I need a cooler name than PowerPoint party. like, or maybe that's perfect. I 

Brian Prime: know maybe that works. 'cause then it can be the PPP, you know, ah, the, it's time for the PowerPoint party.

Nathaniel Rose: I'll have to workshop that one a little bit, you know, roll it around a little. 

Brian Prime: Yeah. Give it some thought. so album in the future, continuing to be in Stoneburner, presumably. what's else is on your radar for the rest of this year? 

Nathaniel Rose: Oh, man. So right now, lame answer. I know this is totally gonna be an unfulfilling response, [00:28:00] but this really does this, this, this year potentially more so than any time and like memorable history.

This really does just kind of feel like a changing lane situation where, for the last two, three months, I just finished out a string of DJ gigs, you know, local and remote or whatnot. Just last week or whatnot, did the last one. And I looked at my calendar right before, you know, I joined and I'm like, oh, wow.

This is the first time in a long time. I do not have one scheduled. It's kind of a double-edged sword. I mean, if I got that call, tomorrow, I'd probably take it. But between that and right now, Steve and his wife Donna, they're, kind of heads down focused on, new ego likeness material, his other band.

I'm almost kind of taking it as kind of a little bit of breathing room of like, okay, cool, so, but what's next? Like, you know, you asked, and for me it really is kind of like, okay, [00:29:00] well, shit, or Get off the pot, you know, it's, it's, it's now's the time to, if you're going to write that album that you've been saying, so you don't turn into like Brian from Family Guy who spent, you know, 20 plus seasons talking about, you know, writing his, you know, novel or whatnot.

No, it's time to actually do the thing and, throw away all. Conceptions about what it has to be, you know, just hit record and don't delete it for once and making some headway there. there is a new Stoneburner EP coming out in March, called Title or, invasive Species. I know for anybody that called it the last tour, it's, got the cover of Cold Magnetic Sun that was, done live on that tour.

there is a live album that is also recorded that I, I know it's, I don't know how you feel about live albums. To be completely honest about it, I normally am not even a big, very big fan because normally I watch live albums and I'm like, this [00:30:00] feels like a cop out.

I want be at the show. I want to be, you know, right there, you know, engaged with artists, but. Maybe it's, maybe I'm too close to it, but to me, just from the, the visuals that were thrown together, you know, recorded from it, I'm like, this is really fricking cool. This is real. I, I'm legitimately excited about, about this thing.

So couldn't tell you when that's gonna, you know, drop. But this live album, you know, dropping that's Umto Burn that is, but for me, this is kind of head down and do the thing, man. You know, like actually finish the thing right now. I've got one track, the that I'd say is about 95% finished 

Well send, send it over, you know, let's hear it. I'm like, no, it's not there yet. I gotta obsess over it and, you know, pick apart every tiny little piece and you know, the thing that I said I'm gonna try to avoid doing, like, but anyways, no, to be [00:31:00] honest, that's just kind of a goal for this year of, I, I want to, when I'm lying on my deathbed and looking back on all of the cool experiences and the funny stories and laughing about that, remember that time, that blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

I wasn't always hired, gunning on someone else's, you know, material. But there was also, you know, a few tracks that I was actually proud of. 'cause especially right now, I got a thing or two to say. So, 

Brian Prime: yeah. Good for you. and you know, I, I hate to say this, but I am a Brian who has been working on a book supposedly for some time now.

and I, I did tell myself at the beginning of this year, like, this is the time. Like, I'm not gonna, you know, wait around anymore and I have to stop being my own worst critic of just like, over analyzing and over judging and just being like, just do it. I just have to do it. And that's my advice to anybody who has a project that they've had on the back burner for [00:32:00] forever.

Just, just do it. Just, it's gonna be what it's gonna be 

Nathaniel Rose: The part that. I guess helped push the push things forward a little bit was just the simple acknowledgement. And you know what, if this is me bullshitting myself, I'm okay with it. Whatever works. But just acknowledging upfront, you know what doesn't really matter if it's any good, doesn't matter if it's you, perfect.

Doesn't matter if there's lots of little flaws in it, just get the something down in the beginning and you can come back to it later. And I mean, but for me at least, it's, it's, it's true. I, I roughed out this thing in a single for all the evenings of obsessive last night. Okay, I gotta make fun of myself for this one.

Last night I was at it from nine 30 to two 30 in the morning, and almost the entire time I was obsessing over, I wanted a very specific sound of the main synth line, not the beat, but the like, the actual. Tone, like the actual sound to the night writer theme [00:33:00] music. And I was just, that tone is perfect.

I need that sound. And I spent, how many hours is that obsessively? Like, it's ridiculous. I woke up this morning and I went and listened to what I created. I'm like, really? You had a problem with that? That wasn't good enough. And that's kind of the thing. You get so close to your baby, so close to your thing, your novel, you know, my, my song, whatever it is that you're so close to it, that you're overanalyze the ever living shit out of you.

I think that just getting the framework, getting the. Something down. the, the, the roughing it out is far more important than make it, you can always make it perfect later.

Now, whether I actually believe that or whether that's what I'm repeating over and over again out loud, so I get the hell out of my own way. Couldn't tell you, but hey, ask me again in 12 to 18 months and I'll let you know if it worked. 

Brian Prime: Yeah. And just being able to let go a little bit, like loosen the grip [00:34:00] and just not strangle the joy out of something like, 

Nathaniel Rose: But it, I I how all, all this kind of started when I was asking the question, how do you get out of your own way? How do you, you know, how do you change behavior? How do you change habits, I guess? I started asking, okay, well I'm, I'm objectively, you know, pretty successful in my IT career. how have I done the same thing over an IT career?

And I start thinking about all these little tricks I play on myself at work, all these little games I know do specifically to force my hand into certain behaviors, certain be hand, you know, things that I do to, like, it could be as simple as, okay, you're doing that project. If you scheduled project and just said you're gonna do it, you're never gonna finish it.

It's gonna keep being kicked down the, you know, Ken down the road. 'cause you, you're busy and you have these other things, but the second you put a date on a calendar. This deliverable has to be [00:35:00] done by this date over here. I have a literal whiteboard that I'm not, you know, it's almost borderline embarrassing just because it's way too, you know, echoing of a fricking Jira, Kanban board.

Like all of these things I've done just to play little tricks on myself to force my hand of, ooh, oh, I have this deadline, this arbitrarily created, and in no way being enforced deadline that I have to, that I better stick with. Throw these things and maybe just maybe you'll trick yourself into, actually doing the thing.

Brian Prime: Yeah. And I think that's important too, because when you, especially when it comes to like a passion project or like an artistic endeavor, when you are the boss, like, it's easy to be like, I fucking don't wanna do it today. And you just, and you just don't. and I'm way too lax of a boss on myself. Like, I will just be like, I'll just be like, I'm gonna call in today.

Nathaniel Rose: my, my wife, the doctor of clinical psychology, and, she's got a, private practice and it cracks me up the frequency in which, I [00:36:00] mean, it's her business. It's what she does for a living. We, she will talk very unironically, very deadpan. Come home, Hey babe, how was your day?

She's like, Ugh. My boss is a bitch.

in those moments. Sometimes I do wonder, I'm like, ha ha ha. Wait, she's joking, right? She is aware that she is, I am 97% sure that she is consciously aware that she is responsible for these things. You know what? We'll just leave it at, we'll leave it at confident. 

Brian Prime: well I don't want to keep you too long.

We've already been chatting 40 minutes and I will go ahead and put the last question of the show to you, just 'cause it usually takes up some time. but what is something that you have been enjoying recently? And your answer can be anything, A book, a movie, a TV show, just what's something you're jazzed about?

Nathaniel Rose: Oh man. Okay. Well, I mean, this feels very anti-climactic on the tail end of what I've been ranting about [00:37:00] because as we established earlier, I'm excited about everything. Like Right, there's that dog energy again, right? So. I mean, if you break it into little categories, you know, there's the obvious low hanging fruit.

So I'm like, earlier, right before we joined, I was trying to think. Okay. The usual requisite. What have you been listening to lately? Okay, cool. and I already mentioned Pixel grip. Are you a Nineish Nails fan? 

Brian Prime: Yes. 

Nathaniel Rose: Okay. Did you catch this last tour? 

Brian Prime: No, I have 

Nathaniel Rose: never seen that.

Brian Prime: Yeah. I'm a huge fan and it's the reason my podcast exists and I'm sitting here before you, 

Nathaniel Rose: okay. I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm like, okay, be go easy, Nathan. Don't I have seen nine inch nails maybe a half dozen times, and every single time made me leave thinking to myself like.

Something in me has changed, like, like, the Fragility 2.0 tour. You know, I'm, I'm front [00:38:00] 16 years old, front row, you know, to this concert, you know, the girlfriend at the time, you know, perfect circle opening at a time that no one knew who they were and, see this band, you know, see Nine Inch Nails, do you know, they're fragile and I'm, you know, it's like this is a transformative album, you know, for me or what, so, okay.

I only ask because the last tour was so incredible that I'm literally, I haven't burned any vacation time lately. I'm like, seriously considering just getting in a car and what's the nearest city to drive to go catch another 'cause I already saw them this tour. It's just that good, you know, I've been obsessively listening to Year Zero again lately. 'cause despite being It's a great album. Great album. And also unfortunately, very, very, hitting a certain note these days.

Depressingly, relevant 20 years, you know, after the fact than it was when it released. I'm gonna selfishly plug, just because I've been so excited about it lately. Adam, [00:39:00] Adam Jones, I don't know, you know, him or whatnot. Mm-hmm. But his, newer, newish project, mortal realm. Yeah.

Like, I'm jazzed about this material. I'm like listening to this stuff. I've been just grooving the fuck out of it so much to the point. I'm like, okay, how do I play this? I'm gonna very passive aggressively start dropping hints to him and be like, oh, it's awesome. Do you need any hired guns for your next festival show?

Hey, go on tour soon. I'm like, I will learn the material. Just so it's so good. 

Brian Prime: I have to also shout out, like, I saw him, do his, debut performance at Mechanisms last year, and he just fucking blew the roof off that place. Like just so much energy and just like the, the material is not only great as an album, but like, it also, you know, stands up really strong in a live setting and was just fucking fantastic.

That guy's great. 

Nathaniel Rose: That was very cool to hear, especially since I'm a future member of the band. Yeah. similar goes [00:40:00] for, the latest, double album for CO from Caustic, fiend. I've been grooving the hell outta that lately. and I mean, in case it hasn't come across, you know, yet, music is a big part of my life, and so spending a lot of time jamming out to those, I'm trying to think from a movie perspective, this is gonna be one of those moments where I'm gonna be really embarrassed later and so mad at myself.

As I think of like that film that just blew my mind recently. And then, right now I'm just totally fricking blanking because my wife and I, you know, just constant watching films, she, I gotta pick on her for a minute because she is one of those people I actually, I, I will pick on her and simultaneously envy the hell out of her, of the fact that it doesn't matter if a film is like.

I know we will be talking about this film 40 years from now, you know, kind of thing. Or if it's a 2.2 out of 10 and the worst slapstick nonsense imaginable, she's down for [00:41:00] it. That's, that's just my wife. And I'm, I'm stupid jealous over the fact that I wish it was that person, but I'm not. I'm totally a little snobby about it over like, I, 

Brian Prime: oh, 

Nathaniel Rose: regardless, I can get 

Brian Prime: I can't watch this and I will bail out of something like 20 minutes into it and just be like, let's find something else. So my life is short and I'm not gonna spend any more on whatever this was. 

Nathaniel Rose: I, I absolutely loved aesthetically, I loved the latest Tron Aries. We already already picked on the fact this was new to me, although I was a little disappointed over the fact that.

They, they set this storyline up in the recent sequels that felt very much like, oh, I want so badly to see where this storyline goes. And then I guess maybe 'cause the last one didn't do as well as they were hoping or whatnot, I guess they just decided we're not gonna continue that.

And I was a little [00:42:00] disappointed, you know, one of those, I wanted to see where that storyline goes. But it was the Tron Aries. There was, have you seen the new Frankenstein? 

Brian Prime: The Del Toro Frankenstein, 

Nathaniel Rose: yes. Also known, you know, to me as Okay, maybe not so much in the beginning. Next time, if you see this film again later in the film, I want you to put in your head Chris Corner from IMX.

And when you watch this, you're gonna be like, oh shit. That, yeah, that what? Wow. He's changed. I'll say, wow, this is a different look for him. Yeah. 

Brian Prime: I did quite like that film. it was, you know, as Del Toro does, like, you know, a Feast for the eyes kind of a thing. I did like it. 

Nathaniel Rose: Totally. And then I guess the only other one that pops to mind is, I don't know why, but I always hated the phrase body horror.

It felt like almost a lazy, like summation of a sub genre of horror that never felt like a sub genre [00:43:00] to me. It felt like, just, I don't know, things that were happening in this otherwise. Other horror film, but, did you, the, the film together? 

Brian Prime: And just real quick, I can believe two people being cronenberg's together before I believe that she, as a fucking public school teacher, bought a house on her own salary. Like, I was so annoyed. I'm like, this is the most unrealistic part of this whole movie. 

Nathaniel Rose: that's one of my superpowers.

You know, I'm, I'm, like overly so, but I'm pretty forgiving on the films in regards to like d the details that would other otherwise break things. and in that moment, I think my brain probably went, family money. She came from family money. Yeah. And immediately, I mean, you could take it the next step of, we, I, I wasn't thinking school teacher, but I was thinking similarly.

Really, that's your play. He's on like budding, like failing, like musician, you know, [00:44:00] salary and you know, you are and you're in the sky rut. Where was, was it New York or something like that? Yeah, some 

Brian Prime: crazy apartment. 

Nathaniel Rose: Yeah. Some crazy that I'm like, yeah, I'm just a family money. We're gonna go with family money.

Brian Prime: Yeah. that makes a little more sense. But those little like, details and movies can get under my skin if it's too egregious. I try not to be too judgy and just like, oh, I'm just gonna sit and enjoy this thing and not flip out. oh, but it was a good movie. I liked everything that was on offer.

Otherwise. 

Nathaniel Rose: Yeah, I saw that one. And it was definitely one of those, the, the film, it wasn't even, there wasn't even a ton of like the unexpected. They just delivered so damn well on where I thought everything was gonna go that. I immediately started texting certain friends, you know, right after on, right on the heels of picking on the term body horror.

You know, I'll say, you know, my friend Donna, Steve's, wife, immediately started, that's like her jam. Like if [00:45:00] all other, but if all you erased all other horror, I think she would like, okay, I get to keep one little segment. I choose body horror.

I'm pretty sure that's true for her. And, I immediately start messaging her and like, you need to see this is great. Which is actually fun fact about Donna. It's like the worst thing you can possibly do because in that moment there's that like defiant part where like, you told me to do something, so now I'm going to, yeah.

But whatever 

Brian Prime: I do, that is the thing I've had to overcome as well. Whereas soon as somebody's like, you should watch this, and I'm like, should I? I don't know. I'm busy. 

Nathaniel Rose: say, do I, is that what I need to do? Well, I'm like, I have things to do.

Brian Prime: I've gotten so much more like sensitive and defensive to that particular phrase. Ever since starting a creative project, and I'm sure this is true of you too, of like the moment someone is like, you know what you should do. Oh, you're gonna fucking tell me. I bet. [00:46:00] So let's hear it. You know, whatever it's gonna be.

Nathaniel Rose: I remember, in Atlanta there was for years this great club, called the shelter and, It was literally dudes moved into town, you know, got seen from out of town and one of 'em, you know, had that job where they could afford, afford to throw a little money around and literally just decide, what do I want to do?

I'm like, I'll start a bar, why not? well if you ask him, he'll give you all the reasons why not. It's actually, I turned into a, a concert promoter because of that, you know, venue, through, you know, ton of shows, you know, in Atlanta and lots of club nights and, you know, such there.

Anyways, the point to all this is there was a running joke with me and the bar staff and the bartenders or whatnot, where we would constantly just walk up to one another and be like. You know what you should do, because there at this bar, there was never a like shortage of drunk bar [00:47:00] patrons that we were the luckiest group in the world.

Because if you were ever at lack of what should you, what ideas should you, you know, try next or whatnot, don't worry. Drunk people will tell you all about the wonderful ideas that you absolutely have to do. It's gonna be great. Plot twist. No. Yeah. 

Brian Prime: yeah. that is true of, drunk people at goth nights and goth festivals as well.

lots of people with ideas and sometimes I hear good ideas and I'm like, oh, this is a fucking great idea's. 

Nathaniel Rose: Gonna say small doses or maybe the, the, the random thing. You know what? Some good can come of it. I have heard some. Brilliant masterpieces come from the most ob like obnoxious, like, all right, Play-Doh.

and then there's the other 98% of the time, so, you know. 

Brian Prime: touching really quick on music. Yes. Bob been loving the shit outta Mortal Realm, holy Water from [00:48:00] Sacramento, if you are not familiar.

his most recent record was just brilliant, like just channels, a lot of nine inch nails sort of sound. And he puts on a fantastic live show. I've seen him like three or four times in the last year. just. Fucking so good. aside from that, aside from music, so when I did watch together last weekend, I did, I also watched Long Legs, so a little late to seeing that, but 

Nathaniel Rose: Okay.

Brian Prime: have you seen that familiar? 

Nathaniel Rose: I liked the film, but there was something about that character that I think the entire time I was trying to figure out what this film wanted to be like.

It felt a little confusing of. Are we going for like a supernatural vibe? Are we gonna trying to make like real world serial killer? Like where does this film want to land? And I just, I didn't feel like I had my finger on the pulse of it, and maybe that's okay. Maybe that's, you know, maybe it's even a good thing.

I enjoyed it, [00:49:00] but yeah, it was just a little, yeah. Yeah. 

Brian Prime: I think that's a very fair criticism of it, it was just a little bit shy of having its own real identity. but what really sold me on it was, and I, part of the reason I watched it because it was because I saw keeper, same director, Osgood Perkins.

And just, I love stuff in the background, like things that reward you for just paying attention to like, ah, did you see that thing? Ah, that was so cool. Like, right, right, right. I love that shit. So, enjoyed it for, for that reason, was fantastic. 

Nathaniel Rose: I don't know that one.

what, what was the closet? That plot of that? 

Brian Prime: it just came out like two weeks ago, so you're not super far behind or anything, but, if you like Sam Ramey, like the Evil dead films and stuff like this is definitely a must watch. It has his thumbprint all over it. 

It just, I, you know, it's just so good. It's so good. It's so excellent and so, fun and fun in like Sam Rainey ways of like, you know, oh my God, this thing is gonna happen and, you know, it's great. I can't say, [00:50:00] is it 

Nathaniel Rose: still, are we talking like still in theaters two weeks ago? Yeah, I think 

Brian Prime: so. 

Nathaniel Rose: Well, I should either thank you or damn you one of the two because I'm in desperate need of just time right now. Time is the most precious, imaginable commodity I can think of 'cause I never have enough of it. And you just took a two and a half hours of it because I know what I'm doing this weekend.

You, if I ever say to my, my wife total horror fanatic, if I ever say to her and like, Hey honey, you wanna go see a horror film? Like, it's not a hard sell, you know? 

Brian Prime: Yeah. So, yeah, and I'm such a big fan of going to see horror movies in theaters. It just has to be like the right thing and like, but this is very much a you are going to leave the theater sort of delighted of like, ah, what a good spend, you know, expenditure of my time.

Like, very satisfied. 

Nathaniel Rose: Not, not to drag it out too much, but Did you by chance catch weapons in the theater? 

Brian Prime: I did not see it in theaters, no. 

Nathaniel Rose: Did you see it at all? 

Brian Prime: Yes, it is wonderful. 

Nathaniel Rose: Okay. I caught it twice in the [00:51:00] theaters and I think about twice, since then, at a home, it was just, it was one of these films that comes along every once in a while that, I don't know what anyone else's expectations were, but I'm so glad that I caught it when I did, because I knew nothing about it.

Went into it blindly, was just one of those like, oh, this looks interesting kind of things. And I walked out of it just kind of in awe because I, as I alluded to earlier, I sometimes, struggle with attention span as it is or whatnot, sometimes not. Some of my favorite films in the world, I have a slow pacing.

I can power through it, I can do it, but it's tough for me. So this was one of those films. That very slow pacing. Very, you know, you gotta stick with it and oh my God, in the last like 10 minutes, most, maybe less, it was one of these rare films [00:52:00] that I'm sure if there was a camera on me in that theater, my mouth would've been just a gap.

Just like hanging open in awe over the last 10 minutes and I'm like, this might be the single most fulfilling payoff of any film I've seen in years. Yeah. Like brilliant. 

Brian Prime: it is brilliant moving. I went into it almost. Kind of blind. I saw that like the first trailer before it came out. And I was like, I don't give a shit about this.

Missing kids. Who cares? I, 'cause I'm just like, I don't care about kids in films. Like just they can die or whatever, and that's fine. I'm not bothers me zero. so, but after hearing a little bit of buzz about it, I'm like, oh, it's really fucking good. I was delighted by it. Like, it was so good. the last other, I was really grateful to catch sinners in theaters, because what a fucking great movie that is to, 

Nathaniel Rose: I mean, not the opening night, the night after it, I literally was one of the, my wife wanted to go see it, but I went in, I, I'd never even sat in a trailer. I [00:53:00] didn't know who it was. I knew nothing about it. So, man, was it funny for me as I go into it, I'm like, oh. Period piece. Okay, cool. Like no context at all about.

All right. This is one of the film films where we're gonna be about halfway through it, where we're just gonna genre flip. We're going to take the, I think throw it on its head, and now you're watching it slightly different film. 

Brian Prime: Yeah. 

Nathaniel Rose: So, so good. 

Brian Prime: I'm a huge fan of that, and my God, it was so well executed and one of those really good horror films where you see things in it, or notice background details or characters, and you're like, oh, I want to see a whole movie about that thing, or that person.

Like, where's our movie about the Native American vampire hunters? Like, let me see that film. Like, 

Nathaniel Rose: I'm sure in 10, 15, 20 years when someone, you know, I dunno. Someone at a, a studio somewhere is trying to, you know, dig deep for [00:54:00] what, what IP can I poach from, you know, for the, they'll finally fund someone to do the interesting thing.

I dunno. A boy can dream. 

Brian Prime: All right, well that is it. Thank you so much my friend. I appreciate your time very much. It is always a pleasure to get to talk to you and to Chad. appreciate Chad. Yeah, thank you sir. I will. Yeah, I will let you go. Enjoy the rest of your evening and I'll let you know when this comes out.

Just send me over a headshot of yourself for the front cover and yeah, it'll probably be about a month or so. but alright. Cool. Thanks man. I appreciate it. Have a great rest of your evening. Give my regards to your lovely wife and yeah, have a good one. 

Nathaniel Rose: Same to you. Take care. 

Brian Prime: Cheers.