Today, I sat down with Dean Wallace & The Black Flames to talk their inspiration to write music, our love for James Hetfield (Papa Het 4 Life), and much more! Be sure to check out the music from Dean Wallace & The Black Flames on Spotify below after the interview!
Interview:
What is your inspiration to write your music? Is it your surroundings?
My surroundings, and especially what’s going on in the world is my main inspiration for the lyrics. The world is changing fast, and everybody has an opinion on everything. It gives me a lot to say about. I also like to write about myself, my weaknesses, my fears… Writing music is more of an inner process. It comes from all the emotions I couldn’t externalize, that’s why my music can be joyful, sad, angry… To me, music and art in general is a way to materialize and share emotions.
What type of music did you listen to growing up?
From 7 to 13, I was a fan of Michael Jackson. My father was a big fan of Pink Floyd, so I heard their music quite often in the house. At 13, I fell in love with Metallica overnight, after watching a documentary on MTV. My brother had all their albums, so I started to dig into their music relentlessly, from Kill’em All (1981) to ReLoad (1997). I’ve been listening to a lot of Iron Maiden, Megadeth and Pantera as well. The more funky and prog bands came later (Dream Theater, Queen, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters).
Is there someone you looked up as a hero?
James Hetfield, definitely. I have a huge respect and admiration for this man. He’s a great songwriter, and one of the best frontman ever. For the same reasons, I’m also a big fan of Freddy Mercury. I admire his devotion to music, the way he kept on writing and singing until his last breath.
If you weren’t a musician, what would you be doing today?
As a teenager, I wanted to become an helicopter pilot, in the high mountain rescue squad. I don’t know if I would have made it, but it’s the path I would have followed without music.
What advice do you have for our fans out there that want to create music?
Be honest and be yourself. It’s the only way to obtain a very original and unique sound. And I would suggest not to involve too many people in the creative process. Having one or two people you trust is always good to get an external point of view, but compromising and trying to please everyone is kind of a rabbit hole to me.
Music:
