Julian Castaldi chats with Brandon Boyd at home in Venice [Los Angeles]

After an evening in Downtown LA at Villains Tavern for a friend of Brandon's birthday, the next morning, a stroll from Santa Monica Pier to Brandon's(and Bruce the dog)  home in Venice Beach, a converted hotel built in 1905, the home has a storefront exterior and beautiful pressed tin ceiling tiles and glass block walls and a roof deck to look over the never boring streets of Venice.

NAME :
Brandon Boyd.

YOUR FIRST JOB :
Summer Camp Assistant Counselor.

YOUR CURRENT OCCUPATION :
Singer/Lyricist in the band Incubus and I am a Painter.

YOUR GREATEST LOVE :
Art.

YOUR GREATEST FEAR :
Art.

WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY :
A giant lollipop I remember staring at on a candy cart at Disneyland. It looked like the spinning rainbow wheel you get on your computer when things are going wrong, but it looked like it was the size of a small planet, and my attention to it were the many moons in orbit around its sugary atmosphere!

WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL AND WHY :
I don’t have one, I have many. I enjoy having many mentors and inspirations because it diversifies my attention and makes more room for the possibility of creative ingenuity.

WHAT WAS THE LAST GIFT YOU GAVE SOMEONE :
I left a fart in an elevator for a group of drunk tourists in my hotel in Vegas at the end of the Incubus tour a couple weeks ago. They needed to sober up a little (in my opinion) and I saw their eyes widen then squint as I exited on my floor.

IF YOU WERE 80 YEARS OLD, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR CHILDREN :
I tell them to be really careful and suspicious of the advice of 80 year olds.

YOUR WORST TRAIT :
I’m too nice.

THE WORST TRAIT IN OTHERS THAT GETS YOU MAD? // When people are unconscious in their actions and movements.

WHO WOULD PLAY YOUR ROLE IN A MOVIE :
Hopefully Tilda Swinton.

FAVOURITE MUSIC :
The sounds of a people-less forest on an Autumn morning.

LAST RECORD YOU BOUGHT :
‘Silver’ by Caribou.

FAVOURITE BOOK :
I have many! ‘Jitterbug Perfume’ by Tom Robbins, ‘Perfume’ by Patrick Suskind, ‘Stand Still Like the Hummingbird’ by Henry Miller, among many others.

LAST BOOK YOU BOUGHT :
‘Sex At Dawn’ by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU :
Everything. Literally everything. One of my greatest hopes is to continue to learn how to see the beauty in all things.

THE CLOSEST YOU HAVE COME TO DEATH :
Surfing… on more than one occasion.

FAVOURITE DESTINATION :
Inward.

LEAST FAVOURITE DESTINATION :
Las Vegas.

HOW DO YOU RELAX :
Drawing, surfing, reading, pouring tea, drinking tea. I am also a really skilled sleeper.

YOUR LOS ANGELES :
It’s mine? Oh man! Thank you! Now for some remodelling.

ARE YOU SPORTY :
I would say that I have the touch of an outdoorsman in me. I have been obsessed with surfing since I was a child, but I love to ride my bike, skate, hike, walk, gather treasures from the sand, etc. Yeah, I guess I am. But I wouldn’t never use that word. Its imagery doesn’t fit the way I like to perceive myself.

BEACH OR DESERT :
Beach, then desert.

URBAN OR RURAL :
Can’t I have both?

CATS OR DOGS :
Both species live at my house.

COFFEE OR TEA :
Haha, I drink coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon.

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH :
Spellcheck.

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY :
Spellcheck.

YOUR MESSAGE :
My message? Umm, ok. Here goes…
Beeeeep…”Hi, it’s Brandon. I don’t want to leave a long winded message on your machine but there’s someone using your car hood as a stripper pole and he doesn’t look anything like a stripper. Just wanted to let you know. Hope you’re well!” Beeeeep.

Follow Brandon :
brandonboyd
@moonlightartscollective
@Incubus