Devin Townsend Reacts to MASTODON Guitarist Saying He Needs a Break

Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds‘ recent comments about needing to take a break because he’s “being milked like a dry hyena titty” have reached Devin Townsend, who wrote on Twitter:

“As much as I love my job, and I am unbelievably grateful for what I do (truly), reading Brent’s account on MetalSucks resonates with a lot of people I know. It’s a very different job than it was even a decade ago.”

Devy went on to respond to many of the comments on the post, you can check out some of the highlights below.

Fan 1: Did you get anywhere near this kind of mindset last year during that relentless touring?

“Abso-fucking-lutely.”

Fan 1: I met you in December and I could tell, I was completely amazed that you still took time to talk to me and others though. I only became a fan from 2009, but it seemed real close to the Strapping fatigue.

“The thing even people close to musicians may not recognize is that although shows are brilliant, it’s the other 23 hours of the day. It’s a constant reality that there is not a whole lot of other folks that can relate to. There’s not a lot of ‘training’ for it. It can be very dark.”

Fan 1: I’m still in the first stages of planning to tour/running a band and some of my mates have already been jaded to that experience. Honestly, my dad didn’t want to teach me to play because of his negative road experience.

“My life has been a series of lessons, like us all, but music compounds certain insecurities by providing a false sense of importance on some levels. It’s a big hurdle for insecure people, many of which are drawn to the attention of ‘fame’ in the first place.”

Fan 1: You might have already hit the nail on the head, but I did always feel like musicians missed something in emotional development and most don’t really know how to ‘fix’ that. For some I thought it was rapid hopping from the stage gratification to having a family

“This is a sadly accurate observation in my experience. Society in general right now is at a crossroads with mental health issues, and there’s unfortunately still a tentative feeling towards an open discussion of it.”