Quarrelsome Life Radio #1: Brian O'Brien - Playing Metallica in Sunday mass

Limerick musician Brian O'Brien on the utility of loneliness, cathartic art, the creative process, and much more.

Here is a small quote from our chat that might offer a glimpse into Brian's mind as it relates to art:

• “Just do something while you’re here… if you try and be creative in something and you feel like it didn’t work, try something else… there could be an amazing actor inside in you, there could be an amazing dancer, an amazing singer, an amazing poet, an amazing painter. All these things could be locked inside in you and you might never know. Why would you want to die and never know that?” – Brian O’Brien

In this episode of Quarrelsome Life Radio we chat about a host of interesting topics included but not limited to the following: 

• - How he ended up playing Metallica in Sunday mass during communion as his first live solo performance
• - His musical influences early on and how they changed over time
• - His early experiences with bands and supporting The Rubberbandits
• - How he ended up in Canada and the benefits of leaving comfort zones
• - Using music and songwriting as a cathartic healing process
• - The utility of loneliness in creativity
• - The need for struggle and the existence of art in tragedy
• - What is special to him about music compared to other art forms
• - The pressures of external validation in music
• - Getting to know yourself as a path to feeling empathy for others
• - How to know when a song is finished and in no more need of alteration
• - The influence of the crowd on a live performance
• - Getting the mind in the right place before getting up on stage to perform and the parallels in sport psychology
• - Learning from active reflection on live performances
• - How he carves out words in his own songwriting process
• - Finding balance in lyrics between factors such as poeticism and palatability
• - His creative frustrations and his search for an inspiring environment to facilitate his artistic process
• - The difference between performing away in Canada compared to playing at home in Limerick
• - Creativity as a way of improving the human experience
• - The realities of the music industry

Brian's song "O'Callaghan" from the start of the podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az5d5bm8oG0

Youtube: Brian O'Brien

Twitter: @iambrianobrien 

Instagram: @iambrianobrien 

Website: https://www.brianobrienmusic.com/ 

Ciaran's links: 

Twitter: @ctquarrelsome 

Instagram:@ctquarrelsome

Website: quarrelsomelife.com