MARK
NEEDHAM
- Guest Author & Musician -
G'day guys,
Today I welcome an author and musician - Mark Needham from New Hartford, New York. Welcome, Mark ...
Mark the author:
TELL US A LITTLE
ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR WRITING JOURNEY.
It’s sort of the same as my journey as a musician. I
want a better world. I found that the Pen is mightier than the Sword. I love
science fiction. Stories of what could be. I would play around in my head
constantly of fantastic situations. Enormous machines, angels, dragons, aliens,
wars and the great men who fought them. I thought one day out of the blue “I
should be writing this down”.
WHEN AND HOW DID
YOU BECOME A WRITER?
When I was seventeen, I felt a fire in my heart and
I put pen to paper. That was an exciting time. I loved building the story. And
the dialogue! I Love dialogue more than anything else in writing. I want to
master it. I want to completely entrance the reader with the character’s words.
I want to make movies where entire scenes are made by the subtlety spoken words
of rivals. I want you to feel everything the character feels, because they said
it so well.
WHAT DO YOU
ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING A WRITER?
The feeling of giving other people feelings.
WHAT WERE YOU IN
A PAST LIFE, BEFORE YOU BECAME A WRITER?
This is always the same answer
for me. This is my favourite question. Without giving you the huge back story,
I believe I was a rebel leader from Arabia or Africa. A young prince that wish
to take down an empire that was corrupt. I dreamed of liberating the people and
helping them realize they were their own Kings and Queens.
WHAT IS YOUR
GREATEST WRITING ACHIEVEMENT?
I finally published my book! I just recently signed
a contract with Tate Publishing out of Oklahoma. That is a feeling you only get
once. It is initiation! I am very proud of it. It is the beginning of the rest
of my life as an author.
WHAT ARE YOU
WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?
Probably one of my favourite projects to date. It is
a screenplay called The Catacombs. The concept is very original. I am
keeping it under locks and keys. I will say it is a dark drama, with comedic
undertones. It’s about Death and all her friends. Why death has become such a
big part of our existence. How it impacts us. It is alot of fun writing and I
can’t wait to complete it. I’m really enjoying the Screenwriting’s pace. It’s a
very different way to tell a story. It’s alot more action alot less words.
WHAT INSPIRES
YOU?
People. Life, the Karmic Nature of the universe. The
dual nature of the universe. The concept of the Temporal Illusion; Fourth
dimension misinterpreted. Really weird stuff like that. The Great Work. The
Rosicrucians. Alchemy. The life of Jesus, MLK, John Lennon, Ghandi, Alexander
the Great. Anything everything, the world is a strange wonder, I would never
want to take a break from new inspiration and new knowledge; new things are to
be known every second of everyday. Every expanding is the nature of things.
It’s a race you can’t finish I don’t think. That’s inspiring too.
DO YOU HAVE ANY
TIPS FOR NEW WRITERS?
Hemmingway said something along the lines of “All you have to do is sit in front of a
typewriter and bleed” I don’t have anything to add besides, don’t forget to
type something.
DO YOU SUFFER
FROM WRITER’S BLOCK?
No, I don’t believe in writer’s block. I believe
there is a time to write and a time to do other things. Life can be like water
in a stream, always flowing. It’s you decision to dam it up with premature
desires. If you can’t write then don’t write. Wait and try again tomorrow.
Maybe it’s not time. Plus I can jump from music to the screenplay to something
else. Maybe a poems. I learning alot becoming an adult. I learn not to force
things. Art is about art. I try not to
forget that.
WHAT IS YOUR
GREATEST JOY IN WRITING?
The creative process. The building of unknown words.
I believe artist are the closest emulation to God. Creating worlds of great
detail where before nothing was. Something incredible.
IF YOU WERE
STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WITH ONE PERSON, WHO WOULD IT BE? WHY?
My girlfriend. Because she’s amazing. And she’s
smart, and funny, and braver than me. She will help me fight the Apex predator
on the island. Establish a base and gain territory. Create a DE-Salination
apparatus and till the land if possible. Gather fruit and stare at the stars.
WHAT WOULD YOU
SAY IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEAK TO WORLD LEADERS?
“Seriously, no seriously, really, what are you up
to? Uh uh uh, Don’t gimmie that, don’t insult my intelligence. Really. Why?”
DOES THE
PUBLISHING INDUSTRY FRUSTRATE YOU?
No. Some of them are very busy and don’t think they
have time to care about you or your development as an artist. I respect that.
That is their view on life. There are many who do care and will be honest with
you. That’s really cool and gives me a good feeling about the structure of the
whole thing. Most won’t help but there are some compassionate people out there
that do take the time. I want to thank those that did that for me. Then every
now and then there is that publisher that picks you out of the crowd and says,
“There you are, yea that’s it come with me.” So no, I think I did get
frustrated for a while but that was before, when I blamed others for my
misfortune.
WHAT WAS YOUR
FAVOURITE MANUSCRIPT TO WRITE? WHY?
Missions. The book that is being published now.
Because it is a direct reflection of my feelings for humanity. It is the first
part of what I intend to be a series, it is sort of the beginning of my
manifesto. I believe it will end up being my “Utopia” or something like it.
WHAT
SHOULD READERS WALK AWAY FROM YOUR BOOKS KNOWING? HOW SHOULD THEY FEEL?
Bothered.
Frustrated with the way things are. Excited of the possibilities in their own
lives and for that of humanity. They should know all things are possible, and
that they hold the key to everything.
WHAT’S
YOUR ULTIMATE DREAM?
This is a good
question. I had a dream. A big one. But very recently it is no longer. My dream
is to dream for now. And see what happens. I know I want to travel and write
and enjoy life. Dance a little. Know things, feel things. I guess my Ultimate
Dream is the Ultimate Experience.
WRITING
IS ONE THING. WHAT ABOUT MARKETING YOU, YOUR BOOKS AND YOUR BRAND? ANY
THOUGHTS?
This is not my
strongest department. I was hoping you had some thoughts haha. Seriously though
I pound pavement, I talk to people. I get brave in public places, I use social
media. I make videos on Youtube. I Work to save up money to use advertising
companies. Marketing is really the next big step for me. I’m at the stage of
contemplation.
ANYTHING
YOU’D LIKE TO ADD?
Thank you for
this opportunity. This is my first legitimate interview. This means a lot and I
had a lot of fun doing it. And thank you to all people that read it. Thank you
for finding what I said pertinent in your life. Peace and Love.
Mark the musician:
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR MUSIC
JOURNEY.
Well,
I guess I would say I want to change the world for the better. That is the most
important characteristic that lead me to want to make music. I was young when I
began to have a weird feeling about the world. Something didn’t feel right. So
I began to jot down thoughts. Nothing complicated. They were sort of like
journal entries. I began to see that the
things I said had a substance. Something like emotion on paper. I could feel it
as I wrote. I was usually really upset when I wrote it but I thought, this is
important, this is something meaningful and real. I started to play with the
words and turn out a sort of unorthodox poetry. It was very strange and I think
I was probably the only one that would have understood it. I liked Rock and
Roll as a kid. The very notion of Rap music made me scoff. Then for some reason
or another I started listening to Eminem. I was inspired. He blew my mind. And
then I started into other contemporary Hip Hop acts. I really started getting
into it. Then there was Tupac. That’s when I realized I was meant to write Hip
Hop.
Hip Hop for me is Poetry in action, it’s freedom of speech, it is focus on
what is being said. You can get lost in a guitar line and a good drum set. In
Hip Hop, I got lost in what was said. And I knew I had so much to say myself. From that point to now was an internal battle
of will and courage. I had to understand myself and what was going on, on the
inside. I sort of figured that out. That’s when “The Apology” was finally
finished.
WERE YOU INTERESTED IN MUSIC AS A KID? WHAT
TYPES OF MUSIC?
I liked Rock and Roll and Country, primarily
because that’s what my parents listen to when I was very young. I fInd art in
all music now. I have no bias. Though I think my favourite music would have to
be Indie Folk like Fleet Foxes, Mumford, Arcade Fire(hope I’m classifying them
right) because of how they make me feel. I feel sort of invincible when I
listen to them. I think they see life as a fantastic thing, an undefinable
journey and therefore an exciting one. For the most part people see life as a
drab thing like a sludge we’re pushing through. Commercial music is saturated
with Hedonism and the abandonment of self for the physical pleasures. Perception is everything. Their perception
(Indie Folk artist) lights the world up a bit. I like that. These answers are
really long. I apologize if I’m getting carried away.
WHEN AND HOW DID YOU BECOME A MUSICIAN?
The
obvious answer to me and the people that know me, is when I started the album
and produced it, which is recently. Spring of 2011. But I wrote for many years
before that.
I
believe the honest and true answer was the moment I had an urge to speak to the
world about how I felt about it and about myself. I was 17 (2003) when that
happened.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB?
For
music, It’s the creative process. The building of a song. The excitement I feel
when a verse is manifesting itself in my mind. It’s a rush sometimes. I get a
whole song in my head in thirty minutes and I’m rushing to my phone or a notebook
to write it down. The lyrics are so perfect in my mind and I can imagine the
beat and they way it will make people feel when they hear it. I get excited for
them. That is something that gets my blood pumping and my heart racing. Talking
about it makes me excited.
WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT BEING A MUSICIAN?
In the Rap
game we call them haters! It’s the Ego.
Everybody thinks they’re famous in this line of work. I find I am a stranger in
a strange land almost everywhere I go, but with the music, it can be so much
tougher to deal with. You go in there looking to make art and collaborate and
become a star, help the people you meet get there too. What you find is a place
that can get really cut-throat. People can be really heartless when it comes to
getting ahead. I’ve found that they don’t see that working together is a strong
modality; synergy is something of a miracle mechanic. People still believe
stepping on other people to climb up gets you there faster. I get looked over
intentionally when a great opportunity shows up for me because people get
scared you’ll get there before them and they don’t trust that you’ll remember
them. It’s a sad thing. Fear is a killer.
DO YOU WORK FOR YOURSELF, OTHERS OR BOTH?
I work
mostly by myself, I like working with people but it’s hard to maintain a good
connection where I’m from. The area needs a hug in a big way. I like to
collaborate and help people reach their goals. It excites me to see an artist
triumph. Those after my own heart. I
worked with a few people on the album for the instrumental music and the
engineering. Those skills are not my
Forte’ yet but I’m learning.
WHAT WERE YOU IN A PAST LIFE, BEFORE YOU
BECAME INVOLVED IN MAKING MUSIC?
This is my
favourite question. Without giving you the huge back story, I believe I was a
rebel leader from Arabia or Africa. A young prince that wish to take down an
empire that was corrupt. I dreamed of liberating the people and helping them
realize they were their own Kings and Queens.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?
A new
Album actually. Right now I’m calling it Pharaohs and Prophets. I want it to
dive into other genres quite a bit. I don’t want it to be able to be classified
primarily as Hip Hop, but of course, that’s in the blueprint.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE TYPE OF MUSIC?
Indie Folk and then I like some psychedelic
stuff like Pink Floyd and MGMT. I love NIN, Led Zeppelin, Kanye West, Eminem,
Tupac, Kid Cudi, Childish Gambino, I could be here all day. There are so many
Gems. Kings of Leon, My Morning Jacket, Roling Stones, Gorrillaz, Artic
Monkeys. All day.
WHAT’S THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT YOU’VE EVER
RECEIVED?
One time
my song was on the radio and my friend Antonio called me. I never heard someone
sound so genuine. He said it was great and awesome that it was on and he liked
the song. But it wasn’t what he said; it’s how he said it. I knew he meant it
in a real way. It really moved me that he was that happy for me.
DESCRIBE THE FUNNIEST MOMENT YOU
EXPERIENCED IN YOUR WORK?
When I’m
in the booth, sometimes I mess up and I say the craziest things. There not
words there just really strange noises that were almost words. Words that
didn’t make it haha. We keep a record of them and play them back sometimes.
That always makes me laugh till my stomach hurts.
HOW MANY SEPARATE PIECES OF MUSIC HAVE YOU PRODUCED?
Just this
Album that came out. I do mix tape stuff with friends sometimes it isn’t so
serious though. That’s nice too. I get to make songs about that Hedonistic
Mindset. It’s like I usually do laps in the pool but sometimes I sit in a
Jacuzzi and just relax and have more fun then I should.
OTHER THAN MAKING MUSIC, WHAT ELSE DO YOU
LOVE?
I love
to write anything. Stories, poetry, my philosophical thoughts, Comedy, Sci Fi
drama. Anything and everything involving story, I may write or want to write in
the future.
I love the
people close to me. I love life, it is such an indescribable thing. An
impossible thing in a casual world. Yet here we are, Singing and dancing, and
fighting and loving, breathing and thinking for ourselves. I love that, it’s
strange and amazing.
IF YOU CREATED MUSIC FOR THE LEADERS OF THEWORLD,
WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?
I’d be
careful what I said. Wow this is a great question. An extremely difficult one
to answer. My first thought is “Will they see this?” Hmm. It would be a song
full of questions. It would be a Parlay for discourse; it wouldn’t be my ideas
to make the world a better place or what they should do. They know those
answers already. I would try to sit at the adult table and get past beating
around the bush in a polite sort of way. I would call the song “Why”.
My music Album:
(Also Available at several streaming and download sites besides
Itunes including Amazon, Spotify, Google play and many others)
The Book will be available
soon digitally and physically through Tate Publishing. It is called Missions: War
and Windmills Second Edition
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Logos_Grows
Clancy's comment: Mm ... a man with multiple skills.
I'm ...
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