Writer’s Seminar–Twenty Øne Piløts

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THE INTERVIEW:

 

Talk Show Host 1:  We have a very special guest with us today.

Talk Show Host 2: His name’s BlurryFace and he cares what you think.

TSH 1: Lead singer of the Alternative hip-hop–

TSH 2: Pop rock–

TSH 1: Indie pop–

TSH 2: Rap rock —

TSH 1: Electropop–

TSH 1 & 2: Alternative rock–

TSH 2: Duo Twenty One Pilots, we introduce to you Tyler Joseph.

Stressed out by TØP plays in the background as TJ makes his entrance. Music fades when it comes time for the TSH 1 to ask their first question.

TSH 1: Hi Tyler! How are you doing today?

TJ: I’m good. How are you?

TSH 1: We’re good!

TSH 2: So, Tyler. We could start off by asking you the generic “getting to know someone questions.” But, today, we’d like to start off with some of the more complex questions, which we think is very reflective of your music itself, as it is known to be very cryptic.

TSH 1: Actually, let’s start with the premise of “Twenty One Pilots.” You are definitely not the type to write or to create without meaning. So then–what is the significance of the name “Twenty One Pilots”?

TJ: I was studying a play–Arthur Miller’s All My Son’s– and in the play, someone made a decision, and they sent out faulty airplane parts during the war, and twenty-one pilots died because they sent them out. Then, that person who sent them out–that was the main character–he tried to justify why he sent those parts out, and he ultimately ended up committing suicide at the end of the play. For Josh and I, this reminds us to make the right decisions even when life isn’t easy. It reminds us to keep going. This is how we live life purposefully.

TSH 2: I really commend that. These days, I feel like people like to do things simply for the mere sake of doing them–there is no longer any depth to what people choose to create. It’s refreshing to see an exception to this staticness and how you have taken your own experience with literature and incorporated into your work.

TSH 1: Absolutely!  Now, let’s talk a bit about Josh Dun. Most of us know who he is your counterpart in this duo. But, for our viewers that may not be as familiar with Twenty One PIlots, would you mind telling us about him?

TJ: There was a guy I was playing with that I met through high school, and he ended up introducing me to Josh, and when you meet someone, you’re like, “Hey, yeah, let’s hang out sometime.” I don’t know how many times I say that, and it never happens. Well, this one actually did happen; we actually did hang out once. I’m glad that we did because we stayed up until all hours of the night talking about our dreams and our goals when it comes to music. When I got to that conversation, I was like, “This is a guy I want to play music with.” So, we just met through mutual friends and a good talk, and we’re still going strong. He’s the coolest guy I’ve ever met, and he’s my best friend.

TSH 2: And what would you say each of your respective roles are within the duo?

TJ: Josh has always said that he’s more of a drum guy and that I’m more of a lyrics guy.

TSH 1: So, what exactly does the writing process look like for you, the lyrics guy.

TJ: I think throughout the day– there are always lines or certain words– and I’ll just keep notes in my phone. It might just be one or two words, and then, that could inspire a whole song, lyrically. But really what I do musically is sit down and say, “I want to write this song.” I have an idea and a feel about where I want to go with it. I put together a song, and then I lay down vocals, and that was what I did for so long.

TSH 1: See people! It’s important to jot down ideas. Now, for some of our viewers, the answer to my next question might seem fairly obvious. But do you find that your writing is inspired by your own experiences, specifically your own emotions? Could you talk to us a bit about that?

TJ: I personally struggle with anxiety and depression. Seasonal Depression, especially. When you live in Ohio, and it gets very cold, sometimes it can get to ya. So Josh moved to LA to get away from that, and I stayed in Ohio because Seasonal Depression is where ya get all the good songs. And I had to write about how awful everything is. That’s how ya get the best songs.

TSH 2: We appreciate your insights, though they do seem somewhat bleak.

TJ: They do. And even though a lot of our songs might seem heavy, I’ve learned that you can be depressed or suicidal and still have joy. Sometimes, we all stop thinking, and we all stop talking, and we all stop sharing, and we all stop creating because, by doing any of these things, we quickly find out just how unhappy we are.

TSH 1: And how would you say we can prevent ourselves from doing this, despite our fears of realizing the extent of our own unhappiness?

TJ: Don’t let the fear of unhappiness cripple your pursuit of finding what it is you believe.

TSH 2: And what do you believe, Tyler?

TJ: That music can move. Music can change things. Music can make things hurt less. Music can make things make sense one verse at a time.

TSH 1: Thank you for sharing that wisdom with us, Tyler. We are close to time here, so before we conclude, do you have any last wisdoms to share with your audience?

TJ: Don’t give up. Push through the droughts. Channel the inevitable disappointments back into your craft. Break molds, think, create. But most importantly, stay alive. And in the meantime, make it about others; that seems to work. Stay strong, live on, and power to the local dreamer.

TSH 2: And power to you!

TSH 1:  Let’s have a round of applause for Tyler Joseph everybody.


ADVICE FRØM THE WRITER:

 

1)

 

 

 

“The beautiful things about writing is that when you can’t seem to write, you can write about not being able to write.”

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“Break Molds. Think. Create.”

~

 

→ What does this mean?

  • Seek inspiration from the unconventional– that is, the things we wouldn’t typically consider to be inspiring; this is an example of breaking the “mould”, which, in this case, refers to conformity because a mould is meant to mass produce one shape and one shape only. This is why he encourages us to break it.
  • Or to look at it from a different perspective, seek inspiration from what is obvious.
  • Writer’s block, for instance, is obvious because it is something that overtly affects us
  • It is also a commonality among every writer; thus, instead of resisting it, why not use it to create something instead?

 

2)

 

“The beginning of purpose is found in creating something that only you understand.”

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“Channel the inevitable disappointments back into your craft.”

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→ What does this mean?

 

  • Yes–seek inspiration from the unconventional, but, again, also seek inspiration from what you know and understand.
  • Tyler Joseph, for example, creates based on his own sadness (bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression etc.)
  • This is what Tyler means when he says “Channel the inevitable disappointments back into your craft.”
  • However, while the sadness he sings/writes about is clearly relatable, his experiences with depression are going to be different from any of our experiences with depression.
  • It’s a beautiful and ironic universality; he writes about something that only he understands–his own experience–yet, at the same time, most people have experienced depression.
  • By doing this–by creating from depression–he has found his purpose as both a musician and a writer, one that has been credited to saving many lives.
  • Yes, he writes about sadness and how unbearable it can be, but he also gives people hope–this is his purpose.

 

3)

“A lot of times, musicians and artists kind of sit back and let decisions be made for them, and I’m a big advocate for taking the reins. Now, for a band that is just starting out, you get yourself in front of five people and you make sure that those five people won’t forget your show. It’s all about the live show. Figure out something that’s going to get their attention. Do a backflip off stage, you know?”

~

 

→ What does this mean?

  • While this is an obvious reference to singing and performing musically in front of a group, this can still be applied to writing.
  • To put it simply–be unique. That is how people will remember you.
  • For example, Twenty One Pilots are known for their obscurity–their masks, their cryptic lyrics, etc– and it is this obscurity that makes them both unique and memorable.

TYPICALITIES ØF THE WRITER’S WØRK:

 

Motifs/Subject Matter:

  • One’s inner demons; am I good or am I evil? Am I pure or am I corrupt?

 

“I don’t know if this song is about me or the devil.”

— A lyric from the song “Judge” (Blurryface)

 

  • Loneliness; Is anyone there?… Maybe I’d be better off alone

 

“Go away…leave me alone.”

–A lyric from the song “Kitchen Sink” (Regional at Best)

 

~

 

“Don’t let me be gone!”

–A lyric from the song “Goner” (Blurryface)

 

  • Sadness; everything hurts

 

“I’m a goner, somebody catch my breath.”

–A lyric from the song “Goner” (Blurryface)

  • Hope/faith; things will turn out okay–I promise.

 

“Stay alive for me.”

–A lyric from the song “Truce” (Vessel)

 

→ This is TØP’s motto–stay alive; yes sometimes, Tyler Joseph’s songs explore suicidal ideation, but they also encourage us to live when we so badly do not want to.

 

Style:

→ Juxtaposition

  • In many songs, the melody juxtaposes the lyrics
  • Typically though, the songs will be written in a major key but the lyrics will tackle heavy subject matter, such as that pertaining to suicidal ideation
  • Again–reflective of hope; as Tyler Joseph said, “you can be depressed and still have joy” and with that joy, there is hope as well
  • The melodies represent the joy that may still exist in the presence of depression, while the lyrics represent the depression itself

 

→ Rhyme

  • All of TOP’s songs rhyme but not in a way that is juvenile
  • Meaningful rhyme
  • Not just one type of rhyme either–slant rhyme, end rhyme, internal rhyme etc

 

→ Metaphors

  • Abstract
  • Intentionally Cryptic–but not impossible to understand

 

“Please use discretion when you’re messing with the message man,

these lyrics aren’t for everyone–

only few understand.”

— Lyrics from the song “Message Man” (Blurryface)

→ Pathos

  • An emotional roadshow (also the name of their last tour)
  • Raw, emotionally charged writing

ANNØTATIØNS:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jseUbJrr0MrCisRPwQ3blq_RUtXrS7P2bHRikgIUP54/edit?usp=sharing


EMULATIØN: 

Disclaimer: This is currently a work-in-progress piece.

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By my standards,

he is a ten.

 

I’m sure you’re laughing right now,

but that’s not what I mean.

 

What I am trying to say is that,

on a scale from one to ten,

one being indicative of experiencing

little to no pain

and ten being indicative of experiencing

a pain whose existence is

capable of knocking the wind

straight out of me–

a hurt that I do not

dare to fathom

for fear of prolonging it–

he was a hurricane.

 

My hurricane.

 

The eye of the storm,

his calm ignorance

paralleled against the

violently cyclonic nature

of this heartache–

cacophonic in its impact,

and blasphemous

in every context of

the word “love”.

 

I don’t think

getting caught in the rain

has ever hurt quite this much.

 

This is how

I know I am drowning.

 


WHY IS THIS WRITER SIGNIFICANT TO ME?: 

I am in love with both music and poetry–they are my two greatest passions. And when you have music and poetry together? Now, that’s where the true magic lies. The only problem is that, these days, the music that plays on the radio–the “popular” music– comes across as sounding very juvenile to me, especially in terms of rhyme. The ideas might be meaningful and the music might be great, but if the writing isn’t there, then both the insight of the ideas and that greatness of the music can be negated-–they can kind of get lost in translation. And when something doesn’t sound intelligent, I don’t want to listen to it.

This being recognized, the thing about Twenty One Pilots is that they really have it all–they’ve got the magic. They provide their listeners with stylized musical composition and their lyrics are both clever and thought-provoking. And Tyler Joseph doesn’t rhyme just for the hell of rhyming. It’s meaningful rhyme. And rhyme, in general, is something that is very hard to do well. But Tyler Joseph is one of the few that does do it well. This is what enhances and intensifies the messages he wants to portray. And then there is just the fact that his writing is relatable. And anyone who knows me knows that relatability is one of the most important things to me. Because what’s the point of writing if you can’t inspire? If you can’t make the lonely feel less alone?

And Twenty One Pilots–well, their music has made me feel less alone.


GØØGLE SLIDE PRESENTATIØN:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/13DvISZMHHVm_WAEeC13ecMZ7MbwQ4Y_Yvts5ijuJSOU/edit?usp=sharing


Feature Image: Believers. (2016). [image] Available at: https://zinfer.deviantart.com/art/Believers-610084610 [Accessed 10 Jun. 2018].

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