Who is Pizza Boy?
April 17, 2015 | Blog, Music,
I love pizza boy’s music. I am not entirely sure why, but I love it when artists take the filter off and spew their innerworkings into wav files. Im not going to describe pizza boy, instead I’ll leave you with this quote, “yes I know my songs are audio manifestations of the sexal tension between Jimmy Neutron and Cindy Vortex. fucking listen to them.”
With that here are two of my favorites of his. Then hear what the pizza boy himself has to say about his craft.
How would you describe your style?
My style is anything I want it to be, when I want it to be it. I think people already have a proclivity to want to assign the new and unknown to a label they’re familiar with in order to aid with understanding, and I think that’s exactly how misunderstandings come about. Despite the simple, primal urges, humans are pretty complex beings. It’s a goal of mine to not contribute to the neglect of that actuality. I sense this societal insistence upon simplification that I think does an injustice to how multidimensional we are. If we really want to understand people, it might be best not to look for so many reference points or put a limit on how much a personality can contain.
Buuuuuuut… If I had a gun to my head, I suppose my style is like if Chuckie Finster and Daria Morgendorffer somehow had a child, and that child decided to be a rapper.
What’s the most overlooked thing in music?
The creative process itself. Sometimes I wonder if the listener not seeing what all goes into a song – the frustration, revision, contemplation, consideration – is for the better, but then again, I wonder if transparency in the “assembly line” would help the art to be more appreciated. I’m still unsure. I like to experiment with that idea as often as I can. I feel like the perception of the artist is kind of draped in mysticism, and while that helps give appeal, it also hurts respect a bit, I think. Like, the public doesn’t really view the process as something laborious, but rather abstract and painless. The creation of art isn’t always a series of magical, intuitive moments, although it’s awesome when it is. Then again, I can only speak for myself. All I know is that a lot of what I do is deliberate and pretty painstaking.
What’s your personal philosophy/mission statement?
I suppose I make it a mission to be myself so that someone else feels okay to do the same. That’s what a lot of my favorite work does for me.
What is the significance of pizza boy vs. Melvin Burch as an alter ego?
Well, the thing is, he’s not. I actually don’t know the guy. He’s been claiming that I’m copying his persona for months now, and frankly, I’m tired of it. He can go kick a bag of rocks while barefoot. I mean, we’re nothing alike.
See for yourself.
https://soundcloud.com/melvinburch
https://soundcloud.com/iampizzaboy
What is something that makes you respect another musician or artist?
The unquenchable desire to innovate. The willingness to do something that doesn’t have much of a precedent. Basically, if you’re trying to do something you’ve never heard, seen, felt, or thought of before that moment, you have my respect.
As far as instrumentals, what are you drawn towards?
It’s funny; I’m a picky eater when it comes to beats, but I sort of pride myself on being ready to rap on anything. Still, the ideal pizza boy instrumental exists, it’s just difficult to pin to one common thread. I’ve realized that I gravitate towards moody/somber things, but I can’t do too much of that or I’ll feel boxed in. That’s usually when I switch to something particularly absurd, boisterous, or strikingly peculiar. I don’t always know the exactly quality I’m looking for while searching for a backdrop, but without fail, I’ll perk up when I hear it. It’ll be undeniable. It’ll feel like I’ll go mad if I don’t write to it.
If all else fails, I’ll just make something myself. I started producing my own music back in 2009 for that very reason. All else failed. Haha. But yeah, if there’s something I want to hear, and I’m not finding it, I’ll try to bring it into existence.
What has influenced you in your music?
As much as I try to stay influence-free, it’s virtually impossible. The whereabouts of my ex and random classmates, sleep deprivation, campy television shows… Anything that I’ve experienced or am currently being affected by is an influence. I just draw from my circumstance and what I’ve surrounded myself with, equally.
How would you spend $20,000 if you just happened upon it in a briefcase on the ground?
I’m certain I could spend it all in under 24 hours. Fast food, various internet subscriptions, at least 100 bottles of cocoa butter, plenty of orders placed here… This list would go on for paragraphs.
What clothes would describe you most?
A dark jacket on top of some kind of pop culture t-shirt, skinny jeans, and black & white low-top Converse. That’s pretty much what I wear every day. It’s, like, the classic pizza boy attire. If I were in a cartoon or video game, that’d be my default design. It’s comfortable to me.
I suppose an alternate/unlockable outfit would be a Randy Brown jersey with a purple thong.
Does the idea of other people feeling what you feel comfort you? Why do you like to make music?
Great question. Oddly enough, it depends. It’s a dilemma. On one side, I want to connect with the audience, because that’s what great music does. I want people to relate to me, find commonalities, feel something… I want to build a genuine, deep artist-listener relationship. But there’s a side that…
This could sound naive or “childish”, but once you find out that a feeling or thought isn’t exclusive to you, and actually shared by a large amount of people, you feel less “special.” And then you start to question your individuality and what you truly have to offer. Questions like “Am I basic?” come to mind when analyzing yourself…
It can get ugly. Haha. The smaller/bigger the world becomes, the more you have to alter your outlook and what you find to be original. And since I’m so concerned with putting things into the world that aren’t already there, I think sometimes I’d prefer someone respond to my music with “Hmm. I never would have imagined that.” over “I agree completely! I’m glad you said what I was feeling! I thought I was the only one!” But that probably wouldn’t help my career as much, so… There’s the tug and pull.
As far as why I like making music? It feels as vital as breathing now. I just have to. It’s therapy, it’s me entertaining myself, amusing myself… it’s an opportunity to connect or inspire, it’s a chance to create the reality I want… It’s everything to me. I don’t really want to do anything else other than create.
Random tidbits:
– I’ve been rapping since I was 14.
– Lil Wayne’s Da Drought 3 mixtape is the reason I started rapping.
– Graduated from The Art Institute of California – San Diego last year with a Bachelor’s in Audio Production.
– I drink pickle juice out of the jar.