What do we know about the life and philosophy of Richard D. James?

[Guest Silke]

The borderline personality of Richard D. James tries to act like the personality of a comedian and also I think, in his heart he is very sad. Emotional he is not very intelligent. His emotions reflect his music and his music is pessimistic in an deranged way, because Richard finds he is just "water and electricity". Emotional affliction and mental suffering are the fundamental emotional base of creativity. The secret of brilliancy in art lives from suffering (humanity) in consideration of creativity. Richard should be glad about his sadness, without sadness, there is no happiness, so, at everyone out there, be glad about your sad life.

[Guest Dr. Elemeno von Hat X: PhD]

well... how'd you figure all this out?

 

you may be looking at the right widget at the wrong angle...

 

i've had depression with me all my life, definitely makes you crack down and think about things differently. i'll get into a classic, hardcore emotional nihilism situation. but, richard has never mentioned it anywhere, nor has he seemed over-mororse or anything. he did once mention thinking society was pretty sick and stupid or something, however... when i think of politics, the world, i get something different. i guess i feel kind of like a parent, worrying about a sick kid. i can see just about any artist feeling that pain, even if they don't normally suffer depression.

 

i would say he's definitely not stupid, but no idea how towards intelligent he is. music is partly a symbolic language and takes some brains, as does all musical gear and computer crap. interviews where he doesn't fuck around are often fun with some interesting undertones.

 

to tie those together, all the weird lies he spews might be a way of partly keeping the world at bay while still buying...

 

by the way - you don't necessarily have to be miserable to suffer humanity, it just helps you concentrate.

[Guest jacderida]

Based on the shitloads of interviews that I've read or heard, I've got no idea why you would come to the conclusion that he's depressed or suffering.

 

To me it sounds like he's totally content and happy with his life.

 

Regarding how smart he is, I think it's pretty safe to say that he's very intelligent. I'd base that on the vast amount of great music that he's made (yeah, I know you don't necessarily have to be smart to make good music), and in interviews he also talks about dabbling in electronics and computer programming. Again, not saying that you have to be a genius to be half decent at either of those, but to me it at least implies some level of above average intelligence.

[chim]

to say that sadness is the only true source of creativity is fucking bullshit. i personally like sombre, intimate music but i make just as nice music when i'm feeling on top of the world.

 

it's just stupid to lump music and other creativities into a type of sadness.. for what reason really?

 

making music is about diving into different worlds that you feel a connection with, to visit the depths of your own universe. every track is like a field trip into it's own world.

 

rdj's music could be melancholic, but above all, it's nostalgic, reflective and very very intimate. Which is why i think people identify with his music moreso maybe in comparison to most electronic acts. He just says, "fuck sounding like ppl want me to sound, fuck selling, i just want to make music for myself, be with myself" and out of that comes very introspective music

 

what the fuck does intelligence have to do with music.

 

he comes off as a very intelligent and calculating person in the interviews that make any sense, he's not spouting out bullshit or a laugh in every single one. i dont think he gives much of a fuck about things, he's the kind of person who maybe says, "yeah it's bad".. then goes off to have a joint or have fun. it's pointless to stick yourself in mental catch 22's and wallow in your own misery.

 

I dont think he has any preference for sad music, he said himself that he likes music where you can't quite put a finger on what emotion it's conveying.

 

i've been severely depressed at some occasions in my life, but i don't think my creative exhuberations in those times were any more special than the stuff i'm doing now. everything has its own value and meaning, and a state where you feel accepting of yourself and generally glad about life, you're more clearsighted when it comes to your own feelings and opinions about things..

 

I have been very solitary and i think that loneliness has given me a very introspective look on things, which has made me enjoy more inward, sombre stuff I guess. But being social, happiness, can be as much an inspiration as anything else.

 

but anyway.. somewhat clinically depressed people might associate more with music made in a depressive state, but it doesnt give you the right to call non-depressive music somewhat less creative to elevate yourself

[Guest Glass Plate]

He has a beard. He's pro-beard.

[Guest Dr. Elemeno von Hat X: PhD]

i still want to know his hair policy.

[chim]

i still want to know his hair policy.

 

it seems to change all the time.. he completely shaved it off in his early years i think at times.. now it's longer than longcat

[Guest Dr. Elemeno von Hat X: PhD]

[Guest bocae]

I just think he is arrogant because he makes a lot of money. Money is disturbing his mind.

[Guest Dr. Elemeno von Hat X: PhD]

there's an easy way to fix that

 

throw some massive, massive free parties

[Guest AlexPallas]

richard seems pretty happy to me, always pulling pranks. in fact the only time he ever seemed mad to me is when that girl from mtv asked him about his dead brother. even so he just got quiet...wait hold on, this thread is a joke right?

[Josso]

I think he's potentially had some sad/depressing times judging from selected tracks but I guess we all have at one point. I wouldn't call him depressed, I'd say most of the time he enjoys himself... especially fucking about with the fans, he seems to mess people about a bit (much to his amusement I should think).

[Aphex_Squarepusher_Twin]

aphex twin!!! apheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeex!!! the craziest man i've never seen, he's wild, a wild personnage! ever happy 4 me! if u listen some his music as sadness... sorry, no... it's not bcause we're sad we compose sad music... "he's depressed or suffering" ---> what??!!? do u know his life? r u his best friend? i'm not sure when we're drepressed or suffering, we can compose or write, the only thing we think is the pain we have... :devil: u! yes u! don't touch my apheeeeeeeeeeeeeeex! ok? :fee:

 

4 his music. i think in his debut he smoked weed... especially in his period of SAW II... after aphex twin is not very intelligent? u forgot ... I Care Because You Do until Drukqs!!! after the Analord series!!! i'm not sure if he's not very intelligent he wouldn't composed all that... after with the media, imagine the number of journalist want 2 ask him!! he can be ridiculous or nervous or ... whatever!! his brain has exploded!!!!!!!!!.

 

i c a lot of Aphex Twin's shortcoming, but i c also the inverse, his quality... so i've never thinked he's depressed... only he's raving mad!!! MAAAAAAAD!!!! (it's why i love him, fraternally, i specify :grin: )

 

apheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeex!!!

[Guest Dr. Elemeno von Hat X: PhD]

I can feel a lot of passion and dispair eminating from "Giant Deflating Football"

[Q27]

richard seems pretty happy to me, always pulling pranks. in fact the only time he ever seemed mad to me is when that girl from mtv asked him about his dead brother. even so he just got quiet...wait hold on, this thread is a joke right?

 

Where can I see that interview?

[Guest Quoth]

richard seems pretty happy to me, always pulling pranks. in fact the only time he ever seemed mad to me is when that girl from mtv asked him about his dead brother. even so he just got quiet...wait hold on, this thread is a joke right?

 

Where can I see that interview?

y00t00be.

[Guest Fran]

Thankfully, he kept his personal life to himself and we can´t really say much about his personality, other than the interpretation you can take from some songs. For instance Father is a rather creepy song, if it is dedicated to his father, since Drukqs is his most reflective album. Other than that, I never seen much gossip about his life.

[Guest Rook]

For instance Father is a rather creepy song, if it is dedicated to his father, since Drukqs is his most reflective album.

 

 

I read that it was called father simply because his father liked it.

[Guest Caustic]

I'll post it when I get home.

Because youtube doens't work on these shitty PCs.

 

Faggy thread.

[Guest Caustic]

Ok I think the video has been removed.

[Guest Idiron]

i think aphex twin was touched by the vicar when he was young

[Guest Glass Plate]

wow imagine aphex reading this thread? I think he'd stop after 2 or 3 posts.

[Guest Caustic]

wow imagine aphex reading this thread? I think he'd stop after 2 or 3 posts.

He's on my ignore list

[Guest organizedconfusedproject]

look at the guy from the venetians (aaron funk, isn't it ?]=>he may be bipolar =>one track called Lithium Twatting on "Horse and Goat", lithium being used to treat this disease. In Kétsarkú Mozgalom on Rossz Csillag Alatt Szueletett you can hear Marilyn Monroe, in a very depressiv mood talking about "an hapiness that [she] can't remember now" (...I guess it's marilyn...).

What's a bipolar disorder ? It's switching all the time between good and bad mood. Statistically, it's twenty times as likely to be a "great man" (artist or politician or whatever) when you are bipolar.

So there is a very close relation between genius or creativity and bipolar disorder. The greatest artists (i.e. beethoven, van gogh, rimbaud) show symptoms of a bipolar disorder, but they arn't because it would be too simplistic.

I think it's the case of RDJ : he is a too big fucking mental barbarian to be analysed by anybody

[Guest Renivatio]

lol.