Maxi Curnow: Car Crashes, Creativity, And A Life-Altering ‘Transition’ [Interview]
Maxi Curnow makes music with a strong, no-punches-pulled message. Blending everything from poppy hooks to tech-metallic intensity on his new track If We Make It, and accompanying said song with a powerfully unsettling video (viewable below), he’s already making an impact.
TMMP caught up with Maxi Curnow to discuss the video for If We Make It, and got a glimpse into the reality of life spent saving lives and staying creative…
Your new video for If We Make It is one of the most gut-wrenching videos I’ve seen in a while. Can you explain the story and message behind it?
Well, while working on and off duty I’ve been to traumatic RTCs (Road Traffic Collisions), which have really hit home how vulnerable we are despite the safety features that most cars boast.
You are still responsible for a one-tonne missile, going at 70 miles an hour, which is made of metal. Our bodies can’t compete with that! So even if a seatbelt stops us, on impact our organs will keep on going.
If they rupture, you will start bleeding internally and that’s not a quick fix, all while on the surface you may not even have a scratch.
More importantly, it’s not just ourselves that we are responsible for when driving. What if you hit a pedestrian, someone’s mum, dad, or child because you have a temporary lapse of judgement? I wouldn’t wish that guilt on anybody.
I figured if my music had the potential to be seen by people, then I wanted to attach an important message to a music video! Unfortunately safety is massively unfashionable, so I tried to do it in a unique way.
Was there a particular event that inspired the song/video?
A few. Once, I was off duty when there was a 60 mile an hour crash right in front of me, and I did my best to deal with the casualties before the emergency services turned up.
There was a van on its side and the driver had been thrown all over the cabin. He was stable but traumatized, and you could see how violently he had been shaken in this metal cage. It’s a fine line between trying to help someone in a situation like this, because the wrong movement could make an injury worse or even paralyse someone, so it’s very daunting when facing an RTC casualty.
As a firefighter, it’s safe to say you’ve seen some horrific things. How do you keep it together in such high-pressure situations? It doesn’t seem like something that just anyone could do as a full-time job…
At the time, you just switch off the emotional side of your head and crack on with your job as efficiently as possible while keeping calm and composed.
I am quite good at doing this, but after an incident I tend to be hit by the emotional side, like it’s delayed.
I’m yet to see as much as some of my colleagues who have been in for longer, but suffice to say after hearing stories, you don’t wish RTC tragedy on anyone. It’s a massive killer, and it’s too easy to forget that sometimes.
If We Make It appears on your upcoming debut album, Transition. What was your creative process while writing and recording that album?
The album spans a time in my life when I went through great change. Over about six months a lot happened to me, from family passing to big job and personal life changes.
I can hear how my writing style changes track by track, although unfortunately they are not in chronological order! This is why it’s called Transition.
The title track sums up and concludes the newly established equilibrium and way of thinking. Some songs relate to incidents I’ve attended, others are about personal struggle – and I’ve been very honest with my lyrics. I mean every word I sing.
Overall, it’s about accepting the ups and downs and remembering who you are, and that things can always get better.
Your sound is impossible to pigeonhole, taking in everything from commercially friendly songcraft to tech-metal’s rhythmic intensity. So I have to bring out a super-clichéd question: Who were your influences while writing and recording Transition?
Oh man, there’s a corker! To be honest, I’ve never actively tried to sound a certain way; each song just comes out different.
It’s a problem because like you say it’s impossible to market! I love Jeff Buckley, John Mayer, Thomas Newman, Dave Brubeck, Monuments, and I’m sure there are influences here and there, but they are all quite diverse!
Forrester Savell, Karnivool’s producer, was involved with some of the heavier tracks; Acle Kahney from Tesseract with others; and Luke Martin of Plini, too. As a result, the album spans at least four different genres with three different mixers!
How did you evolve as a musician and as a person while working on Transition?
I think I changed a lot. My writing style is already very different from the first tracks I recorded. I think it’s becoming more refined, accessible and musical. Technical, but in a more mature way.
I remember when I wrote If We Make It; I thought for the first time, I think this is the best track I’ve written! This was odd, because I’m very hard on myself! But damn, now I can’t top this.
Then it happened with Shape Of You, then it happened with Transition, so luckily it’s felt like an upward expansion, and I’m actually pleased with the outcome for a change!
Beyond the album release, are you planning to take Transition on tour?
Yes! I’m getting a live band together, and planning to work with some of the session players onstage.
What items remain on your bucket list?
Another safety-related music video, and hopefully an audience who gets the message!
It would be really nice to launch this project for the first time and get the music out to people who might enjoy it. Fingers crossed the message in this video will make people think.
Links / Video
Maxi Curnow on Facebook and Twitter.
Safe Drive Stay Alive official website.
The Fire Fighter’s Charity official website.
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