Inside the head of…Adam Faucett

Adam Faucett is a singer songwriter hailing from Benton, Arkansas. Possessing a voice that ‘knocks your brain into the back of your skull’ (The Onion A.V Club), his songs are beautiful and hollering and raw, almost Southern Gothic in their telling. He has three albums under his belt, the latest being Blind Water Finds Blind Water which Faucett describes himself as being “all almost word for word true autobiographical accounts of my life in the not-so-Southern, not-so-Midwestern bastard state of mind that is Central Arkansas. This record, written on the run physically and emotionally, is a mapping of a moment guided by the whim and mercy of others. Water, blind and helpless moves not where it wants but where it’s allowed.” You can listen to all his albums on Spotify here and we can’t recommend it highly enough. Perfect for summer days and night time driving. Enjoy his brain map interview below.

1. Do you actively do anything to keep your brain healthy, and if so what? I must keep moving, travel, not associate too deeply with any certain group of people.

2. What or who mentally stimulates your growth the most? Traveling abroad

3. If you could add or take away anything from your brain what would it be? Dark leanings toward self destruction and overall disappointment in the human race.

4. Are you more emotion or reason based when making decisions? Reason. Unless I’m angry.

9. What smells do you most associate with your childhood? Cigarette smoke, gasoline.

10. If you could only live on five ingredients for the rest of the life, what would they be? Chicken, rice, broccoli, water, alcohol

11. Do you have spiritual needs and if so how do you nourish them? My spirituality at it’s core is genuinely knowing, respecting and becoming my surroundings. (We are from the same star and bang). I have seen a few unexplained apparitions and have had visions into the near future that came to fruition. Though often terrifying, I spend absolutely no time trying to figure out what it means or what it was.  That to me is not spirituality and I let the unknown flow through me and leave in hopes that it will not return.

12. Do you have a place you go to, either physically or mentally, where you feel the most at peace? The bar.

13. Do you think that people need some form of discomfort to make art? For me discomfort is distracting.

14. Are you more motivated by the promise of reward or the threat of punishment? I really don’t know why I do what I do. I feel like I’m usually running from depression.

15. How much does your conscience/morals come into play when making decisions? Most all of the time. It’s very important to me to do and be  what I say.

16. Do you ever experience your emotions in physical ways? If so, how? I’ve been so low before that my bones hurt.

17. What is your least favourite physical sensation? Being tickled.

18. What is your favourite physical sensation? Three or four shots of whiskey in.

19. Do you think a person has to understand art in order to be able to appreciate it? Absolutely not. That is the beauty of art. It’s the mysteries and the speculations  of the world we know very little of that keeps magic alive.

20. What is your earliest memory? I know it sounds like bullshit but you asked. I remember the day I was born. I don’t remember the act of being born but I remember laying in a dark room and not being able to discern what it was I was barely able to see. I remember that I was terrified. Very confusing moment. After that brief moment I can remember being two years old and on.

21. If you got alzheimers or dementia what memory or memories would you be saddest to lose – or – which ones would cause the biggest loss of your personal identity? My travels are dear to me.

22. Do you expect happiness in your life? I demand it.  The white whale will take me with it in all hopes.

23. Do you feel like falling in love is a spiritual or chemical process? Chemical first and later spiritual if it is genuine after the chemicals have worn off.

24. Do you try and avoid feeling negative emotions or do you feel it is more constructive to experience your emotions fully? Can’t feel happiness until I feel relieved. Never deny yourself pain.

25. What flaws do you think you have when it comes to communicating with other people? I’m lofty. I don’t like teams or groups. I’m not as interested in sex as it seems most are. I find inspiration in the negative. I have a deep and great appreciation and respect for the macabre. I have been told I am the silliest person many people have met. I can go weeks without saying much in a serious light. I speak in funny voices and make jokes constantly. That’s probably a part of the running from chemical not situational depression.

26. How do you deal with situations or individuals that fail to stimulate you creatively or emotionally? Do you  avoid this situations/have a set of tools in which to navigate them? Again silliness cures all. If you can’t entertain me, I can.

27. What do you think your ex partners would say the hardest thing about loving you was? I keep awkward hours.  I enjoy taking things way too far. Rarely do I need  physical interaction. I’m gone for long periods of time and I don’t consult anyone about it. I am an awful partner. Sometimes I wish I could just be happy at the house watching television but I can’t.