A short talk with Business Of Dreams on accepting the finality of life, the differences between California and Tennessee, and writing about the past.
Diogo: In 2019, I wrote the following statement about "Chasing That Feeling":
"Exceptionally cathartic, "Chasing That Feeling" symbolizes the enjoyment of the moment, the longed-for escape from dissatisfaction, but also the notion that a fragment of us has been sacrificed during the route for freedom".
Diogo: How do you relate to this quote?
Corey: I'd say your description of "Chasing That Feeling" is exceptionally accurate. But also you touched on a sense of dissatisfaction that I certainly had at the time but I think I must have unconsciously communicated it because I didn't intend it to be in the spirit of the song. So you're very perceptive. I've attempted suicide around five times in my life and I feel like the willingness to accept the finality of life can also drive you to want to experience as much as you can if we're going to be stuck here.
Diogo: I also described your music as a "time machine", since it shows such genuine appreciation for 80s' jangle pop. In what ways do the stories from your past influence your music?
Corey: I almost always write about the past. Usually, I'm grappling with it in some way. I've had such a rough life and being able to share it with people through music has helped me. I hope that sharing my painful memories or joyful memories helps people in some way, too. I try not to use pronouns or get too specific with details so that whatever I've felt can be understood by anyone.
Diogo: California vs. Tennessee: what was the impact of living in both these states on your personal growth?
Corey: The song "Ripe For Anarchy" is about leaving Tennessee and taking a bus to San Francisco as a teenager despite never having been there before. Living in The South was hell for me as a kid. There were times when my mother and I were so poor we didn't have electricity or water. Sometimes I'd bathe in the river by our house. Most of the kids made fun of me for being so poor so I'd walk half a mile past my house to catch the bus in the morning. So I thought California was going to be the lost city of El Dorado, a golden paradise. It was for a while but when San Francisco changed, it changed fast and it was no longer a place for artists. Los Angeles was great for a few years but it changed pretty fast, too. It was more fodder for lyrics, more misery for the music.
"Ripe For Anarchy" music video, directed by Joey Izzo
Diogo: What changes did you witness in both San Francisco and Los Angeles? Could you explain how did these changes bring "more fodder for lyrics, more misery for the music"?
Corey: San Francisco was always expensive but by 2012 it was pretty untenable. All the practice spaces were closing down, DIY venues were closing or being replaced by pay-to-play venues. I saw tech people sleeping in tents putting on suits before work. A total wasteland. The only people left who can make music there are making a lot of money or have wealthy parents. I moved to LA because there was still a semblance of DIY culture but that evaporated pretty fast, too. I had a practice space for maybe a year before it was bought and converted to condos. “My Old Town” is about the San Francisco I knew but it could just as easily be about Los Angeles. “Was it ever mine?” is a lyric I like a lot. We can live in these places but they’re going to change whether we like it or not. But for a minute it feels like you belong there.
Diogo: What can we expect from Business Of Dreams in the future?
Corey: I'm almost done with my next album which is called Passing Place. It was written between 2017 and 2020. I've also finished a book of poetry that will be available early next year and a zine about abusive relationships that I'm going to be giving away for free to anyone who wants it.
Diogo: Passing Place songwriting process starts during a pre-Covid 19 stage, but ends up taking place throughout the pandemic. How did this scenario influence the development of your work?
Corey: COVID didn’t do much to my creative process besides buying me time. Thankfully. This album would have come out when bands weren’t touring and when albums disappeared even faster during press cycles. In the meantime, I got out of an abusive relationship and got married. It was good timing but I definitely wish there wasn’t an ongoing pandemic.
Corey Cunningham (a.k.a. Business Of Dreams) will release a new album called Passing Place in the near future. Meanwhile, Corey put out a free zine about abusive relationships, and a book of poems, brilliantly titled When The Swallows Come Back.
Comments