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"There is nothing theorizable or interesting about death," Tom Krell says 30 minutes into his appearance on my podcast about death. He's speaking precisely. By "death," he means what he's learned of it from watching those close to him die. The annihilation of self. The finality of it. What he's not doing is dismissing the topic. Tom earned his PhD in philosophy, metaphysics specifically, so it makes sense he's intentional and unsparing with his words. But he also makes this beautiful music.
Under the name How to Dress Well, his art-damaged R&B soundtracked my bike rides the summer before my coma in 2014. Since then, his music has grown deeper and more promiscuous. He incorporates metal, noise, and field recordings on tracks with lyrics about the hegemony of realism and intergenerational trauma. But it's all wrapped around a spine of primal, haunting melody. In our conversation, Tom tells me how important it is for him to use direct language to discuss philosophical ideas. And that is what he's doing with his music. He piles layers of sound and meaning onto melodies to bury the ideas and feelings deep. I'm still listening.
This episode also includes the fun of Tom claiming Hegel, Heidegger, and Marx are easy to grasp and the rare TIYA exclusive! Here it is: Tom plans to call the new How to Dress Well album "Glow Palimpsest No Hell."
We talk about: working on philosophy in piecemeal while touring, writing about your own work, Gaspar Noe's Climax, exoteric vs. esoteric, his version of the "terribly stupid" movie Memento, consciousness as Hegelian "picture thinking," metaphysical cope.
This Is Your Afterlife is made possible by listeners like you on Patreon. Support the show & get bonus episodes by subscribing to TIYA After Dark:
https://www.patreon.com/thisisyourafterlife
Follow How to Dress Well:
https://howtodresswell.substack.com/
https://instagram.com/howtodresswell/
https://twitter.com/HowToDressWell
Listen to (and buy!) I Am Toward You. It's really very good:
https://howtodresswellmusic.bandcamp.com/album/i-am-toward-you
Follow TIYA, share your thoughts:
https://thisisyourafterlife.com/
https://www.instagram.com/thisisyourafterlife/
Music by TIYA house band Lake Mary:
https://lakemary.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/chaz.prymek/
Artwork by Matt Sage:
