Little josh is given. Twenty One Pilots: Long-awaited interview with Josh Dun
Twenty One Pilots(the band's name is always written in lowercase) have made a lot of noise over the past few years with their experiments on musical style and remarkable live performances.
Debuting in 2009 and signing to Fueled by Ramen in 2012, the band, consisting of vocalist Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun, released two warmly critically acclaimed album: "Vessel" and "Blurryface". The last one became theirs business card. Their lyrical, cheeky lyrics resonated with many fans around the world.
Upcoming concerts Twenty One Pilots in Russia will be held on February 2, 2019 in Moscow (VTB Arena) and February 4 in St. Petersburg ( Ice Palace).
The name Twenty One Pilots is taken from the play by Arthur Miller.
In college, Tyler Joseph studied Miller's play All My Sons, about a man who stands in front of moral choice after knowingly selling defective parts for Air Force aircraft, resulting in the deaths of twenty-one pilots during World War II. Inspired by this moral dilemma, Joseph names the group "Twenty-One Pilots." It was precisely such ethical questions and real-life situations that became the basis for many of the group’s songs.
The musicians put photographs of their grandfathers on the cover of “Vessel”
The two older men on the cover of Fueled by Ramen's debut release are the grandfathers of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun. Joseph and Dan thought it would be cool because no one had done it before.
Their ski masks symbolize facelessness
After the release of the album "Vessel", Twenty One Pilots began to often wear balaclavas during live performances, and at the MTV Movie Awards in 2013 the audience even followed suit. In interviews, the band stated that the ski masks were a way to not only catch people off guard at concerts, but also to make the music more impersonal and thus irrelevant—separating it from faces and names so people could make it their own.
Blurryface is the character the album was named after.
Tyler Joseph said that Blurryface is a character he made up, personifying his own complexes and the complexes of other people. To get into character on stage, he would apply black paint to his neck and arms, which he said symbolizes the fear of suffocation (paint on his neck) and the things he makes with his hands (paint on his hands). He also wears red wristbands because red is the character's color.
They tried to attract the attention of stage workers during concerts
When Twenty One Pilots were just a small band in Columbus, they tried to attract the attention of everyone in the club, even the bartenders who served the customers. In an interview, Tyler said that they tried to ensure that even the support staff would stop what they were doing for a second and look at the stage.
They are Christians, but not Christian performers
Both Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun said that they are Christians, but do not intend to convince anyone of anything through music. However, since their beliefs are important to them, they often slip into the texts and general symbolism one way or another.
Tyler once threw a patron out of a concert.
One day, Tyler Joseph stopped the show because he saw a guy in the audience hit a girl. He stopped playing and, along with several other people, pushed him off the court.
Twenty One Pilots won't say what their logo means
Tyler Joseph drew the band's logo himself, and calls it the "kitchen drain." He stated that this had a certain meaning for him, as well as the fact that he the only person who knows what it symbolizes. And if he tells, then the meaning will be lost.
None of the band members play guitar
Twenty One Pilots usually rely on synthesizers, ukuleles and drums, which makes their music quite unique because they don't use a guitar at all. This is because neither Joseph nor Dan play it. They say that if they used a guitar, they would have to find someone to play it, and then the music would go through someone who is not part of the group.
Josh played drums in House of Heroes
Before joining Tyler Joseyaw in Twenty One Pilots, Josh Dun was the touring drummer for the rock band House of Heroes. After original members Nick Thomas and Chris Sahlin left the band, Dan, who worked at Guitar Center with Sahlin, met Joseph and they began playing together.
Tyler Joseph released solo album
While still in school, Tyler Joseph released a mini-album of Christmas songs. He was also featured on the live performance of "Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel" for Five14 Church's "Christmas with the Stars" and as backing vocalist on Dallon Weeks' (Panic! at the Disco) single "Sickly Sweet Holidays."
Tyler also appeared in videos for his church.
Before Twenty One Pilots became famous throughout the world, Tyler Joseph was shining acting talents V short videos, which he and several others from his church in Ohio did. In the video, titled "The (moderately inspiring tale of the) Longboard Rodeo Tango," he plays an intern who discovers that his comrades are a gang of skateboarders.
The album "Vessel" was written without any special expectations that anyone would hear it
When Vessel was released, the band was still fairly unknown, so when they went into the studio to record, no one expected anything from them. However, the band said that when they recorded "Blurryface" it was hard not to think about the fact that somewhere out there there was an audience hungry for this record.
They shot a video for Will Smith's Rachno
In one of his most interesting videos on "House of Gold", the group appears before the audience in the middle of some kind of wasteland and half of their body is torn off. But the place itself is also of interest. The video was filmed at a ranch north of Los Angeles that belongs to Will Smith.
Once they got a tattoo right on stage
Both Tyler and Josh have an X tattoo that they got on stage in Columbus. Joseph wears it on his forearm and Dan wears it behind his right ear, symbolizing the dedication of fans in their hometown.
The American band Twenty One Pilots is one of the biggest new names in modern music. The video for their main hit Stressed Out collected 700 million views on YouTube, and tickets for the Moscow concert at the Stadium were sold out six months before the show. The price for a ticket to the dance floor from resellers reached 30 thousand rubles. Before the performance, Lenta.ru met with band members Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun and discussed their sudden popularity.
Lenta.ru: When you started, you probably thought about success. Now Twenty One Pilots are one of the most popular bands in the world. How do you feel about your current success? Did he turn out to be what you previously imagined him to be?
Tyler Joseph: There is a lot in all of this that we simply could not expect. There are some aspects of popularity that we couldn't imagine. But me and Josh, we always believed in our band. Everything that we talked about before - what we want, what we would like to become - it all happened. This is very good feeling. Feeling confident. An artist always doubts his art, and this doubt always accompanies the creative process. But when people appreciate what you do, it really helps.
And our daily life is pretty crazy now: all these endless trips and so on. None of us traveled that much until we started performing. See different countries- this is a dream come true. This is our first time in Russia, and I must say, it was worth it.
What are the unexpected consequences of popularity?
Josh Dun: It’s hard to imagine what your normal daily life turns into. When we discussed our ideas and dreams before, we only thought about playing on stage in front of a lot of people. That was the main thing. But we somehow didn’t think about what life consists of before and after performing on stage. And we are still learning how to live in this new situation for us. Just take our conversation with you. I would never have thought that we could end up in Russia and someone would be so interested in our group that they would ask us about our life there.
In the video for the song Lane Boy, two people dance on stage with you in chemical protection and with the inscription “success” on their chests. Does this mean that you think success is poison?
T.D.: I said that success can give confidence. This is his positive side. But there are also many negative sides. There is a temptation to do things just for the sake of success and fame. When this comes to the fore, the art suffers. We have seen from our own experience the veracity of these words. Lane Boy is a song where we spoke frankly about writing, about pop culture, about wanting to get on the radio, to be famous. With this song we kind of protected ourselves from this negative side of success. These two guys in chemical protection symbolize exactly that. At the end of the video, they fall to their knees in front of me - this is our way of showing that we are overcoming all this.
This song also contains the line: “I can only truly create at concerts.” What does it mean?
T.D.: Good question. I was trying to say that I feel most free in creative sense exactly on stage. At this moment, no one can tell us what to do. Everything happens so quickly when you're in front of people. On the one hand, this is a great nervous shock, pressure, and on the other hand, complete freedom.
Concerts are the most important thing for us. Yes, we write and record songs, but we focus primarily on performing. We write songs just to play. more concerts. In Lane Boy we're talking about about what kind of songs we want to write. This song itself was born out of a longing for the freedom that I feel on stage.
We go through phases: what's written gets recorded in the studio, and we can't wait to go on tour so we can play it live. But after playing enough on tour, we think about new songs - this is the cycle.
How does songwriting happen?
T.D.: I try to write more texts separately from the music, so that they are more meaningful and rich. When you then combine this with music, something completely unexpected comes out in the end. Now we are forced to compose on the road. This is our life now. Our last album, Blurryface, was written entirely on the road. The concerts we play and our fans have an impact great influence to music, because often we write immediately after the performance.
Do you sketch on your laptop?
T.D.: Yes, there is a laptop with all my sounds, and when we are on the bus, we have a mini-studio there. And the microphone is always with me. And there is always a phone on which I hum and talk ideas. I write down all sorts of interesting phrases and words, and they pull along various images. Then all this can take shape in a song.
When there are only two people in a group, is it easier or more difficult to play?
D.D.: Probably both. Sometimes it gives you more freedom. We can rely on technology: among other things, it frees our hands on stage. The show is supposed to entertain, to captivate people - and sometimes that doesn't involve playing instruments at all. We can afford to do more than just play instruments. But on the other hand, be in our group more people, we could make the sound even more rich. And fill the scene itself: because when there are only two of you, sometimes you feel very vulnerable and too open. All the attention of the audience is concentrated only on you. But it makes us look really cool ( laughs).
Could you tell us more about this character, Blurryface, whose name your album is named after? Maybe someone will be surprised by your appearance on stage and in videos with your arms and neck painted black.
T.D.: I had the idea to make an album that would be a story about someone. But I didn't want it to be just some kind of real existing person. I wanted to dive deeper into myself. There is something that I am constantly working on and constantly struggling with, and that is uncertainty. This is what I don't like about myself. I think it’s like that for every person. But I wanted to give this uncertainty a name, a face, a story. Something I can focus on, try to understand, make sense of. Blurryface is a character who personifies uncertainty - be it at a live concert or everyday life. I paint my neck black - this is how I show that Blairface, uncertainty, is choking me. Black hands are a symbol of how uncertainty can paralyze creativity and, in general, everything you do. Someone will see this as a familiar situation and will try to defeat Bluerface. The album captures several such attempts. I liked focusing on something specific when writing new album, instead of just recording a bunch of disparate songs. There is a thread running through the entire album. And this is what is happening to us right now. And we wonder what will happen next.
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for CBS Radio
So, Blairface will still appear?
T.D.: Yes, because the story must have some kind of outcome: does everything continue as before or is it all over with this character. Either he turned into someone else, or some kind of new character. We don’t know exactly which direction everything will go, but there are already some ideas.
What were your ideas about Russia before you came here?
D,D.: I saw photographs of Moscow and realized that this is a city with beautiful architecture. All the Russians I had met before were very cool. It feels like everything here is completely different than in the States. But that's what's great. We've already seen something here from you, it's very cool. And you know, this crowd in front of the club, people who came here several hours in advance to see a band that they had never seen before - it's amazing.
T.D.: Those who come long before the show are the most loyal fans. And they are the ones who make our concerts so cool.
Josh Dun is the drummer for Twenty One Pilots. While many people try to expand the scope of their hobbies and do several things at once, Josh from a young age improved exclusively in playing the drums and achieved the greatest professionalism in this matter.
Josh was born on June 18, 1988, the same year as Tyler Joseph, in Columbus (Ohio, USA), he has two sisters and a brother. Tyler, contrary to rumors that sometimes appear on the Internet, is not his brother :)
Josh grew up in religious family(by the way, like Tyler), which did not stop him from making music. The parents always supported their son’s hobby and even gave him a room in the basement music studio, where Josh sat for hours, pounding his drums.
Josh doesn't have music education and everything he learned, he achieved on his own, using videos of other musicians found on the Internet as a guide. There was a time when he didn't even have his own drum kit and he went to practice at the nearest music store.
Josh's aggressive drumming threatened him with the prospect of going broke on drumsticks, and then the musical equipment company Zildjian offered to make him custom-made reinforced (and slightly elongated) drumsticks. Later the model was put into mass production.
In the Russian-speaking crowd, Josh received the nickname “Kazakh”, with light hand one Internet user who wrote a message in the style of “help identify the clip”, where he called the main characters of the video “a boy with a dirty neck” and “Kazakh” :) After that, it started…
At all concerts, Josh performs his signature number - a backflip with a piano. Regular visitors to the band's performances are so used to this that everyone is already waiting for this number and Josh has no choice...
Josh admits to natural modesty and this is why he explains that at first he performed at concerts wearing a variety of masks (including a balaclava). Later he managed to partially overcome this shyness and at the moment All that remained from the previous costume were red eyes and bright hair.
At concerts, in addition to somersaults, Josh has another signature number - crowdsurfing with drum set. Those who saw it say that the spectacle is outstanding.
Tyler and Josh are periodically trolled about their homosexual preferences. The guys show complete indifference to these hints, and sometimes they start making fun of them and add fuel to the fire themselves. What can you do to make the public scratch their tongues...
Josh Dun is popular American musician, as well as a participant famous group Twenty One Pilots. He was born on June 18 (according to the horoscope, Gemini) 1988 in Columbus (USA, Ohio). Full name– Joshua William Dun.
Josh Dun was born in ordinary family. His father, William Earl Dun, was a physical therapy assistant at the time, and his mother, Laura Lee McCollum, was social worker. In addition to Josh himself, his sisters and brother, Ashley, Abigail and Jordan, were also raised in the family. More from early age Josh loved music because it made him feel more confident and calm. Together with her, he seemed to gain strength and was transported to a completely different world, where no one could find or disturb him. IN school years played the trumpet until he came to the idea that this instrument did not fit in with his musical preferences. It is for this reason that he soon begins to play drums.
In the Dan family there was a ban on various music; as Josh himself recalls, he could not fully listen to modern music, since parents always controlled the personal preferences of each child. It was for this reason that he secretly went to local music stores and learned about styles of music that were completely unfamiliar to him, and also found idols for himself.
Music career
Josh initially worked at a Guitar store for three years until he decided he wanted to start his own music career. He made his debut as a drummer when he joined House of Heroes in March 2010 after drummer Colin Rigsby decided to take some time off to spend some time with his family. Josh continued to play with this group until October 2010, when Colin returned and joined the group.
In 2011, Josh met Chris Salih, the former drummer of Twenty One Pilots. A little later, Josh develops a friendly relationship with Tyler Joseph, the lead vocalist of the group. In the same year, Nick Thomas and Chris Salih left the group and gave Josh Dun the opportunity to try his hand. He eventually becomes a permanent member of Twenty One Pilots. Together they released an album, as well as several popular tracks.
Relationship
In 2013, he began dating American singer and actress Debby Ryan, but soon, due to personal reasons, the couple separated in September 2014. In 2015, there were suspicions that the singer was dating the popular American singer Ashley Frangipane, better known under the pseudonym Halsey.
This is a musical duo formed in the USA, Ohio. The group appeared in 2009. Its members have recorded five albums, the last of which was created in 2018. Most famous compositions duet are: “Stressed Out”, “Ride”, “Heathens”. Videos for these songs were posted on YouTube, where they collected several hundred million views. In 2017, the duo received a Grammy in the category “Best Pop Duo” for the song “Stressed Out.”
Tyler Joseph
Born on December 1, 1988 in Columbus, Ohio, USA. He has two brothers and a sister. The musician's mother is a math teacher, and his father is a coach and leader in a Christian high school. Tyler's height is 175 cm, weight 65 kg. He is cheerful, sociable in character, loves spending time with his family.
Childhood
Tyler has enjoyed playing basketball since childhood. He competed as a member of the basketball team and devoted a lot of time to it. He was offered a basketball scholarship by Otterbein University, but Tyler turned it down, preferring music. He wanted to create music, sing. Tyler began to seriously study music when he found a musical keyboard in the closet, which had been given to him by his mother long before.
Career
His musical career began when the group Twenty One Pilots was created, namely in 2009. The idea of creating the group belonged to Tyler, the group also included him school friends. At the end of December 2009, the guys had already recorded their first album and began touring their home state of Ohio.
In 2011, his friends left the group, they were too busy schedules. Tyler was joined by Josh Dun, former drummer for House of Heroes. Together they began to work further on creating music. Year after year others began to appear music albums. For 2018, Twenty One Pilots is one of the most successful groups. The guys have won a Grammy Award, tour all over the world, and write songs.
Family
Tyler for a long time did not talk about his personal life. He preferred to keep silent about information regarding his novels.
In 2015, it became known that the musician married Jenna Black. The guys dated for a long time, their relationship became more and more serious. The guys are very happy in their marriage. There are no children in the marriage yet. The musician has been asked more than once about children, when he wants to have them, but he prefers to keep personal information secret.
Josh Dun
Born on June 18, 1988. His hometown– Columbus, Ohio, USA. The musician has two sisters and a brother. Josh is 178 cm tall and weighs 72 kg. The musician is a cheerful character, has an excellent sense of humor, and happily communicates with fans.
Childhood
From the very beginning, the boy loved music very much and showed interest in it, but his hobby was not very encouraged in the family, so he secretly visited music stores. It was there that he communicated with other musicians, received from them different tips. Later, Josh gets a job in this store and works there for three years.
Career
Starts in March 2010 music career Josh. He replaced a drummer named Colin Rigsby in the band House of Heroes. Colin was taking a break and spending time with his family. Josh was just filling in for him. In October, Colin returned to the band, and Josh gave him the position of drummer.
In 2011, Josh attended a performance by the band Twenty One Pilots. He was delighted with the performance of this group and met Tyler, a member of the group. The guys began to communicate, they turned out to have similar musical preferences.
When several members of the group decided to leave, Josh wanted to join. He only played one song at the concert when the police canceled it. From that very day, Josh decided not to leave the Twenty One Pilots group and became a member of it.
The guys worked hard to create new compositions, released albums, won Grammy award. Now they tour all over the world, and drummer Josh is world famous. He has many fans all over the planet.
Relationship
The musician does not like to talk about his personal life. It is known that in 2013 he met with American actress Debby Ryan. The romance did not last long; the guys broke up in 2014. In 2015, rumors began to appear that Josh was dating Ashley Frangipane, known under the pseudonym Halsey, but the musician himself did not comment on this news. Nothing is known about Josh's other novels.
He is currently single and has no children. Personal life Josh does not comment, so it is unknown whether his heart is free.
Josh continues to work on creating new music. Together with another member of the group, Tyler, he records albums and tours with concerts.
