What is the best thing that I love about my work? I love writing music, and if I can do that for work, I will have no complaints.

What is my idea of happiness? I don’t know that happiness exists as a state of being. It is a fleeting emotion. It is a memory.

What is my greatest fear? There are many answers to this that I could have once given, but I don’t really think I’m afraid of anything at this point. Loneliness? I’ve summited that mountain.

Death? I don’t even think it’s real.

I look for strength in other people, and I see it everywhere, people who are way worse off than I am persevering. What do I have to fear?

What is the trait that I most deplore in myself? I can be really mean. If I think someone is doing the wrong thing, I can turn into “guy who does even worse wrong thing” really quickly. I know it though, and I try to temper it now. I used to just let it fly, which was way worse.

Which living persons in my profession do I most admire? I think I would have to say Trent Reznor. Dude worked with David Lynch, and Nine Inch Nails was still doing some cool stuff the last time I checked. I love The Downward Spiral, I think it’s one of the greatest records of all time.

What is my greatest extravagance? I find extravagance abhorrent. I live within my means, I do not have a credit card, I don’t buy things I don’t need, I get on a plane maybe once a year to go somewhere within the US. I don’t know.

Who has money for extravagance? I give most of my extra money away to unhoused
people and mutual aid organizations. I cannot abide extravagance when people are hungry.

On what occasion would I lie? I am tempted to answer, “When someone asks me on what occasion I would lie,” but I’ll leave the paradoxes for 3 AM youtube binges. I would lie to get on jury if I knew someone was innocent. I might even lie to get on a jury to keep anyone from going to prison.

What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work? I don’t dislike a single thing about composing music. Not a one.

When and where was I the happiest, in my work? I am happiest every time I sit down to write music. I can’t distinguish one time from another. Every time it is an experience of discovery, and a feeling of something new coming into the world. To paraphrase John Peele, talking about The Fall, it is always the same, it is always different.

If I could, what would I change about myself? I am of the mind that we should all always be working on ourselves. From the age of about 14 to the age of 29, I was a terrible alcoholic.

Now I’m 15 years sober and haven’t for one minute given up trying to grow as a human being. I can always be better in myriad ways, and discovering them and changing them should always be a priority. So I guess my answer is the one thing I would change is hopefully everything.

What is my greatest achievement in work? If we are looking at the entire journey here, I would say never even breaking a bone in 13 years as a bike messenger in Boston. Top it, I dare you!

Where would I most like to live? This is a tough one. I suppose right where I am. It’s cold, and I hate that, but compared to other places, Boston is nice. It’s just too expensive. There are other locales I’d rather live in, other climates, etc. But as far as imperial grip on the planet goes, unipolar, multipolar, whatever, it’s not overly tight in this area, for now at least. As far as culture and beauty (and warmth), Rio de Janeiro.

What is my most treasured possession? I spend my life actively resisting all urges to treasure possessions.

What is my most marked characteristic? I think you would have to ask other people that question, I don’t have an answer to it.

What is my most inspirational location, in my city? They are all gone now, pretty much. Boston was once its own place, with its own character. It has become neoliberal hell though. All the real character has been taken away and now it’s just a facade. So my real inspiration lies in the people I know here, who are soldiering on, trying to make things happen in a city that doesn’t want them here except to serve rich people drinks.

What is my favorite place to eat and drink, in my city? I’m not a foodie. Again, to turn something people need to live, and something many people lack, into some sort of luxury or thing to die for, is a pretty empty position. I like to eat at Food Not Bombs, shared meals with people in my community. If you aren’t familiar with Food Not Bombs, please google it.

What books influenced my life and how? Howard Zinn’s A People’s History Of The United States really opened my eyes to the actual brutal history of the country I live in. Noam Chomsky’s On Anarchism includes a great history of the anarchist brigades in the Spanish Civil War, often overlooked in world history classes in the US. Another great Spanish Civil War book is George Orwell’s Homage To Catalonia, his recounting of his own time in an anarchist brigade in Spain fighting against Franco’s fascist forces. These books all influenced the way I look at the world, and the role that my country, and ultimately I, play in it. I could write a whole book answering this question on books.

You Only Die Once. What music would I listen on my last day? I could potentially disagree with the initial statement, or could at least argue against it, but that’s not the point. I would listen to the third act of The Valkyrie by Richard Wagner, and hopefully die at the very end.

Who is my hero or heroine in fiction? I haven’t read a fiction book with a hero in a very long time, so I’m gonna go with a character in a movie. George Newman, played by ‘Weird’ Al Yankovic in the movie UHF.

George never loses his imagination, no matter how many shitty jobs he works. In fact, he appears to get in trouble mostly for being too imaginative. He eventually takes over a local UHF TV station owned by his uncle, and in order to save it from sale to a corporate competitor, George sells shares in the station to the community, who all become owners of the station, and drive the corporation out of town. He is a real hero, and this movie is awesome.

Who are my heroes and heroines in real life? My heroes in real life are everyday people who somehow get by and don’t lose it. People have it hard, way harder than they deserve, and most of them still smile through the day. My heroes also include people like the El Salvadoran Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front. Peasants facing severe repression and state sanctioned death squads, brutal torture, and did not stop fighting until they were recognized. These people are real heroes. People who stand up for their communities in the face of severe repression.

Which movie would i recommend to see once in a lifetime? Gotta go with Guy DeBord’s lm Society Of The Spectacle.

It is French New Wave cinema in which a narrator reads Guy DeBord’s pamphlet of the same name, in which he deconstructs the new ways in which capitalism dominates us through technology and what Theodor Adorno called The Culture Industry. Watch and learn.

What role play stories in my life and work? When I think about the role stories play in my life and work, it is mostly real stories. History intrigues me way more than any fiction could. The stories that really effect me are the ones everyone thinks are real, but are not.

The nightly news in general, the framing of life for people, the setting of agendas that exclude opinions not endorsed by the capitalist class.

People really believe there’s no better system than the one that crashes every few years and was built on the enslavement and eradication of other human beings. These are the stories that play in my life and work.

What do the words ‘You are the storyteller of your own life’ to me? I think it means we are all wearing masks in public showing what we think people want us to be. I try not to wear that mask and to actually be what I pretend to be. I’m not interested really in telling the story of my life. I don’t think anyone cares enough to hear it. I’m interested in living it, and trying to help other in living theirs.

Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime? Greatest fan is denitely Kier. Sponsor would have to be everyone who has ever helped me with music, my mom and dad being at the top of that list. Partner is crime is definitely Bryan (both of ‘em).

Which people or companies would I like to work with? I would like to work with Steve Reich, or Trent Reznor. Working for Magnolia Pictures or A24 would be pretty cool. Werner Herzog would be the dream.

What project am I looking forward to work on? Starting a short psychological thriller called Beautiful Encounters soon. Very excited about it.

Where can you see me or my work? My reel is available at https://play.reelcrafter.com/FzmySMfCTLuXYvWzEUMGyw.

What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me? I think it means if you do what you love, it’s not really work. If only all of us had the chance to do it, then the world would be perfect.

Which creative professionals should Peter invite to tell their story?
Pete Curtis – Editor
Gabe Crate – Director

How can you contact me?
You can email me at cahalanecomp@gmail.com