Last night I put on my drunken safari hat and went hunting for artists. I wanted neither pelt nor horn—the apple of my eye was much more valuable: windows into their souls. For a weapon I only carried one question: What the fuck is your spirit animal?
Loji from Sudden Weather Change
Loji: I think my spirit animals are lions.
Why?
Loji: Well, when lions have sex, there’s something really great about it.
You mean when you’re having sex it’s similar to when lions have sex?
Loji: No, when I have sex it’s nothing like that. But when lions have sex…there’s just something so manly about that. There’s just something about lions I really like…
The females lions—the lionesses—they do the hunting, they do everything. I really like that, it’s an amazing thing. Actually, I think I’d be a lioness, not a lion.
Petur from DLX ATX
So what’s your spirit animal and why?
Petur: A cat. I really like cats because I can relate to them a lot. You work a lot and you do a lot. But when they’re doing stuff, they have such a fine and subtle way of doing it.
But aren’t cats just lazy?
Petur: Yeah, that’s the thing people say about cats. But it’s just that they need to sleep a lot because they’re so active. My cat is not domesticated or castrated, so he goes out all the time and stays out for hours. When he comes back he’s just exhausted and doesn’t do anything but eat and sleep and go out again. I love that attitude.
Cora and Kevin from Crystal Antlers
Cora: For a long time it was a rhino. I’m not sure why. I had this stuffed animal—a blue rhino that I became extremely attached to it. I carried it around with me everywhere so it became my spirit animal kind of by default.
Have you ever seen a rhino?
Cora: At the zoo and stuff: they’re powerful; the just go for it, they have those horns and stuff. And, they’re not afraid of anything.
But aren’t they kind of violent?
Cora: Yes, but I feel like they’re pushed to violence. Maybe they’re victims of encroachment.
So you feel encroached upon?
Cora: By this interview? Yes.
What about you, Kevin?
Kevin: A very mean bird, like a falcon. They seem so calm…
But aren’t they also really violent?
Kevin:…yeah, I guess so.
At this point, we were having such a good time that we pulled two more members outside into the rain to join us: Johnny, the bassist, singer, and occasional saxophonist and Damian, the percussionist.
Damian: An owl, because they’re wise. There’s an owl in my room—a drawing. It’s looking at me wherever I go.
Jonny: Humans. They seem to be the only animals I’m really able to relate with.
Don’t you like animals?
Jonny: I do. We probably share a lot of the same instincts…but there’s no one animal I can think of off hand I.
Jökull from Ambulance
So, what’s your spirit animal?
Jökull: I think I’d have to say a raven.
Have you ever seen a raven before?
Jökull: Yes, two years ago when I was hunting with my friends, we went a little bit out of town to the abandoned fish factories where nobody comes anymore. And then there came a raven and actually sat on my shoulder. There was a crazy number of them flying over me.
Were you scared?
No, but I got scratched because they have claws.
But why is it your spirit animal?
Jökull: Because they take what they want. If I see something interesting, I take it and make something interesting out of it
Like what?
Jökull: Like when I’m walking downtown and I see some wood or paint, I just take. On Sundays I break into the dump, take things and make things with them.
Do you dress in black?
Jökull: A lot of the time I do—I only have dark clothes.
But you’re wearing an orange sweater and red shoes…
Jökull: Yes…
So you’re a liar?
Jökull: I’m a liar and a thief, like a raven.
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