Ariel Pink
Ariel Pink
Ariel Marcus Rosenberg, better known by his stage name Ariel Pink, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer based in Los Angeles, California. He is known for his musical eclecticism, influenced by 1970s and 80s pop radio and cassette culture. He first gained recognition after signing to Animal Collective's Paw Tracks label in 2003, where several of his limited-edition home recordings were first reissued. He has since signed to 4AD and released three studio albums on the label...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionRock Singer
Date of Birth24 June 1978
CityLos Angeles, CA
CountryUnited States of America
At 35, I'm thinking, Oh, I don't have any of that initial inspiration that I had before, all that angst. I always thought I would burn out very quickly.
I was just very into things that were the opposite of what other people liked. I didn't want to listen to music that I could find at a friend's house. My identity was really forged around that, and you know, eventually that kind of identity gets dismantled and fed to the vultures. But I was somehow on my own mission.
I envisioned all these people who had been admired for having been freaks in their own time, and I saw myself in line with them.
The first half of high school, I had a girlfriend, and then the second half I got to know these guys who would just get stoned and jam. I had struck the goth thing by then, but I still thought of myself as Ian Curtis or something.
I had my gothy phase, but I was never a troublemaker or anything like that.
The music usually occurs to me as a complete sound, and then I have developed the skill of being able to translate that into a fully realized song.
I think about music in the way that I heard music as a kid - like, Oh my god, there's this weird rubbery ball of undulating things.
It was not designed for me to be 35 and still doing the same thing. But in another sense, it's like I've had an extended adolescence. It helps that I look young, too.
For me, self-gratification eventually took a backseat to trying to do something collaborative with other people, to trying to make something new.
Everything comes with hard work. You never get to stop working. I don't see myself ever getting comfortable enough to not have to worry about working.
You can pout about the way the world is as long as you want, but that's not going to change it. You've got to figure it out.
I definitely don't feel a sense of jealousy or competition, and that's a really good feeling.
The ideal is to live forever, right? Or to live right now and just be grateful that I feel good. I'm definitely grateful for every second that I'm alive. At this point in my life, I definitely take time out throughout the day to just stop and be like, "Everything is cool." It's as good as it's gonna be, because it only gets worse.
I'm always gonna be in opposition no matter what, but I can still cover my bases and do what I like.