Rocking Hotel Chelsea on a Tuesday night. But enough about me. Let's talk about what you think of me! Photo by Kat.
Is Your Name Really Zak Claxton?
No.
Then Why Do You Call Yourself Zak Claxton?
Because on a random day in October 2006, I signed up for an online virtual world called Second Life, and they forced me to choose from a short list of available last names, and after I picked Claxton (after about three seconds of consideration), I chose Zak as the first name because I thought it sounded good with the last name. No other reason. I had no idea in that moment that I'd a) start doing live music shows in Second Life, b) develop a reasonably good-sized global base of fans who knew me as Zak, c) record and release records as Zak, and d) eventually use that minor level of fame to help impart important information from a sociopolitical viewpoint.
What Else Do You Enjoy Beyond Music and Politics?
Let me stop you right there. I don't enjoy politics.
What?
Politics are fucking ridiculous. I don't give a shit about your little popularity contests. I do, however, care about the results, where the leadership of various places can either improve — or be horribly detrimental to — the lives of people of the world, and the world itself. In a utopia, I would never spend a fucking second talking about this stuff. What I do, out of pure necessity, is social activism. I don't like politics and would never run for office in a million years.
Okay, What's Important To You Beyond Music and Social Activism?
Many forms of science, including astronomy, physics (quantum and other sorts), environmental science, and much more. Sports. Interpersonal relationships. Sociology. Psychology. Technology, in some ways. Art in every form. History. My family. My friends. Being creative on a wide range of activities. Just about all animals. Learning, which I try and do constantly. Some people will tell you that I dislike travel, but that's not really true. I love being in new and interesting places. I just don't like getting there and coming back. Travel good. Traveling bad.
What a Zak Claxton Fun Fact?
I skipped Kindergarten. Went straight from pre-school to first grade because I was so far ahead of my age range in reading and speaking and testable intellect. That was almost certainly a mistake by my parents, but here I am 50+ years later and I'm okay.
What's Your Real Name?
I have no problem letting people know my real name, and there are literally hundreds of people — maybe more — who are well aware of the name on my birth certificate as well as the name I use for my music and activism actions. Also, I've done very little to go to extremes to hide the connection between the two names. Any half-witted investigator would know the answer in about five minutes. But it's no giant secret; my use of "Zak Claxton" as my name is really no different than Paul Hewson being known as Bono, or Gordon Sumner being known as Sting. I will tell you, in this polarized world, I've gotten plenty of threats in the past 20 or so years that I've been active on social media. And I've also had a few fans who got a little obsessed on me rather than just enjoying my music, and especially when my child was young, I didn't want them snooping around. So I am less than forthcoming about announcing my real name. Why make it easy?
Do You Have Music Available?
I sure do. Check out my stuff on Bandcamp.
What Do You Do for Work?
I do marketing communications and strategic business planning for the musical instrument and professional audio industries. I've been doing it since the early 1990s; no plans of switching my career any time soon, or ever. I'm good at it and enjoy it.
You're Very Supportive of the LGBTQIA+ Community. Are You Gay?
I'd be honored to be thought of as gay. But the fact that for my entire life, my romantic and sexual interest has always been toward the opposite sex kind of rules me out of the gay club. I often say the same thing about other areas of support that are important to me. I'm not Black but I support racial justice and equality. I'm not a tree or a bunny rabbit, but I am passionate about environmental issues. And I'll add that I believe being 100% gay or 100% straight is kind of a myth. So take that however you want.
Do You Speak Any Language Other Than English?
I took several years of French in high school. That being said, no. Like most Americans, I am completely negligent about being multilingual. I will say that spending most of my life in Southern California, I also can sort of understand some Spanish just via immersion. But no, I can't honestly say I speak anything but English. C'est la vie.
How Tall Are You?
I am 180cm tall, also known as 5'11" for countries that use the ancient imperial system of measurements (which are just the United States, Myanmar, and Liberia). Some people think that's tall. Other people think that's short. As Abraham Lincoln once said when asked how long a man's legs should be, "Long enough to reach the ground," and mine are. Side note: average height for an American man is 175cm (5'9"). Average height for a man worldwide is 171cm (5' 7-1/2").
What Sports Teams Do You Support?
NFL football: the Las Vegas Raiders. MLB baseball: the Los Angeles Dodgers. NBA basketball: the Los Angeles Lakers. NHL hockey: the Los Angeles Kings. International competition in any sport: USA! USA! USA!
Do You/Have You Played Any Sports?
Uh, yeah. A ton of them. I'm middle-aged now, but I still exercise every morning, with a balance of stretching, strength training, and aerobics. In my youth, though, I did many, many sports — both team and individual — and while I was never all-star level great at any of them, I enjoyed them and they benefitted me. I'd make you a list, but it would be silly in length.
Are You "Woke"?
Fuck yes, I'm woke. I'm a tough guy who will always fight for those who need my help. I was brought up to believe that people of all races and backgrounds deserve equal treatment, and I believe that as strongly now as I ever did. I am 100% opposed to all forms of racism, sexism, and bigotry. You bet your fucking ass I'm woke. And — going a step beyond — being "woke" means being aware, and every fucking day, I take time to impart information to help other people become more aware of what happens in the world so that they can become "woke" too.
Why Do You Swear So Much?
Because fuck you. And I express myself in ways that I choose to. Because I live in a country that has freedom of speech. And because the words I use aren't designed to hurt or belittle people.
Where Do You Live?
I've spent almost my entire life in Southern California. I live in a very nice city that's a suburb of Los Angeles called Redondo Beach. I've been in this very neighborhood since 1995, going on 30 years, and I have no plans to ever leave.
Are You Religious?
Nope.
Do You Have Any Feelings About People Who Are Religious, Good or Bad?
Nope, though I do see a lot of terrible stuff done in the name of religion, and I see people who benefit greatly from it who would otherwise have few options.
Do You Own a Gun?
I might. And no one never wants to be in a position to find out for sure.
Ever Serve in the Military?
No. My dad was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam era. My relatives fought in the American Revolutionary War. But I am personally opposed to violence as a means of conflict resolution, and feel that war is anachronistic, and that fighting forces are used as pawns for the wealthy. I respect the military, but it was never something for me personally.
Do You Believe In Astrology?
Nope.
Where Were You Born?
I was born in the hometown of my parents, which is Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. But I never actually lived there. Weird, huh? Per paperwork I found in a baby book, my address at birth was 9823 Memphis Ave, Brooklyn, OH 44144. That's a suburb of Cleveland, if you were wondering.
What Do You Wear?
I am super comfortable. On a 99% basis, I wear things like jeans, shorts (when it gets too hot for jeans), t-shirts, and flannels. I do the grand majority of my work from home, and it would be very silly to sit here in business or formal attire by myself. That being said, I am capable of (and have a rarely-used wardrobe to accommodate) dressing up for occasions.
Are You Rich?
Definitely not. But I'm not poor, and I reap the benefits of being in a relationship where we are both income earners and both have what I consider an excellent lifestyle as a result. I think of myself as very fortunate in many ways, and appreciate what I have (rather than bemoan what I don't).
What Do You Hate?
I detest cruelty. Just about everything else in life is subjective. I enjoy most foods; there's very little that I won't eat. I can find at least some example in every genre of music that I really like, and some example that I completely dislike. But I never "hate" those things that don't float my boat. Same goes with art, movies, guitars, and so on. Life's too short to spend that much negative energy on just about anything.
What's the Most Important Thing in the Universe?
I think it's a tie between hydrogen and love. The short explanation is that you can make everything else from those things.
Hey, How Was That Show?
Oh yeah, I knew I started writing this for some reason. My show at Hotel Chelsea in Second Life.
The show was excellent. Most of them are. This was a really, really good one for a few reasons. First, I debuted a new original song that I've just written and recorded called "Sweet Aphrodite," and I'm proud of it and look forward to getting it finished and released.
Second — I really like Bruce Springsteen for several reasons, but none of them are his music, which I find pretty pedestrian. That's just my own subjective taste, ya know? But in recent times with President Trump attacking the Boss, I felt it necessary to show my support as a fellow performer and songwriter by doing one of his songs, and the one I chose is one that I truly think is a great song.
Me, being me. Photo by Kat.
View from the stage. Photo by Kat.
People chilling while I do my rocking. Photo by Kat.
Third up, if you take a look at the set list... in addition to the new tunes I debuted, I pulled out a number of them that have sat dormant in my repertoire for a long time — in some cases, years. So I always enjoy giving folks something unexpected now and then.
Finally, we had a terrific crowd, not just in size but in vibe. And while I often enjoy the benefit of performing before or after other popular Second Life musicians and thereby get their own audience base integrating with mine, that wasn't the case this time... so I didn't feel like I was riding on the coattails of someone else.
Hotel Chelsea set list...
Shame Chamber (Kurt Vile)
Northern Sky (Nick Drake)
Either Way (Wilco)
*Streets of Philadelphia (Bruce Springsteen)
Court & Spark (Joni Mitchell)
*Sweet Aphrodite (Zak Claxton)
In My Time of Dying (Traditional)
One (U2)
Call Me Al (Paul Simon)
Afternoon Delight (Starland Vocal Band)
Accidents Will Happen (Elvis Costello)
Tribute (Tenacious D)
*All of You Improv (Zak Claxton)
*Indicates the first time I've performed this song in SL.
Huge thanks going out to everyone who hung out at the show, with special sauce drizzled over the following who helped support the show!
Dolly Dreamer, Whimble Nimble, EricSteffensen Mistwalke, Richy Nervous, Trouble Streeter, Kat Claxton, my terrific manager Maali Beck, Hotel Chelsea manager Shyla the Super Gecko, and Chelsea's great staff!
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