In the Summer of 2020 I removed the comment function for all my recordings on YouTube. This was at a time when coordinated, defamatory attacks were a daily occurrence, and I sought to reduce the noise around my work so that my audiences could continue to focus on the music itself.
However, this was also out of fear, and out of powerlessness. That is no longer who I am.
From the very beginning I've held that my work must stand for itself. I've never attempted to inflate my reputation to carry success to the music. I believe in the power of my work, and I will let it speak on its own steam, trolls be damned.
To you out there. You know who you are. You have not won, and I am not afraid of you.
I hold a deep passion concerning the health of our artistic future. That includes such controversial ideas as marxism is killing liberal art, or healthy masculinity is under attack, or perhaps that free expression is being stifled, or even that we are losing our ability to communicate deeper truths. I am unashamed of them. You have every right to disagree. Time will tell whose vision was truest.
I fear for our future (more on that in my upcoming essay) but I will no longer attempt to manufacture a synthetic reality devoid of the savagery all around us. Things are falling apart, and we build safe spaces at our own peril. My comment sections will now, and forever, showcase an honest representation of human nature—for the benefit of us all.
I remain musically yours,
Daniel