My Interview w/ Sarah Negahdari of Happy Hollows and Pisces!!

She sings. She shreds. She dances. Negahdari style. Check out what makes this LA rock and roll madwoman tick…tick…tick…boom dynamite! Look for a new album out from Happy Hollows soon (they are wrapping it up in the studio as I type). And if you’re in LA, be sure to catch Pisces at The Eagle Rock Performing Arts Center on June 22. Watch the music video for ‘Voodoo’ by Pisces.

Learn more about Pisces here!

THE CREATIVE PROCESS
1) Do you have the ability to create on a consistent basis, or do you find that most ideas come in those rare ‘flashes of genius’?

There are times when I am more inspired than usual, and I have inspired “flashes”, but on the whole I am constantly creating. I am totally motivated by the never ending desire to create! All of my friendships usually revolve around creating a project together, too. I’ve never had a close friend, or even a boyfriend, that I didn’t end up working on some sort of creative endeavor with!:)

2) Further, how do you maintain motivation to stay hungry and create? What notion drives you to see an idea through?

The notion that drives me is the pure bliss of it! It is such a blissful feeling when you create something where before there was nothing! I can’t think of anything as joyous! It would be a sad day if I wasn’t on fire with something I wish I could make. This desire inside is like living with a constant mix of passion and sometimes frustration, because I can never keep up with myself!
It’s just the way of life for every artist, I think. You have to live with this energy that pulses through you. Your only job is to try and keep up with it, and not judge the expressions that are trying to make their way through you, and into the world. The world can judge it all they like, but it’s not even entirely yours, really. It just comes through you…you just let it come. It’s just so strange. I sound so strange, but any creator knows this feeling, and that what I’m saying is true! 🙂

3) What other creative avenue or area would you most want to work in that’s not your main focus? (ie: You may be an accomplished xylophone player, but deep down you really just want to sculpt busts)

Oh I wish I could just dance for life!!! I live for dancing! I wish I could be a dancer! I have never had it in me to get training, or be a professional, but if only i could just dance Negahdari style and make that my career!!! Oh, I would be so satisfied!:)

ME BEING A MUSICIAN, I WANT TO KNOW EVERYONE’S FAVORITES TOO 

1) To me, the best music should either make you want to dance, or make you want to cry. What’s your favorite song to move to? What song makes you sob?

Love that!!!
I think “Billy Jean” by MJ, is the song I love to move to most.
“Graceland” by Paul Simon makes me cry every time! When he sings, “loosing love is like a window in your heart, everybody sees your blown apart, everybody feels the wind blow, oh in Graceland”, makes me sob. Oh, even writing it out just now I have tears in my eyes! I have never been able to hear that one line without suddenly crying!
It’s Genius.
2) What’s been the album you’ve most consistently listened to in your adult life?

That’s tough..each year I have a different favorite. I guess The Runners Four by Deerhoof has probably gotten the most of me if I had to name just one.

3) Does Steely Dan creep you out?

Yes! OMG YES! Hahaha!! I am so glad I finally get to voice my opinion of this band in writing! Hahaha! Also, why do so many guys like Steely Dan? I don’t get it!? Why every boyfriend I’ve ever had loves Steely Dan, I don’t know. I will never understand that.

LET’S DIG A LITTLE DEEPER.

1) What’s the one thing no teacher would’ve ever taught you in school, but you wish they would’ve?

Hahaha great question!
I wish I could’ve gone to a school like Hogwarts! I have always dreamt of being able to go to some sort of school for little magic children where we learn about spiritual things, and the mysteries of the Universe! It would’ve been so fun to have psychic development 101 class in school! That would have been amazing! I would have loved to play games that strengthen intuitive abilities. I still wanna go to Hogwarts!

2) The world is a super scary place. Are you optimistic about the future of it?

I am 100 percent optimistic about it! There are deep shifts, fundamental shifts happening, all over the world, and in such a short period of time! It is very scary right now.
Every structure we rely upon is falling apart. It is intense. It is real. It is also so very good.
The world we have known is built upon structures that harm others and harm life. I believe we are going through an evolutionary shift, where the old outdated regimes, financial structures, and world structures must collapse, in order to make way for something much more beneficial to the whole.
It is so so so good. We are moving into a wonderful time. We just have to hold tight, make art, and try to laugh as much as possible, while we collectively go through this profound shift from the old to the new!

3) What happens after we die?

Hahaha! Best interview question ever!

When we die, we laugh hysterically, because we are so relieved to realize that there is no death! We are more alive, totally aware of how connected we are to everything and everyone!
It is really more than feeling connected, it is that we come to know that we are literally one with everything and everyone, and the oneness that we are is pure joy and intelligence and beauty and love. It feels so blissful, because nothing matters anymore! We are just so in love, made of love, and realize there was never anything else but love!
It is simple. It is home. It is heaven. It is alive. It is here.
We relax a bit, and then we say to everyone, “I wanna go back to the dream of life, because it is the only place to have the experience of creative adventure! ” Everyone agrees! They want to go with you!
Everyone has forgotten that the dream of life can be so painful. In that state we can’t see anything other than the reality that love is the only thing that exists. We realize in death that there is nothing else that even holds any meaning, or is even real, other than love. It feels ecstatic and alive with love when we’re dead! We realize we can feel ecstatic and alive with love when we’re alive!
We can’t wait to try life again, and this time around we think maybe we can bring this heaven that we are to our experience on earth!
We are so eager to bring our love and light to the dream of life! We see that many are deep in sleep in life, some in a nightmare. From our perspective, we forgive them, because they have just temporarily forgotten that everything is heaven all of the time. They have forgotten that they are love, and that on a deep level, we are not even separate from a tree, let alone another person! That is why babies and puppies are so happy! They are fresh with the anticipation of how deliciously joyous life is going to be!
So back to the dream of life we go, and it never ends. This oneness that we are, in love with the love that we are, this love that keeps creating for eternity.

LET’S GET A LITTLE WEIRDER.

1) Tell me something.
Earth and all the planets are moving super fast, whirling around in space! It feels so still here, but we are moving so frigin fast! Isn’t that amazing?!