Ryan Gives Us Words Of Wisdom On Radio , Books And Sludge.

Ryan plays in Hyperion Blast, has his own radio show on Brutal Existence Radio called "The Dirt Nap" and also has a book out. A very busy dude by the sounds of things and also extremely talented. Hyperion Blast are a killer Sludge band, The Dirt Nap is one of the best Internet Shows going and his writings are very interesting. Hope you enjoy this interview and tune in to the Dirt Nap, also support Hyperion Blast and buy their albums. Make sure you check out his book too. Read on.

1.Thanks Ryan for the chance to do this interview.Now of course i know all about you but maybe you should give people a quick life history.

Hmmm, well I play in a band called Hyperion Blast. I also do a radio show on Brutal Existence Radio called The Dirt Nap. It air’s Sundays at 4 pm til 8 pm. I like to also write and just finished my first book which is called “Words of Comfort From the Other Side of the Insane Asylum”. It is all done and I am super happy with the content in it. Aside from that I’m as boring as the rest of people. I have 2 dogs, a cat, some fish, a mouse, rabbits and a snake. I like Coors Light, Jager and coffee. Buffalo rules and sucks all at the same time.

2.How and why did you get involved with Brutal Existence Radio ?

Through Hyperion Blast I had talked to a few of the guys and sent them tracks. I started putting the station on when I got home from work and listening in here and there as I was doing shit around the house. Eventually I found out there were looking for Dj’s and I messaged Fowler. Gave him the idea for the show and all that and he was into it.

3.Tell us a bit about the show and the genres of music you play.

I play a little of everything. Mainly doom and sludge stuff but some death, black metal, indie…man everything goes. Plus I bitch a lot and run on and on.

4.Is there any bands that are constant regulars on the show or do you try and mix it up every week ?

I play a lot of Cavity and Weedeater. They are 2 mainstays. I usually try to run a nice mix of bands and genres. Lately Disappear and Doomriders. For the most part I try to make it diverse and listenable to people while still being able to rock out and enjoy the show myself.

5.If the show was sending out a message to people,what would that message be ?

That there is a ton of music out there that nobody has really heard. I get new stuff all the time and am like “damn, this fucking rules.” Uncle Bill and Forged in Flame are some of the bands that I came across here and blow my fucking mind. Sucks more people don’t hear them but I do my best to get new bands in peoples ears. I love Torche and Eyehategod but really everyone has heard that. There are a ton of bands out there that are just as good (or better) that just don’t have the right people in them and so on. I still play the more popular doom stuff but I try to get new bands on the air.

6.How important is Internet Radio to the Doom/Stoner/Sludge scene at the moment ?

Very. Mainstream FM radio sucks. They play the same garbage nonstop. Problem is that it is accessible. There really is no place for doom or any other REAL extreme metal. XM has metal stations but they classify Killswitch Engage as extreme. I found a ton of bands through internet radio and I would have to assume that there are more like that out there. If you play anything extreme and want it heard by people who are gonna dig it then internet radio is a great place for you. I think it’s helped bands a ton get heard. Along with other internet based stuff. You almost don’t ever need to leave your bedroom to promote your band anymore. Hmmmm, I like that idea. Haha

7.Its very hard to attract listeners to a Internet Radio Show being there is so much of it these days but i think BER stands out compared to a lot of other stations.What is the strength of BER as you see it ?

Solid DJ’s. They know their metal and have banter to boot sometimes. It runs 24 hours a day pretty much and the people behind the scenes like Fowler and Mark are always busting their asses to help out and promote the shows. No ego’s. Just solid people doing shit they love.

8.You been doing a lot of writing,can you give us a run-down on all your writing projects ?

As for the book that I just finished. It is called Words of Wisdom from the Other Side of the Insane Asylum. It’s poems, rants and ramblings that probably border on insanity. I actually have a new one I am working on now. Hopefully I end up as happy with the finished product or happier with the new one as I was the old one.

9.What has the reaction been like to your books and have you sold many ?

Due to the fact that I am broke I only made like 30 of the first press I did. They are all gone. I recently put it up on lulu.com, which is a place you can self-publish a book store ready book. Nothing yet there but as of this interview I just finished that up. Through all sales of it the money goes straight to cover the cost and print more copies. I literally see nothing as far as profit on the ones I made which I am OK with. The reaction has been great. People say it’s deep and dark shit. As long as someone takes something from it then I am happy. I had one person actually tell me certain poems kinda hit them on a personal level. That is pretty rad.

10.What inspires you to write these works ?

Rough days that turn into downright bad times. I usually write when shit ain’t going good to keep myself from doing harm to me and others maybe. It’s a great vent. I’ve been through some shit and hopefully some of what I have to say rings a bell and maybe gives someone a new outlook on things. The first book was all poems and so on about my life and the world around me as I see it. The new one is more essays on my personal search for a better me. Some of it comes across as selfish I must admit but I have always believed that if you don’t watch out for yourself and understand what makes you tick then you are useless to the rest of the world.

11.Have you got a long term goal as where to take your writings like book deals etc ?

As long as I can get them out there then I am fine with it. I don’t need to make any money off of it. It is a hobby and also something I love to do. Whether people read it or not I will write it. Figure there may be people out there interested enough to want a copy. Mainly I like to think that something I say might reach someone on an emotional level. If I can do that then that’s better than any money or fame and all that shit.

12.Do you writings ever inspire your music or do the two ever become combined into song ideas ?

Absolutely. Most lyrics for HB start out as brainstorm sessions. I write a whole bunch of stuff down and then take the idea and make a song of it. In the book there are actually a few poems that are HB lyrics and others that are the foundation of some of the lyrics. No matter what I am doing, be it writing songs, poems or anything else, I take all the personal shit that builds up and write it down. Most of the stuff is probably pretty dark and makes me out to be a super miserable person. Well, I’m actually a pretty happy person but when the shit storms hit I get an itch to write it all down.

13.Can you give the readers some info on how to get hold of your work ?

A few ways right now. They can visit www.stores.lul.com/insanescribblings. The first book is there now to order. It is available as a “book store ready” paperback. People can also order it as a PDF file for download. They can visit www.myspace.com/insanescribblings as well for info on the book and future writings.

14.I guess you should also tell the readers when they can tune in to the radio show.

To check out the show you can tune to Brutal Existence Radio on Sundays from 4 to 8 PM east coast time. The station more or less runs all day and is loaded with awesome shows. If ya wanna see my play lists or find anything out about the show you can visit The Dirt Nap (B.E.R.) | MySpace

15.Do you get much time to tune in to the other shows on BER and what is your favorites ?

Whenever I am doing shit around the house I tune in. I love The Steaming Pile. Probably my favorite show. Heathen throws in good music and makes me chuckle here and there. Crestfallen is amazing too. I don’t think there are really any shows I don’t like. There are a few I thought I might not like and after listening to them thought they were amazing.

16.There is a lot of great personality's on BER,that must make it so much easier ?

Hell yeah. Never met any of them in person but from what I gather they are awesome people. We cover for each other and shit like that. We help promote each others shows. There’s no shitty feelings among anyone that I am aware of.

17.What is your plans for the next 6 months as far as writing,Radio and of course Music.

Well HB is doing a full length in November that will be on Leaf Lust Records. Stoked on that. As far as the radio show I just wanna keep adding songs to the lists and growing the show and BER as a whole. For the writing piece I just wanna get this book into as many peoples hands as I can. Hopefully the new book will be finished soon and I can get that out there.

18.Cheers for the interview,any last thoughts ?

There are a ton of good bands and people out there that sometimes you may need to dig a bit for. A lot of the shit you might find by accident or by just giving something new a chance might surprise the hell out of you. I remember getting a myspace request from Uncle Bill when I first made the HB page. Since then they are a regular listen for me. I might never have found them if it hadn’t been by accident or chance. A lot of people work their nuts off, not just the ones with the big names, big labels and big bucks. Go check out something new. You will be stunned at all the awesome shit out there.