Thank you for reading A LIFE BASED LOOSELY ON REALITY! Paid subscriptions are essential to supporting my work and developing this project. Liking or sharing posts is also a great way to champion this publication.
STEFAN O. - INTERVIEW #10
HOW TO ENGAGE: WATCH by clicking the video up top (or visit YouTube), LISTEN by clicking the audio link below.
THE BREAKDOWN:
0:00 - Oops we skipped a decade!
04:10 - You can have an interesting conversation with anyone if you give them a chance.
13:00 - Our 20s = purposeless creativity and an enormous amount of fun with friends. What were you up to?
22:30 - Also our 20s = a judgement free (sort of) and costume forward era.
27:30 - The privileges and the consequences of following your own path.
34:30 - Money. What’s it to you?
41:00 - Exploitation. Modus operandi numero uno.
48:30 - A music man, on and off THE RADIO. (Never not in a band)
58:00 - The farm and the bees. (Das why he such a sweet boy!)
1:06:40 - Community, an evolution.
1:14:00 - Do yourself a favor and make art with your friends.
DEBRIEF:
Did I create this project so I could call friends up who I hadn’t spoken to in 10 years and have intense conversations about the life choices we have and haven’t made since we last saw each other? Possibly.
Did I create this project because I feel a little lost and frustrated and want to check in to see how everyone else is doing, one human at a time? In some ways.
What my conversation with Stefan has helped me to articulate is that I think I may have ultimately started this project because many of the unspoken rules of our society don’t make sense to me. But, as it turns out, I am in fact not alone in that thinking. I am also not alone in the experience of coming up against these rules and struggling to hold on to how I want to live and who I am in the face of them. I am not alone in being exploited, gaslit, and judged for having different priorities (values?). I mean, duh, but it feels good to have someone say it out loud instead of just continuing to pretend like it all makes sense, like the problem is me.
People have a lot of opinions on the value of looking back at their youth, the sticky nostalgia of it all. And I agree, it can get a little weird. A little sad. A little swamp-ish (lol). But the thing about my youth (let's call this my 20s) was that it was FUCKING AWESOME because me (and my friends) spent all of our time being obsessed with each other, making art (for fun), and ignoring the rules (for better or for worse). And at the center of much our epic good times was Stefan.
The coolest mother fucker, a musician extraordinaire (and excellent band manager), the most well dressed human down to costume at the drop of a hat, a man of the earth, one with the bees, a compassionate soul, integrity in spades, a truly beautiful friend. There’s no question, I would not be who I am without our time together. The values that I had no idea we were fortifying while we rolled the dice and walked around like rockstars epitomize joy and freedom for me. May we never forget that (or each other). I love you buddy. Psyched for what’s to come.
A glorious flash from the past. Swamp Sex Robots (Kendal Zier (bass), Adrienne Mak (vocals), Andrij Radio (guitar) and Stefan Opryshko (drums)) performing ‘Friend’ at Club Lambi in Montreal in 2009:
THOUGHTS & THINGS: (Listening pleasures!)
THE SWITCHES: (2013-2023) LISTEN TO THEM! "Switches is a swaggering, take-no-prisoners force of nature, with gritty vocals snarling over proto-punk drums, hippie organ and defiant backup vocals." -Josh Marcellin, Vue Weekly. Tara McMahon (guitar and vocals), Tamar Dinner (drums and vocals) and Stefan Opryshko (organ and vocals). Bass players over the years include: Angela Mason, Caity Fisher, Marlaena Moore and Adrienne Mak.
MIDNIGHT CRISIS: DOUBLE DRUMS!!! (Members include: Jordan Foster on bass, Krystal Selbee and Stefan Opryshko on drums, Dave Schaefer on Synth and Tara McMahon on vocals.)
NONONO: is a three-piece band that formed in Toronto, Canada in late 2019, shortly before the COVID pandemic. A personal and intimate project, the band focused on creating a minimalistic, brooding, and atmospheric style that included room for improvisation. Their music expresses the despair and resilience of a world on fire. UPDATE: it’s 2025 and the world’s still on fire! Aka. their music remains excellent. (Members include: Krystal Selbee, Andrij Radio and Stefan Opryshko)
Your cult fix (audio doc): A long-form audio examination into John DeRuiter and his following (by Stefan Opryshko). A Canadian cult full of hotties!! UPDATE: Since the doc this happened. Classic stuff.
Caretakers of the Waiting (A radio play in 5 chapters, from Larissa Diakiw and Stefan Opryshko) The year is 2219. A future where nothing grows. Can the seeds of change find fertile ground?
TALK SPORTS: The sports podcast nobody asked for. (From yours truly and Rachel Idelson)
Last but not least…ABORTION UPDATES: Follow
for all the (frequently fear inducing) news on abortion rights and women’s reproductive freedoms.
CURRENT VIBE. The Switches, ‘15 Beers.’
CONCLUSIONS:
Upon reflection, what I enjoy about my chat with Stefan is the open-endedness of our individual stories. Growing up I always thought that 40 and onwards defined an ending or a staying the same of some sort. In reality, for many of us, it’s a weird new beginning. Or like, an important continuing, but with more (uncomfortable) data than we had before. All to say, who the fuck knows where we’re headed, today I’m just happy we’re friends.
Thank you for reading A LIFE BASED LOOSELY ON REALITY! Please like or comment on this post below and share it with a friend who you think would enjoy it. Right now all of my posts are free, but any and all financial support is deeply appreciated. Paid subscriptions will go towards helping to support my work and develop this project. More about me here.
Send interview inquiries to vanessameyer85@gmail.com.
Share this post