steve albini is god.

steve albini is a name many people are probably familiar with. he's the man who produced (or engineered, which is the terminology he prefers to use) in utero by nirvana, as well as numerous other great albums such as surfer rosa by pixies. besides being a sound engineer, he is also a musician. having once fronted the noise-punk band, big black, he’s currently part of the post-hardcore/math-rock monster trio, shellac, as well as having been part of the controversially-named rapeman. he’s recognizable by his harsh, clanky guitar sound (a result of using notched metal guitar picks and deafening levels of distortion) and his vocal style ranging from being apathetic and monotone to aggressive, shouty, and sneering. he’s also done work as a music journalist, journalism having been an interest of his since his youth. as a journalist, he built a reputation for himself as a sardonic figure, his darkly satirical writing making its way into his lyrics. his audience either admired him, or perceived him as a bitter piece of shit who needed to shut the hell up and fuck off. to this day, people still either see him as an incredible musical figure, a pretentious edgy asshole, or both. there is no doubt he’s a controversial figure. it took for 2020 to come around for steve to shed his whole edgelord persona, which he looks down upon nowadays.

since the 90s, steve has owned his own recording studio, electrical audio. for many musicians, that place seems like heaven. perhaps seen as a bit surprising considering his "i hate everything and everyone" image, he and his wife heather deliver gifts to families in need during the christmas season. once the guy who was in a band called rapeman and falsely convincing unknowing individuals he was a raging bigot with his lyrics, mr. albini is now a secret santa, who also happens to go soft as hell for cats (at the end of this post, i'll include a video of him with lil bub). you can consider him the textbook example of what they call character development, i suppose.

a fedora and round glasses — signature look, for sure…and the cup of coffee!

steve albini changed my life around june–july of 2021, if i remember correctly. i was only fourteen years old at the time. what kind of teenage gen z'er listens to big black? when i listened to big black for the first time (this was back when their music was on spotify, then the rogan guy ruined it), that marked a huge change in my music taste, and just a change in myself. i had never heard anything like big black’s music. hell, i had never even read such lyrics as the ones written by steve. that shit just blew me away. the way the guitar sounded, how abrasive it was...i couldn’t believe it. hearing that stuff at a young age honestly flipped some kind of switch in me. i had been playing guitar for not even a full year yet, and when i heard big black's music, i picked up on a potential influence for my own playing. as much as steve hates big black's debut album, i love it. it's one of the very albums that changed my life. i haven't gotten around to making music yet, but whenever i listen to that album, i realize that...yeah. i do want to make music that sounds like that. if steve was able to make something like that when he wasn’t even 20 years old yet, then so can i.

reading steve’s lyrics and his journalistic writings also had an influence on me. i think this was where i developed a fascination for music and especially literature that is considered shocking. i eat up banned books like i haven’t eaten shit in days. as well, i began to have a fascination with music journalism. now, i consider music journalism a passion of mine. hell, like steve, i was once a member of my high school's newspaper team. not even a week after taking the class, i was promoted to the arts & entertainment editor because the managers seemed to really like my writing. unfortunately, after nearly two years i dropped the class because, after the managers graduated, it became a not-so-fun environment. i will not elaborate on it, but i guess it turned out it was a good thing i left. oh, well. at least i've got my blog now, and have had short-lived experiences with online music zines. i shall be hunting for more, because it is fun working with people (that is, if you like them).

interestingly, steve inspired me to develop a deeper appreciation for more than just how music sounded, but the depths of it — the production. maybe one day i will take a further look into music production, i don't know. if i wasn't planning on going to school to be a veterinary technician, i probably would've ended up going to school to study sound engineering instead. my mom's told me i should go to school to become a mortician, but i don't think that's something i could handle. all i have to say is that, man. when i was fourteen, steve albini sort of raised me, in a sense. i don't think i'd be the person i am today if it wasn't for him. he seriously had an influence on myself as a whole.

as promised, below's a bit of a wholesome video of steve. make sure you've got some tissues with you.