Deadmau5 is unhappy.
At the very least, Canadian music producer Joel Zimmerman is extremely agitated.
Without his infamous mouse head to hide behind, his displeasure is obvious as he saunters into the green room at Canadian Music Week. Two things are on the agenda for the next hour 91裸聊视频� photos and an interview about his impressive career as a music creator.
Might he consider taking photos first?
91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 give a s91裸聊视频攖,91裸聊视频� the Niagara Falls, Ont., native mumbles, digging into a bag of Doritos.
His publicist interjects.
91裸聊视频淟et91裸聊视频檚 give a minute,91裸聊视频� she says before turning to him. 91裸聊视频淵ou can have a snack. Whenever you91裸聊视频檙e ready.91裸聊视频�
What unfolds over the next 20 minutes is a mostly unprintable conversation layered with so much foul language it would probably make Quentin Tarantino blush.
Anyone who intently follows Zimmerman91裸聊视频檚 career likely knows the 43-year-old is allergic to interviews. He rarely does them. When he agrees, it often seems like he91裸聊视频檚 having a tooth pulled.
But on this day he91裸聊视频檚 got reason to celebrate: an induction into CMW91裸聊视频檚 Music Industry Hall of Fame, joining an acclaimed list of Canadians including Gordon Lightfoot, Rush and Alanis Morissette.
The honour marks his 25th anniversary in music, a milestone he says is pegged to 1999 when he first copyrighted a song under one of his previous aliases and nearly a decade before his single 91裸聊视频淕hosts 91裸聊视频榥91裸聊视频� Stuff91裸聊视频� became a worldwide dance hit.
To recognize the quarter-century mark, he91裸聊视频檚 traversing the globe with a tour dubbed Retro5pective: 25yrs of Deadmau5, performing shows as far away as India, one of his favourite places to eat.
He91裸聊视频檒l return to Canada for summer festivals in Holland Park, B.C., and Calgary, and eventually retreat to his mansion outside Toronto where he91裸聊视频檚 collected an array of rescued animals, including two horses, three goats and a fancy ball python.
The music industry machine would suggest it91裸聊视频檚 in Zimmerman91裸聊视频檚 best interest to make the rounds at this CMW induction and offer a few pleasantries. He91裸聊视频檚 agreed to at least make the rounds.
Earlier, he took part in a 45-minute fireside chat at a Toronto conference centre in front of a few hundred music industry players and fans.
Dressed in mismatched black and red hightops, tattered jeans and a T-shirt, Zimmerman walked onto the stage to a bombastic round of hype from the host.
With his language cleaned up, he talked about the value of musicians owning their master recordings, his decision to live in Canada despite his success, and pondered one day playing the newly minted Sphere in Las Vegas.
He recently toured the colossal $2.3-billion venue with its technology team and imagined how mind-blowing its wraparound screen and cutting-edge sound system would be for an electronic show. One of the hurdles, he said, is making his grand ideas profitable.
But the conversation went south in the final minutes as Zimmerman rose from the couch to fact-check his interviewer91裸聊视频檚 notes. When the 45-minute clock ran out, he proclaimed, 91裸聊视频淭ime91裸聊视频檚 up91裸聊视频� and bolted from the stage without a goodbye.
Now walking into the green room with a Tim Hortons cup in his grip, all those swears bottled up from the stage were about to spill out. He snatches his bag of chips off the table and slumps down in a chair. Once he91裸聊视频檚 finished his afternoon snack, he agrees to pose for pictures.
This, too, appears painful.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 not a f91裸聊视频攌ing Ken doll,91裸聊视频� he tells the photographer when asked to change his position slightly.
A minute or two tick by and Zimmerman becomes more irritated as the camera snaps.
91裸聊视频淎re you doing a whole coffee table book?91裸聊视频� he asks.
Walking back to his chair, the musician positions himself for an interview that quickly turns combative. He interrupts questions before they91裸聊视频檙e finished and challenges any word he considers vague.
It91裸聊视频檚 hard to believe he wants to be here. Does being inducted into the Hall of Fame even matter to him?
91裸聊视频淥f course it f91裸聊视频攌ing matters,91裸聊视频� he scoffs.
91裸聊视频淏ecause it91裸聊视频檚 just things I91裸聊视频檓 going to look back at and think, 91裸聊视频�(Wow), that91裸聊视频檚 amazing what I91裸聊视频檝e been able to achieve.91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�
He91裸聊视频檚 achieved a lot, for sure.
When his name first started circulating in the Toronto electronic music scene Zimmerman was an enigma 91裸聊视频� his colourful, illuminated mouse headpieces a unique and recognizable brand that both concealed his identity and provoked curiosity from clubgoers.
But Zimmerman91裸聊视频檚 compositions dispelled any suggestions it was mere gimmickry.
In the underground scene of the mid-aughts, his instrumentals 91裸聊视频淔axing Berlin91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频淰anishing Point91裸聊视频� were recognized as unique and meditative creations that worked their magic best in the darkest hours of the afterparty.
Many of those early songs were drafted in his mom91裸聊视频檚 Niagara Falls basement before his career started picking up and he moved to a tiny apartment in Toronto. He remembers those city lodgings as practically unlivable, but an early sign of his independence and a chance to 91裸聊视频渉ave chicks over whenever I want.91裸聊视频�
Deadmau5 crept into the electronic mainstream around 2008 with 91裸聊视频淚 Remember,91裸聊视频� a slow-building piece centred around angelic female vocals. The song, co-created with frequent collaborator Kaskade, is now deemed a contemporary club classic.
91裸聊视频淕hosts 91裸聊视频榥91裸聊视频� Stuff91裸聊视频� followed soon after, and he built his self-created independent record label Mau5trap with his own tracks as he supported a deep roster of other young creators, including Rezz, Sydney Blu and Tinlicker.
At the peak of his popularity, Deadmau5 sold out Toronto91裸聊视频檚 Rogers Centre and remains the only Canadian act to do so.
Ten years ago, when a more spirited Zimmerman appeared at CMW to discuss his flourishing career, he revealed to host Jian Ghomeshi that his accountant said he already had enough money to retire from music.
He didn91裸聊视频檛 plan to, however, since there were many ideas he wanted to bring to fruition.
It would seem Zimmerman spends little time glancing back on those early highs.
91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛,91裸聊视频� he confirms flatly.
Doesn91裸聊视频檛 marking a 25th-anniversary force him to reflect?
91裸聊视频淵eah, because you91裸聊视频檙e forcing me to,91裸聊视频� he chuckles, firing off an expletive under his breath.
91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 sit at home, eat peanut butter and just reminisce while my cats are hanging out and I91裸聊视频檓 watching 91裸聊视频楽tar Trek.91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�
OK, so what91裸聊视频檚 important these days?
91裸聊视频淛ust health,91裸聊视频� he answers. 91裸聊视频淗ealth and happiness is starting to kick in as what91裸聊视频檚 really important.91裸聊视频�
Why would he choose those words?
91裸聊视频淲hy?91裸聊视频� he returns with another scoff. 91裸聊视频淵ou think I91裸聊视频檇 be 91裸聊视频� happy with stage-four cancer in a hospital bed?91裸聊视频�
Zimmerman concedes there91裸聊视频檚 some privilege in his response. After all, he notes while unloading another swear, it91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频渆asy to say when you made a (boatload) of money.91裸聊视频�
His final rebuff comes after a question about his enjoyment of trolling fellow artists, usually on social media but occasionally during his shows.
Most recently, he captured attention for one of his burns aimed directly at fellow Canadian Grimes during his set at Electric Daisy Carnival in Vegas.
The Vancouver electro-pop artist had already been skewered online for fumbling through technical issues during her debut DJ set at another festival.
Zimmerman twisted that knife at his own show by running a mocking video of her bungle as he dropped a pounding club beat. Was he taking a shot at Grimes as one of the growing number of celebrities who, despite their inexperience, seem to think they91裸聊视频檙e DJs? Not really, he says.
If anything, Zimmerman seems annoyed at the snobbery of such a question and adopts a mocking prim accent.
91裸聊视频淚 take my partying very seriously when I go the electronic music show,91裸聊视频� he says, pounding the table.
91裸聊视频淭ell you what, interview me a year from now and ask me how much anyone gives a (heck) or even remembers that.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 just fun, OK?91裸聊视频� he adds. 91裸聊视频淎nd heaven forbid we have a little fun, some screaming and some laughs at a music festival. It91裸聊视频檇 be really weird if we didn91裸聊视频檛. It91裸聊视频檇 be very unmemorable if we were all very serious.91裸聊视频�
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