88 • SKIN DEEP MAGAZINE
sion, I was much more angry and polar and I embraced it.
Everything was personal and filled with angst. I can see it
all come through in the old songs. It can be uncanny to go
back and listen to the old songs and peer through those
eyes. I was a different version of myself in many ways, a
stranger of sorts. In the very centre of my being I was the
same though. It has been a long journey to where I am
now. I have shed many skins.
As far as the tattoos I did early in my career I was fortu-
nate to do a good bit of custom work on friends and a good
bit of flash. On the other hand I was limited as far as my
technical/artistic abilities went.SH: Years ago you and I discussed your process in writing
the incredible record “A Well Intentioned Virus” (one of
my personal favourites, especially lyrically). How would
you explain the process of confronting feelings about a dog-
ma that was so strongly leading so many years ago for you?
DW: Working on that record was my process. Part of the
point of writing that song/record was to finally dissect my
thoughts and categorise them. Work through it and give it
a name. Keep dissecting. Keep writing. Wait it out. Figure
it out. Uprooting is a good term I would say. I feel free from
it now and have hindsight. I can view it from a distance
and be separate. I would imagine the journey for each in-
dividual would be very different and never an easy one.
SH: Zao’s newest record, Decoding Transmissions From
The Möbius Strip, was released on February 8th of this
year. Over 20 years in, Zao’s energy and drive seem
stronger than ever, along with your lyrically content
evolving into beautifully intertwining, dark prose. Can
you tell the story behind the lyrics to this newest record?
DW: Being this release is a 7” there are only two songs on
it. When I first started writing it was all one song lyrically.
I pulled it apart and built two songs from the pieces hence
the similar titles.
I Saw the End was inspired by a fever hallucination/