We had the good fortune of connecting with Chris Wirsig and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris, why did you pursue a creative career?
That’s a question I often have thought about. On one hand there’s so much great music out there already, and some of the best songs are 20, 30 years old and older – a lot you can listen to. So why would I need to add to that, what do I even have to say musically or topic-wise that would bring anything new or interesting to the table. But then there’s an inner urge: I have to create music, have to write and produce songs. I can’t really explain what this urge is or where exactly it comes from. And somehow I feel it doesn’t matter what the reason for it is, I just have to follow this urge and try doing my best on the way…

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I was always drawn to the more melancholy, more dramatic side of music – not sure why, but I like that dark side 😉 So when I started to listen to more and more music, discovering different genres and styles, I wanted to create music with some drama myself. Electronic music production fascinated me, and I wanted to learn the full process from writing to arranging and producing, that’s why after music education in my teens, I studied audio engineering. I always saw the studio and studio equipment as additional instruments you should fully use for your music.

The way from rural Germany and my first musical experiments on an Commodore Amiga home computer to Los Angeles was always a bit bendy, with different day jobs and sidelines. But this also enabled me to learn so many different things, and not just be fully immersed in the music world – something that I think comes in handy now.

I feel like I’m coming full circle these days, co-writing and producing more songs again, especially songs that are a bit edgy, left-of-center, because that’s what I also grew up with in music, that darker, dynamic side. I like when a song doesn’t just nicely go on for three minutes, but has some bumps that throw the listener out of just having the music as a background noise. And I love that this is a trait that is welcome in film scores, production music and songs written for sync.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
In Los Angeles I always bring visitors to some of my favorite spots: A hike beneath the Hollywood sign, but not from the crowded side – there’s a more or less secret spot when you’re coming from Lake Hollywood, that has a great view of the sign and is much less crowded. Of course a little walk around Hollywood Boulevard, along these iconic landmarks like the Chinese Theater has to be in it too. And then maybe some window shopping on Melrose… The old LA Zoo is definitely a great hike, too.

And if people are a bit on the macabre side too, I always suggest the Museum of Death 😉

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Any success, especially in music, is often the work of a team. I’m no exception. Some people who I worked with and who helped tremendously on the way are my wife, who’s helping with the business and administration side of working as composer/songwriter and running a production music library. And of course there are my co-writers, all the vocalists, musicians and composers. Some of my most frequent collaborators in creating music are (in no particular order) JD McGibney, Daniel E. Wakefield, Nitanee Paris, Halley Feaster, our library partners at Spirit Production Music, and so many more – we would run out of space…

Website: www.chriswirsig.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswirsig/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriswirsig/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nocarriermusic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChrisWirsigMusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjGmOruNRmxf2VAj6LPL3vw

Other: Production Music Library: http://www.counter-communications.com

Image Credits
Jürgen Schöberl, Marion Wirsig, Volker Barber, Chris Wirsig

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