Brandon Boyd [Musician/Artist]

By: Editor | April 13, 2011 | Ten by Ten

Brandon Boyd is an L.A.-born musician/singer, artist, surfer and activist. His musical talents have been personified in seven studio albums with the band Incubus and one solo album titled The Wild Trapeze. When he’s not behind a microphone, Boyd spends much of time doubling as an artist of all mediums, creating everything from concert flyers to oil paintings. Brandon’s bouts as a surfer have also ignited his passion for ocean activism. Boyd’s art and awareness will fuse together in an exclusive art-inspired fashion collection to benefit Hurley’s H.O.P.E. (Helping Other People Everywhere), a nonprofit that works to pair artists with projects that promote education and peace around the world. The collaboration with Boyd is energy conscious, featuring his watercolor and ink drawings.

What do you consider your greatest professional success?
I consider my greatest professional success to be the realization that I love what I do more today than I ever have. I enjoy myself at a professional level.

What technology are you currently the most excited about?
I am still completely enthralled by the Internet — excited by it and wary of it at the same time. It is our greatest “intellectual tool” thus far and the one with the most potential to rewire our brains. Good or bad? Don’t know yet. But I love being witness to the process of democratization that I believe the Web has made possible.

When was the last time you were truly frightened and why?
Watching the footage of the tsunami in Japan rattled me a bit … maybe more than a bit. I couldn’t sleep. Then, at about 6 a.m., I packed up a few things and took my girlfriend and my dog inland for a while. I have a vague idea of how the ocean can surprise us, and it was sobering to watch the footage of this tragedy in March occur in a place that we are so closely tied to.

What did you want to grow up to be when you were a child?
I swore I would be Peter Frampton when I was 7. Soon thereafter, I was convinced I would be a whip-wielding archaeologist with a name that rhymed with “bones.” The idea of being a full-time ninja appealed to me greatly. Then, around 13 or 14, I realized I wasn’t a good enough surfer to turn pro, and I started my fallback plan: artist! It seemed to me that I could be an artist and still wield a whip, surf and do ninja-type shit.

What philanthropic/humanitarian cause do you most identify with and why?
I am a steward of planet Earth and her oceans. I believe we are all connected on the most fundamental levels, gears in a larger organism. So a vast majority of my efforts go into being a good steward and a good example of a modern earthling.

Describe your perfect day?
My perfect day starts with coffee and smiles; the smell of sea air and the sound of gulls chattering overhead; a walk down to the sand to observe 3- to 5-foot peaks, and only my neighbors are out. Then after a surf, a ride on my bike, and it’s down to my local haunt for breakfast. Then I’d watch my dog get the zooms at our nearby park until he can’t stand anymore and has to nap in the sunshine, then playing some music with my friends, then making dinner at home with my girl. And the next day would look totally different. Novelty is the Cholula of life.

If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be and why?
I would have started piano lessons at 5 years old.

Do you believe in the notion of spreading democracy beyond our borders?
The way you stated that question makes it seem like it’s an STD, and we are carriers. Sorry! I believe in democracy! And I think it’s the best idea that humans have come up with yet as far as cooperative skills are concerned. And I believe that we don’t have to “spread it.” I think it will catch wind solely based on that proverbial “hundredth monkey” principle. Good ideas spread!

What are the fundamental qualities you look for in a lover?
Ha ha! What an amazing question! I’ve never seen that put so succinctly! Humor, creativity, originality, flexibility, confidence, expressivity, buoyancy. Oh, and it’s a definite plus if she surfs. Hi, Baelyn!

How will you spend this evening?
I will spend tonight as I spend most nights: wondering what the hell I want to do tonight.

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