In Revolver's new Dec/Jan 2019 issue — which is on newsstands today (January 8th) and available via our webstore — we explore the theme of "Dreams and Nightmares" with the help of King Diamond, Myrkur, Alex Grey, Robert Englund, City Morgue, Venom Prison and others. Since the topic proved particularly compelling and revealing, we've asked some more of our favorite artists about their dreams and nightmares — including Cane Hill's Elijah Witt, who is gearing up for the January 18th release of his band's new semi-acoustic record, Kill the Sun. The singer shared visions, both conscious and subconscious, of teeth, Black Sabbath and Japan's hyperkinetic cities.
WHAT WAS THE LAST DREAM YOU HAD?
ELIJAH WITT When we were recently flying back from our U.K. tour, mid-flight I had a dream that we crashed into a large body of water. We survived the crash, but I suppose the most peculiar part of it was that, when I woke up, I didn't feel any sense of panic and I don't recall being panicked during the dream, either.
WHAT GIVES YOU NIGHTMARES?
Most of my nightmares usually involve loss. Like that really cliché nightmare where your teeth fall out, or when loved ones or family die or disappear. It kind of trickles over into reality, too, because I'm constantly afraid of losing what and who I have in my life.
WHAT'S THE MOST TERRIFYING NIGHTMARE YOU'VE EVER HAD?
There are two I remember vividly and both are from when I was a little kid. The first, I was in an animated dream (Think Superjail! animation from Adult Swim) on a pirate ship and the pirates had just gotten done eating my parents. Their bones were in a bird cage in front of me. The second one, I was in the Holocaust alone and I remember being surrounded by fear. That's the only way I can explain it. It was this intangible and overwhelming feeling throughout the entire nightmare that was otherwise uneventful. Just existence in a concentration camp surrounded by terror.
DO YOU HAVE ANY RECURRING DREAMS OR NIGHTMARES?
I've lost my teeth more times than I can count, but other than that nothing ever pops up more than once.
HAVE ANY OF YOUR DREAMS OR NIGHTMARES COME TRUE?
Not a one which has convinced me I'm 100% not psychic.
DO YOU BELIEVE YOUR DREAMS HAVE MEANING? DO THEY HAVE A PURPOSE?
If your dreams are just your subconscious thoughts realized inside your mind, then it would make sense that they all have meaning. Not some sort of astrophysical or religious meaning, of course, but it's yourself talking to you. And more than likely it's thoughts or feelings you've repressed that only escape when your conscious efforts aren't active.
HAVE YOUR DREAMS EVER INSPIRED OR INFLUENCED YOUR MUSIC?
Like I said, if my dreams are my own subconscious, then there's no doubt that they've indirectly effected our music. I don't actively write about my dreams, though.
WHO WOULD BE YOUR DREAM MUSICIAN TO COLLABORATE WITH?
Black Sabbath would be really cool to collaborate with. The creators of metal and all. Sometimes I wonder what it was like to hear them not having any precedent or preconceived notions about what an "evil" heavy song would sound like.
WHAT'S YOUR DREAM FOR 2019?
I'd like to go back to Australia or go to Japan to play some shows. Australia is just a goddamn paradise and Japan has [so much] visual stimulation in the cities that I could imagine having a little breakdown — sounds ideal to me.
