Goldwyn Thandrayen is head instigator of The Goldwyn Experiment as well as lead guitar, vocalist, and songwriter for Psychocide, an indie, metal-inspired band that’s getting ready to release their debut album, Alcohol & Bad Decisions, on March 3rd, 2017. The album was engineered by the iconic Christian Cummings at Signature Sound in San Diego, California.

 Psychocide, which also includes drummer Wilson Li, bassist Charlie Chain, and guitarist Joey Blais Gagné, recently released a song from the album‚ “Crazy Janet,” based on a character who’ll soon be appearing in a comic book (only available to Psychocide’s live audiences— at least at first). Psychocide’s sound is characterised by high energy, smart lyrics, and authentic expression, reflecting the best of metal and alternative musical influences.

 Goldwyn was born in Mauritius but spent time in Scotland and the USA before moving to Montreal to attend film school and to collaborate with his new band. In December 2016 Goldwyn took the time to meet with Wanda Waterman in a Montreal café, where he discussed his music, his film projects, and the power of a coffee called “Death Wish.”

Tell us about “The Goldwyn Experiment.”

The Goldwyn Experiment started in Scotland. I just put out records that are different from each other, every year. It’s whatever I feel like playing. I think the last one was jazz, and the one I did before that was some weird stuff. I did collaborations with five other musicians who did death metal, rap, etc.

How’s the comic book coming along?

I’m in film school and right now we’re writing a script for a movie about how the clown from Street Named Desire meets one of the other characters. I like writing, so I just said, “Hey! We already have the characters,” and I kind of write the script for the whole thing. As of right now we’re actually working on the comic book. By next month, we should have the first draft of it done.

Who’s your favourite director?

Stanley Kubrick! Anything weird, really: Clockwork Orange, etc. Any time I write something for a video, I always want that same effect you find in his films— like “What was that ending all about?” That’s what I like. That’s usually the aim for a video.

How are your videos created?

Street Named Desire was produced by Lighthouse Film in New York. I’ve studied movies, but now I’m studying how to actually make them. I always have a basic idea beforehand, and I write it out, and then the directors or whoever who I work with will look at it and say, “No, this isn’t possible.”

I don’t know how to budget, right? I don’t know how this thing works. At first they’ll tell you that your idea will work, but, in Street Named Desire, for example, only half of what I had in my head showed up.

The actress in the “Paranoia” video looks completely familiar, but I can’t place her.

You’re thinking of Marjorie Armstrong. She’s in a lot of stuff— I think she got picked up by a pretty big agent here. Danny, the actor, is in a few things as well. Actually, I think that he’s in a few short films that are in post-production at the moment. We also have Mr. Suit who has quite a few people, one of which is in Blue Blood (the TV show). So, when that comes out, you’ll see other people on there, too.

What conditions do you need to keep on being creative?

 No sleep! I get this coffee called “Death Wish.” No joke— it keeps you awake! I only drink that specific coffee when I write. That coffee is something. It’s only when you’re about to fall asleep that it comes to you.

What inspired the lyrics for these songs?

Storywise, I base a lot of it on things that I’ve done, or people that I know. I think that I’ll still be able to do that, because I haven’t written that much. I’ve travelled a lot, so I’ve met a lot of people and done weird stuff. Musicwise, I’m a big fan of Slash, for example, so, anything that he’s done, I probably picked it up somewhere. Pearl Jam and the ’90s grunge, that’s the kind of thing I work on.

(You can read more of this interview at voicemagazine.org.)