Behind the Buzz: An Interview With Sam Cherny

Interviewer: What was the defining point, where the creation of Lucifer Sam & The Buzz was set. 

Sam Churny: There were two primary points I can pick out to say when the Buzz came to be. The first of those points came during a psychedelic experience in December. I started hearing fully written songs in my head. The next point would be during quarantine. I started moving forward, met my producer and that was when the music style and everything came to be. 

I: What are some of your favorite modern retro brands? 

SC: Madcap UK, Dream dragon shirts and atom retro

I: Who would you say are your musical influences? 

SC: It’s a long list but I’d say primarily Syd Barrett & Pink Floyd, Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys) , The Beatles, Jeff Lynne (ELO) and the west coast pop art experimental bands are the most major ones. 

I: What is your ideal writing environment? 

SC: High. 

I: Do you think that you reflect the aesthetic of Lucifer Sam & The Buzz, or do you think it reflects your own personal aesthetic. 

SC: Yes, Lucifer Sam & The Buzz is an extrapolation of my own personal aesthetic, in music and style in general. I’ve basically spent my life creating a persona without realizing it.

I: What are some of your hobbies beyond music? 

SC: D&D, video games, surfing, scuba diving, political theory/writing, history, and partying. 

I: If you were a D&D character, what class would be and why?

SC: I really want to say a bard, because I make music. But this is an opportunity to talk about myself. I do actually feel like I’d be a bard, but because of their extroverted nature. The bard is kind of the communicator of the group, he’s asking questions, he’s the face of the party. A good bard can also do a lot to avoid fights or get things done in a different or more efficient way.

I: What is your favorite type of tea?  

SC:I buy this blend from London at the Oscar Wilde Tea Room; The Queen Victoria blend, and it was the original blend for Queen Victoria they imported from India. 

I: What is your goal with your initial album? 

SC: Honestly, I’m hoping to be part of a musical revolution, a psychedelic renaissance. I want to create a psychedelic vaudevillian travelling circus with light shows, theatrical performances, and augmented reality projection. I want to have an album as good as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.