5 Ques�ons With…. Peter V of Pro Patria Interview by Steve Thomas-Green You’re from Belgium, but live in Italy. How has it been during the lockdown. Or has it been quiet for you up in the mountains? Apart from you making lots of newmusic… I consider myself very lucky to have moved to a fairly remote part of the Italian Apennines because for us life hasn’t changed very much. We were able to go out, had ample breathing space and the queues at the li�le supermarket nearby were never more than three to four people. For those living in the ci�es or more urban areas things got a lot worse. Actually, up to two years ago my wife and I were s�ll living in a small flat and I dare not imagine what it must’ve been like being confined to such a small space for two months without being allowed to go out unless for urgent necessi�es such as doing the groceries or going to the pharmacy. My thoughts go out to all who haven’t been as fortunate. People might not know this about you, but you have an Au�s�c side… as well as ar�s�c one. We have the same in my family, so I know exactly how it is… but how does it affect your music? Are you a perfec�onist and how do you know when to stop, when crea�ng a song? Being au�s�c has its advantages and disadvantages and over the years I have learned to appreciate this part of me which I used to see as an adversary. One quality au�s�c people have is that they tend to excel in a few very specific passions and have the insa�able desire to exploit them, talk about them (contrary to popular belief, many au�s�c people are �reless talkers… when it comes to the right subject) or learn everything they can about them. One of my “islands of interest” is music, obviously, and it drives me to work long hours without ever taking a break, not just in the studio but constantly… in my head… un�l I’m overcome by fa�gue. Everything needs to be perfect. Unfortunately I’m also very impa�ent and o�en I throw a song on-line because I’m so enthusiast about it and can’t wait to hear what others have to say about it. And then… I hear a small glitch or error or something that I have to change. Other people tell me that they don’t hear the difference at all and that it’s all fine the way it is, but I hear it and it annoys me and it haunts me in my sleep un�l I’ve mended it. So I send version 2.0… 3.0… 55.0… and have to apologise for the inconvenience etcetera. Sigh. Lyrics are normally a very personal thing, but I’d like to focus on Into the Deep (mix with an Yperite twist). Which I believe you wrote in rela�on to WW1 and your Belgium homeland. Do you have a lightbulb moment and think you must write a song about a certain subject? Or do you think of subjects to fit around the music you’ve created… a very long winded way of saying “how do you write your sings” ha ha ha. And what made you want to write about this subject? Usually the music comes first and then the lyrics. Actually, I seriously dislike wri�ng and recording lyrics because I’m always terrified by the thought that the words might ruin the music. In a song, the lyrics are just as important as the music and they can either make or break it.
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