Interview with Josiah Taschuk: The Unlikely Digital Duet: A Musical Friendship Transcending Age and Distance

 

The Unlikely Digital Duet: A Musical Friendship Transcending Age and Distance

How a Canadian Bedroom Musician and a British "Virtual Granddad" Found Harmony in the Digital Age

In an era where social media often amplifies the superficial and rewards the spectacular, a quiet musical friendship has blossomed between two unlikely collaborators: Josiah Taschuk, a self-described "bedroom musician" from Canada, and Frank Watkinson, a British retiree who calls himself "just a virtual granddad sitting in his living room making songs." Their five-year creative partnership offers a refreshing counterpoint to the usual narratives of viral success and digital fame-seeking, demonstrating how authentic artistic connections can flourish in unexpected ways.

The story begins with a cover song. Watkinson's interpretation of "I'll Follow You Into The Dark" caught Taschuk's attention, not for its technical perfection, but for its emotional authenticity. "Seeing somebody who is in the state that Frank is in perform that song is very moving," Taschuk reflects. "Frank is not a young man anymore, and I think that proximity to loss makes it more real." This observation gets to the heart of what makes Watkinson's performances compelling – the weight of lived experience behind every lyric.

What followed was a masterclass in how genuine artistic relationships can develop in the digital age. Rather than approaching with an agenda, Taschuk sent a simple message of appreciation on Facebook. "I was trying not to invade his life or anything like that," he explains. "Just from a distance saying that I appreciated that he put it out there." This understated approach resonated with Watkinson, who responded not with mere acknowledgment but with genuine conversation.

Their collaboration began organically when Taschuk mentioned working on a portrait of Watkinson. This visual art project became their first creative exchange, with Watkinson providing one of his original songs as soundtrack to the time-lapse video of the portrait's creation. The success of this initial collaboration laid the groundwork for deeper musical exchanges.

In 2020, Watkinson covered Taschuk's original song "Midnight Sun," a deeply personal piece about Taschuk's wife. "It's really nice seeing another person's interpretation of something that you do," Taschuk says, noting the unique pleasure of sharing Watkinson's version with his wife. This cover marked a significant evolution in their creative relationship, demonstrating the trust that had developed between them.

What makes their partnership particularly noteworthy is their shared approach to music-making. In an industry often driven by metrics and monetization, both artists maintain a refreshingly pure relationship with their craft. Taschuk identifies as a "bedroom musician," explaining, "I'm not really a performer... I stay at home and play for myself, work on things with no intention of anybody hearing it."

This attitude mirrors Watkinson's own approach, and Taschuk suggests this philosophical alignment might be rarer than it appears. Drawing an analogy to survivorship bias, he explains: "People who are seeking fame are the ones that you're going to see, and the people who are not seeking it are the ones you won't... there's no way to identify them, they're the airplanes that didn't come back."

Their most recent collaborations include "When I'm Gone" and Watkinson's cover of Taschuk's song "Colder," both demonstrating the continuing evolution of their creative partnership. Yet Taschuk remains characteristically humble about their connection. "I wouldn't say that it's a special creative partnership," he reflects. "I mean, like, sentimentally it's important to me because I value Frank's friendship and he's very good at what he does."

What emerges from their story is a model of artistic collaboration that stands in stark contrast to the often transactional nature of social media interactions. Their partnership works precisely because neither party approached it with expectations or demands. "It kind of feels strange to call it working on something," Taschuk says, "because it really feels like we're just both doing what we enjoy doing."

This authenticity manifests in their creative output. When discussing their collaborations, Taschuk emphasizes the natural, unforced nature of their work together: "I get to work on things with my friends, and that's a ton of fun, and I count Frank as a friend." This sentiment reflects how their artistic partnership has evolved into a genuine friendship, transcending the initial musician-to-musician connection.

In-Depth Summary:

The story of Josiah Taschuk and Frank Watkinson's creative partnership provides a compelling counternarrative to conventional tales of digital-age music collaboration. Their relationship, built on mutual respect and shared artistic values, demonstrates how meaningful creative connections can develop and thrive outside the traditional mechanisms of the music industry. Their approach – creating art for its own sake rather than commercial success – has allowed for a genuine friendship to flourish across generational and geographical divides. In an era where social media often promotes superficial connections and metric-driven content creation, their story stands as a testament to the enduring power of authentic artistic expression and genuine human connection. Their partnership not only challenges conventional narratives about success in the digital age but also offers an inspiring model for how artists can build meaningful relationships and collaborations while staying true to their artistic values.