OMI: Liam Webster Wednesday, 13 May 2009

Posted by The Lost Book in One minute interviews.
Tags: books, interview, soundtrack
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Our music recording session on Monday went brilliantly, and the music sounds great! This is thanks in no small part to Liam Webster, the MSc Sound Design student who was in charge of the recording and editing. To quote composer Blair, “Liam is an absolute legend and made the entire process very easy.”

Here’s Liam doing his thing with the recording kit (you can also see his colleague Simon Herron in the background). We asked Liam to tell us a little about himself. He says:

Music has always been around. After my education in Jazz Performance and Recording Engineering, I spent time in mastering in Toronto, as a studio engineer in Los Angeles, technical manager on a cruise ship, and live sound in Vancouver. Basically, if you need it to make or record a sound, I’ve worked with it. Now I’m here to get creative experience (and a couple extra letters in my name) before heading back to Toronto to a career in Post Production.

For more, read Liam’s One Minute Interview (well worth it for Liam’s thoughts on who might have stolen the Lost Book) …

 

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One minute interview: Liam Webster

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Occupation
Audio Engineer

Where were you born?
Toronto, Canada

Where do you live now?
Edinburgh

How many books are there on your shelves? (Approx.)
Alas most are still in storage in Canada. But I’ve managed to amass a couple dozen since September

What’s been the most fun thing about this project? (The first word of your answer must begin with L and the last word begin with B!)
Lugubrious exchanges over talkback with composers benign.

Do you think that constraints are creative?
It’s the only way I can work. Less options means more creative necessity.

Who do you think stole the book from the National Library?
Someone’s stealing books? Do they know you can just get a card? Free too. Some people.

Which book would you most hate to lose?
Alas it is a picture book, Claxography, by William Claxton. It has the most fantastic portraits and pictures of many of my favourite and idolized figures in Jazz.

Who’s your favourite fictional detective?
Inspector Gadget. I’m pretty sure he’s based on Holmes. The similarities are striking.

Who’s your favourite fictional dog?
Those Baskerville Hounds.

Which book has affected you the most?
Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels. I can quote from it liberally. For whatever reason, her language stays in my head.

When and where do you read the most?
When travelling. Trains preferred. Its much harder when driving.

Where’s your favourite ‘booky’ place?
David Mirvish Books in Toronto, and it just closed in Feb. Sad day for Toronto art and literature fans.

What do you like most about a book apart from the story: its size, its smell, its cover, its…?
ability to stand on end and make me crane my neck around in a most uncomfortable way to read the spine. You’d think I’d be smart enough to move the tiny object instead of hurting my body.

For you what does a book lack the most – music, moving pictures, …?
An espresso maker, or foldable wine glass.

Have you ever used a book as a 1) doorstop, 2) missile, 3) an excuse not to do the washing up?
Why would I throw a book? It’ll ruin the pages. I become more easily absorbed in what I’m reading if I’m finished my chores.

Have you ever regarded a book as a friend, or indeed a monster?
I lost a fight with a large atlas on the top shelf when I was a boy.