Photo credit: Bailee von Readen

Metal Inside(r) Home Quarantine is Metal Insider’s new column during this time of isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked artists five questions on what’s been keeping them busy ranging from their favorite movies, food they’ve been eating, music they’ve been listening to and more. We caught up with Pallbearer’s Brett Campbell has been spending this time being productive and working on music.

What have you been doing to pass time during Quarantine?

Since I’m stuck at home for the foreseeable future, I have tried to look at the pandemic as an opportunity to be productive. So, I spend lots of time working on music or jamming. Luckily, the writing aspect of my work is always done from home, so I’m just as able to do that as before.

Have you been listening to any music or have any playlists worth checking out?

The channel Terminal Passage on YouTube is full of obscure and interesting jazz, prog, and electronic stuff, typically from the ’70s and ’80s. There is a lot of cool stuff to be found digging through the records on there. It’s the closest thing to doing a record store deep dive as is possible right now.

A lot of people have been spending this time cooking including making their own bread, what food have you been prepping during this time?

We’ve been cooking a lot, but eating less vegetables and greens than ever before, since that stuff is quickly perishable, and we try to avoid going to the store any more than absolutely necessary. So I’m probably gonna die of a heart attack if COVID-19 doesn’t get me first.

In terms of entertainment, what movies, TV shows, books, or games have been keeping you busy?

The new season of Westworld has been great. I love that it has evolved into a pure cyberpunk mind bender. Well, it was before, but now it’s more overt. I’ve been reading bits of Ted Chiang’s Stories of Your Life short story collection, which I have enjoyed so far. As for games, I’ve been variously playing a few different things, but it’s so easy to get distracted from working by getting absorbed into a game world. Still, I want to play Death Stranding at some point.

What advice do you have for your fans in isolation during this time?

If you are stuck at home, to find something productive to do. Now is the perfect opportunity to learn that thing you’ve wanted to learn, but never had time for. Just because the world has stopped, doesn’t mean you have to stop too.