An Inspired Chat with Enzo De Palma of Sherman Oaks

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Enzo De Palma. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Enzo, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What are you chasing, and what would happen if you stopped?
As corny as it sounds, as artists, I think we’re always chasing truth — that is, the truth of human experience in a way that only art allows us to do. As a writer, I’m always trying to explore conflicts and scenarios in new and exciting ways. I once read a quote in a very strange place (a Wall Street Journal article about a video game) that struck me to my core and has stuck with me ever since: “The highest purpose of fiction is to prove that all people are worthy of mercy.” Science-fiction, superhero stories and genre fiction — my bread and butter — give us an avenue to explore situations that humans could never actually find ourselves in. In doing so, we learn new things about ourselves and about our society. In my writing, I’m always chasing this truth and this “highest purpose.”

As a musician, I’m chasing a deeper, emotional truth that can really only be expressed in melodies and chords. That’s the wonderful thing about music — it gives voice to feelings that can’t be put into words. As the saying goes, “writing about music is like dancing about architecture.”

I think that stopping this eternal chase would be very detrimental to my mental health and wellbeing! Being an artist is such a core part of who I am. I’m always thinking about stories and writing in my head, and music is truly an addiction to me. I get withdrawals if I’m on an extended vacation away from instruments. I truly don’t think I can stop. Even if no one ever read anything I wrote or listened to any of my music again, I would still do it, because I have to.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Enzo De Palma, and I’m a writer and musician from Los Angeles! As a writer, I primarily work in comic books and science-fiction/genre literature, although I often write in many different genres and mediums. My debut graphic novel, the gritty science-fiction action thriller “Manhattan: Manhunt,” came out a few years ago, and I had a short comic appear in Oneshi Press Comic Anthology #13. I’m always working on lots of stuff: I’m finishing up a graphic novel now (that may or may not see the light of day any time soon) and just started working on a new comic series. I’m also working on a short horror story for the online journal Devour, and I recently finished the first draft of a play. And I’m very (very) slowly chipping away at a novel.

As a musician, I’m a multi-genre multi-instrumentalist. I play mandolin in my folk band Corporate Bike Culture, and our debut album, “The Future is Velcro,” came out earlier this year and is available to stream everywhere. I play keyboard in a rock band called Margo’s Bench, too, and recently, I’m been playing mandolin, banjo and piano with the country singer-songwriter Jeddy Knox. I’m also nearly finished recording my debut solo album, an exploration of the many types of music I love from rock to bluegrass to neo-soul to Afrobeat. It’s self-produced and I’m playing about 95% of the instruments on it. And, if you live in LA, you can occasionally catch me playing bluegrass mandolin or jazz piano around town!

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
So one of the things I really, truly believed as a child is that I was/could be a superhero! I was convinced I had superpowers! I often ran around in a cape that my grandma sewed me and my own superhero outfit compiled from random pieces of clothing I liked. And I would always be playing superheroes with my friends. There was just something about superheroes that grabbed me ever since I was little.

Eventually, I realized that I was not, in fact, a superhero. But my fascination with superheroes carried on and persists to this day! What would happen if real people were given fantastical powers? Would they try to do good or would they use them for selfishness? What would be the unintended consequences of a secret identity? How does having superpowers warp your view of reality? These are the questions that still fascinate me, all these years later.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
So I play a lot of instruments — 16 or so, of varying levels of quality — but I never struggled with one like I did with the trumpet. It was the second instrument I learned, when I was in middle school, and it was my first wind instrument, so maybe that has something to do with it. But it was truly a slog for me, especially in the first couple years of high school. The embouchure is just so hard! I nearly quit. I clearly remember talking it over with my mom. I was this close.

For whatever reason, I didn’t, and I kept with it. And I’d like to say it got better — but it actually got worse! At a masterclass taught by the amazing Youngblood Brass Band at my school senior year, their trumpet player pointed out how bad my embouchure was. So I realized, six years in to playing, that I would basically have to start over. And at that point, I was about to go off to college, so I had to pick which instruments I would fly across the country and store in my tiny dorm room. The trumpet didn’t make the cut. I basically didn’t touch it for four or five years.

After graduating, eventually, I got back to it, and I’ve been playing fairly steadily since then (although it does come in waves). Recently, I’ve been teaching trumpet (with the correct embouchure!), so I’m playing a lot more these days, and wouldn’t you know it, I’m feeling and sounding a lot better! Almost like practice works! But it really did take a little distance for me to be able to come back to it.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
When I was a kid, I was such a music snob! I really hated any kind of pop music or modern R&B. I was raised on classic rock and Motown, people like the Beatles, Springsteen, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder. And I really thumbed my nose at anything popular. Never mind the fact that the first CD I bought as a kid was a Spongebob soundtrack! That passed muster, apparently. But I was entirely inflexible on this, and my mind was very closed. I found all pop music, across the board, vapid and uninteresting and shallow.

And don’t get me wrong, I still find that about a lot of pop music. But, largely thanks to my wife back when we were in college, I opened my mind over the years, and man, I was wrong! There is so much great pop music and contemporary R&B out there. Beyonce, Olivia Rodrigo, Lizzo, Miley Cyrus…they all have some really great stuff. Which, of course, everyone knows, and I’m the last person on Earth to realize this. It’s not Paul Simon, of course, but at least now, my mind is open enough that I can enjoy anything with a good beat and a hooky melody.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
The thing I pride myself on — and the thing I want people to say about me — is my ability to switch styles and genres. As a writer, I feel I’m able to write anything from a serious drama to an action-comedy to a noir to high-concept sci-fi. And as a musician, I try to play as many genres as I can, from rock to folk to jazz to classical. That is something I’ve worked very hard on over the years. And part of that is a professionalism thing. If you ask me to do something, I want to be able to do it, no matter what it is. But it’s also just my natural inclination. I do all these things because I love all these things! And I really hope that even though all of my work can be very different that my voice still shines through. Frankly, I think the jury’s still out on that one! But that’s definitely my hope.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://enzodepalma.com
• Instagram: @enzodepalma_
• Twitter: @MrWasabihead2
• Facebook: enzodepalmaofficial
• Youtube: @enzodepalma
• Soundcloud: enzo-de-palma

Image Credits
Photos by Amanda Ryvkin and Sean Doorly