Dan Deacon

Used while making Mystic Familiar, as featured in this March 6, 2020 Phoenix New Times interview.

Eno’s deck of cards served as a kind of collaborator on Mystic Familiar, helping Deacon transition into being a one-man band again.

“I did most of the production myself, so that could be a real nerve-wracking process, wondering if I’ve gone down the right path or making the right choice,” Deacon says. “The cards are a good way to visualize there being another person in the room. If I agreed with the card, I would incorporate that idea into the next step of the process. If I disagreed with the card, I would still try to find some way of using it. I’d try to understand why I thought it didn’t apply or how it wasn’t applicable. It’s the same way you’d be if there was a person there: You have to have a conversation about why you thought it was a bad idea.”

(...) “I was a real fan and follower of John Cage’s philosophies in college, and Eno’s cards seemed to embrace those,” Deacon says. “Chance has been a part of my process since the very beginning. I love leaving things to chance and seeing what can occur.”