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Interview

Cliffdiver p5

The favorite books of ambient musician Andrew Jernigan, also known as Cliffdiver, often involve journeys. This fits with his music which some say transports them. He talks about a book he liked recently, by travel author Bill Bryson… 

READERSVOICE.COM: What’s your daily routine in Austin, Texas and what’s it like living there?

CLIFFDIVER: My daily routine in Austin is nice. I’m a professional poker player so I spend 30-40 hours per week playing online poker. I also love cycling for exercise and mental health. I try to bike as often as possible. I’m averaging about 100 miles per week on the bike this year which is nice. I live with my partner, Stephanie, and we have two pugs named Pug & Flick. We spend a lot of time together.

Austin is a very beautiful city. It’s got so much culture and art. Before the pandemic you could seriously see good music any night of the week. From underground jazz clubs to the crustiest of dive bars with metal and punk shows and everything in between. We dig into it all. Austin is a very green city with tons of parks and trees and a huge emphasis on its outdoor offerings with hiking and bike trails along the Colorado River which runs right through the heart of the city. Summers are hot here but we have no shortage of coldwater springs and swimming holes that the locals flock to in the hot months. Everyone knows Austin is a food city. Steph and I are vegan so our diet is specific but the city and its restaurants and food trucks cater to any and all dietary preferences. Austin is extremely welcoming and friendly and respects all walks of life equally.

RV: What are some of your favorite books of all time, whether fiction, non-fiction or anything else?

CD: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy as well as The Hobbit are definitely my favorite fantasy books of all time. The Peter Jackson films came out when I was in the 6th grade and I actually saw The Fellowship of the Ring in theaters and then rushed to the library to read the books after seeing that film. Usually people read the books and then see the films about them but it worked in reverse for me with LOTR.

I just finished A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson which might be the most epic traveling story I’ve ever read. Bryson came back to America after living abroad for 20 years and decided to hike The ~2,000 mile Appalachian Trail with no experience and without being in adequate shape. If you don’t know Bryson he’s extremely funny and you’ll find yourself laughing aloud while turning the pages of this book. It’s nice because the story is informative and educational but also hilarious.

RV: What are some of your plans?

CD: My plans are to keep working on music as much as possible. 2020 has been a year of staying home so I’d like to get out and do some traveling next year. I had to cancel TWO different flights to Europe this past spring so I’d like to make it to Europe again soon.

Creatively I want to keep pushing myself with Cliffdiver. I want to get better at recording.  I want to use more classical guitar for the project in the future as well!

-copyright readersvoice.com

-see Youtube for the albums of Cliffdiver, with links to Bandcamp.