RECONSTRUCTING.

I haven't used this for a while, so this is an update as of 2024.

I'm Joseph.
I grew up in England, where I made a lot of strange music and live soundscape work and eventually built a very small business making chocolate. My last years in England were spent mostly living in some beautiful ruins out on the cliffs of Cornwall and grounding myself in nature, but I left in late 2015 to go for a wander and look at the world and did my first little hitchhiking adventure.
since then I was kind of all over the place, some years hitchhiking Europe and then travelling a few years by bicycle. I've spent most of that travel time around Scandinavia, with some winters in Swedish forests and bike trips in Norway in the summers. I eventually bought a cheap house in Sweden but it's a "fixer-upper" and not really a home, when I'm there I can host but it may seem like a building site (or worse!).

I'm currently thinking of a new place to settle, and to find it may mean there are a couple of adventures yet :)
I'm considering a hitchhiking trip across the US (east to west) and then maybe some time somewhere further south if there is some cay I can volunteer to help the animals. I don't really like the idea of air travel if I can't give something back.

but that's my life in a nutshell, without really saying anything about who I am :) but that's not something that is easily written.
some bits:
I still love music, but I have weird tastes both in listening and playing. I get totally addicted to playing with synthesisers and all the wonder of sound design.
Mostly, I love the good nature and I feel best when spending much time in the outdoors, watching the animals and trees and flowers and rivers. I'm not a city person, but find it interesting to see how others live.
I am vegan since the age of 16 and this is maintained for ethical reasons so is something both important and unshakeable.
What I see as being the most important principle in life is to maximise good and minimise harm wherever we have a choice, in action and in influence.
What I value the most is truth and clarity, and I believe myself to be adaptable and always mindful of reason.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Honestly, aside from some long stretches of bicycle travel with friends who I was very close with, I tend to take most of my time alone and don't seek social interaction as much as most. I have always been very independent, both practically and mentally, but at the same time I really appreciate it when we are able to share time and mind with good people - to remember the importance of connection within a world which seems to go fast in the wrong direction.

I suppose part of travel this time holds some emphasis in not exactly a personal need to connect with others, but what feels more like a positive human responsibility to build paths and bridges between us so that idea and care can share, accumulate, and grow. This is partly why I want to try hitchhiking again instead of cycling, and why it made sense to come back to couchsurfing.

I don't expect I will send many requests because perhaps my routes and plans will be too loose, but I also had some nice experiences with meetups here in the past, and when I am in Sweden I would of course have an open door to anyone I can help.

Music, Movies, and Books

I like a massive variety of music without subscribing to ideas of genre. A few long-term favourites are Secret Chiefs 3, uSSSy, Dysrhythmia, Pryapisme, Sebkha-Chott, Krallice, Kayo Dot, Upsilon Acrux, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, and much more than I could ever really list... mostly stuff that stimulates my brain and may be a little too "crazy" or complicated for most people to like.
Most recently I have been exploring more electronic music and listening to a lot of Aphex Twin, Autechre, Squarepusher, and things from that family of exceptional talent.

I don't watch many films but a few which stand out to me are: The Holy Mountain, Aylaqruh:hurqalyA, The Hourglass Sanitorium, 2001: A Space Odyssey... A couple of Darren Aronofksy films such as π and The Fountain.

so far as books go, my history was always in areas of esoterica and I have circled back with renewed interest but dusty mind. as far as modern fiction goes, I don't know very much but LOVED the Dark Tower series and am really enjoying any Philip K. Dick I pick up - literature is an area where I know little but am very open to learn.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

lived

Teach, Learn, Share

That all depends on who we are, but I am sure there is much :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

Vegan cooking, dusty tales, calm company, and synth tips.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, Norway, Sweden