Looking Stupid: Yo! It’s Jesse from Looking Stupid. Is now a good time?

Akil Godsey: Yeah we can chop. It’s all over text, right? 

LS: Yessir, what are you up to rn? How’s your day going?

AG: Currently posted at the homies’ crib in DC. Went and had a burrito earlier. Life is good 

LS: It’s another pretty day in the Bay Area, I’m at my Mom’s packing orders for her home goods Etsy store I set up for her haha 

AG: Haha Love the Bay Area

LS: Has DC figured out the burrito or did everyone on the east coast learn to stop caring what we said about the ones that were being made in the north east 

AG: I mean DC is lowkey South America so they do it well. We went to a place called District Taco 

LS: That’s true, the pull of DC is not north 

I was listening to an interview you did, and it stuck out to me that your pops was born in 1949. Did having older folks mold your thoughts on morality and “the right thing” differently than your peers?

AG: Oh for sure. As I’ve gotten older and see the way the world is going I’ve totally been “on the outside looking in” sometimes when I see the decisions of the people around me. That’s not to say that I’m a saint by any means but some shit I just ain’t going for 

LS: How did that affect the way you understood situations as you grew up? 

AG: I would watch people make decisions that were only going to negatively affect them but out out pride they would crash out and legitimately ruin their lives. I could’ve easily made the same decisions l but I knew how that story would end so I didn’t 

LS: I feel with older folks there was also an earlier warning of “all This good shit can go away instantly, can’t really impart how that’ll feel, but heads up” 

AG: Exactly. I had heard and seen too many instances of what happens when you don’t appreciate the things that have been given to you

LS: I’m drawn to your lyrics because they’re outraged and aggrieved but not nihilistic or prescriptive…

How did your lyrical tone develop?

AG: In all honesty it’s from being raised Christian, and not in a “sky daddy if going to punish you for your sins” kinda way. 

LS: How so? Just basic principles of decency? Or what 

AG: Yeah just purely the teachings of Christ and how you should treat other people. The majority of my frustration in life comes from people choosing to treat others poorly for no reason or circumstances that are beyond their control. I took the whole “do unto others” mantra to heart. If you ever see me be mean or hate someone it’s because they have exhausted all excuses and don’t have care or concern for anyone else 

LS: I’m trying to word a question about how you keep your head in one piece when you’re around feeling that way and watching the world unfold without sounding dramatic or dour 

AG: Well ultimately that’s where faith comes into question. I actively, and delusionally choose to think things will get better 

LS: I certainly have trouble just going about my shit these days, even though “monitoring the situation” does nothing 

AG: I leave all things up to Allah at this point in life and accept everyday as it comes. No use in fighting it. Everyone will eventually get what they have earned. 

LS: Have you been thinking about faith a lot recently?

AG: I’ve finally gotten to a point where I don’t question why things happen to or around me. You can’t appreciate having without not having.

LS: End It occupies a rare space of being a somewhat newer band with older members, how have the internal discussions around the band evolved as things have grown in an unusual (positive!) way

AG: For the most part we operate easily. We get asked to play and we either say yes or no. Only hard part has been with replacing and removing members. We’ve had to mature in that sense that sometimes it’s about the growth and health of the band and not a personal slight.

LS: Your Mom was in the church choir, does she ever critique your singing?

AG: She only critiques the fact that she can’t understand what I’m saying cause I’m telling but she really like “Could you love me” 

LS: I was thinking more of the songs you sing before or after the set 

AG: She’s the reason I know half those songs

LS: Since you’re started sticking with your acapella choices for stretches of shows now, have you been thinking about what you’ll do for this next run with Terror and Pain of Truth? 

What have you been listening to recently?

AG: I don’t plan the acapella songs. I just choose one at random and go for it cause I have a crazy memory for song lyrics. As of late I’ve been listening to the Sundays a lot and country music. 

LS: What country music has been catching your interest?

AG: I’m a big outlaw country and 80s/90s country 

LS: Is that lyrical approach an influence? 

Do you still write when End It has downtime? Or do you kind of kick into gear when the band is writing?

AG: I’ve started writing more after recording the full length cause you don’t wanna show up with nothing, but I normally wouldn’t write until I had a reason 

Yeah the country music is a heavy influence on my lyrics cause of the story telling and raw but simple way they do it 

LS: Do you enjoy writing more as you do it more? 

AG: I enjoy it in the moments I get inspired to do it, but it always feels like a chore. 

LS: What’s your approach? It’s not so often someone develops a writing practice because they actually have a task at hand, usually it can seem so open ended

Is it different than when you were writing raps? 

AG: Nah I write hardcore and raps in similar fashions 

Like you acknowledge I already was rapping before I got into hardcore and had an appreciation and understanding of music so writing songs came naturally 

LS: Do you find yourself writing material that goes into another bucket aside from End It songs? 

Or is it all kind of mission driven at this point 

AG: I’m either writing songs for the band or jotting down lines for comedy 

LS: How is your stand up developing? 

AG: I haven’t done any comedy, intentionally, in at least a decade. I plan on dropping a 30 min lecture / stand up thing at some point 

LS: “The Akil Godsey’s Guide to Basic Human Decency” would go crazy

AG: I actually like that a lot 

LS: Are there themes emerging in the jokes you choose to write down? Assuming not every funny thought makes the cut 

AG: Mostly observations of the absolutely ridiculous shit that gets reported and occurs on this planet 

Everyday I’m more impressed by the level of stupidity in this life 

LS: There does seem to be rabid discussion of things I’m not sure are real, and total silence about very real things that are happening but aren’t easy to describe 

You mentioned “delusional choosing to think things will get better” earlier, where does that fall in all of it?

AG: That’s the whole way I stick around 

LS: To tie things up- gratitude is a big part of your approach to the band, and you often describe being surprised that things turned out the way they have. 

Does your approach to things shift as things with the band continue to progress? What change do you notice in yourself as life continues on?

AG: Yeah I get a little less wild every tour. As the days go on I feel like I’ve not changed overall, but I’ve got a kid and elderly parents so I gotta take all of that into consideration so who knows what tomorrow brings.