David Fox wears many hats. You may know him as a former downtown business owner and part of the City Planning Commission, a musician, an artist, a paella maker, or a teacher. I am sure I am leaving something out. He truly is a Renaissance man.
In August 2017, David sold his business, Fox Blueprinting, and embarked on a new career path: selling paella made (partially) with ingredients he and his wife grow themselves. You’ll find Zorro Paella at the Salem Saturday Market, April through October. He recently branched out into making hot sauces with peppers from his garden, too. But David’s new career didn’t stop there. He also took a position teaching business at the Career Education Technical Center (CTEC) through the Salem-Keizer School District.
But maybe you haven’t seen Mr. Fox the teacher, or David the paella maker. Maybe you know Dfox the musician. Not only is he lead vocalist and bassist for socio-punk band, City of Pieces, he also writes music and plays solo. Yet David’s artistic side doesn’t end there. You also may have seen some of his abstract paintings downtown, or be familiar with his “This is not art” piece that was once on display at The Governor’s Cup. I would venture a bet you have seen something David has been a part of creating. His influence in our community is broad. So stop and take a peek into the mind of this jack of all trades.
Favorite thing about Salem? Our downtown is a beautiful balance of historic and modern Salem. Our restaurants, bars, boutiques, merchandisers, and parks, give everybody at least a few good reasons to go to town. I love that our community built a pedestrian bridge connecting downtown to Minto Island park. Also the people. They are the best part.
Favorite thing to do in Salem? Just one favorite thing? I don’t do favorites. Never been able to, really. That said, sitting at the Gov Cup with a cup of coffee and a computer on Saturday morning, followed by lunch with my family downtown is the highlight of my week. For entertainment, I find myself at The Space Concert Club, Salem Cinema, and, again, the Gov Cup, on a regular basis. Let’s not forget about Hallie Ford Art Museum, an underutilized gem in our downtown.
Who would play you in a movie about your life? Gosh, I don’t know that — why are you asking? Is there a film in the works?
If you could recover one thing you have lost in your life, what would it be? I wish I had put more time and focus on my music and arts earlier in life. I allowed myself to believe that I wasn’t talented enough to pursue my abstract self when younger and now realize that was a mistake. However, there’s no value in regret, so I acknowledge and learn from the past and work toward a more creatively productive future.
Name would you pick for yourself other than your current? Dfox
Who or what has influenced you the most and why? I can’t say that any one person or thing has had the greatest influence on me, but rather that my personal successes are the culmination of recognizing how others have believed in me. I tell my own children, and my students, to listen to the encouragement of peers and role models because they are more likely to recognize our talents and gifts than we are.
Greatest achievement? My greatest achievements have all been relatively recent. Maybe my biggest achievement is the courage to take on big scary challenges without being too attached to the outcome. An example is my paella business; I started cooking at Salem Saturday Market as an experiment to see if people wanted to eat my paella. I was okay with the possibility of failure, but I was committed to giving it my best shot. As we approach the fifth season, I’m happy to report that we’re doing fine. Another big achievement was running the 2015 Boston Marathon. It took me about four years of effort to qualify, so I learned a lot about the patience and work ethic required to achieve goals.
Go to band/musician when you can’t decide what to listen to? RUSH never disappoints.
Biggest pet peeve? When people say there’s nothing to do in Salem. If I want to do something engaging, interesting, or entertaining, Salem has endless opportunities. Boredom comes from within; sometimes we have to get off our butts and pursue inspiration rather than wait for it to come to us. Within that pursuit, it is quite possible, or even likely, that we ourselves become inspired to contribute creative and professional endeavors that increase our community’s gamut of urban culture.
If you could go back in history, who would you want to hang out with? Bowie, but I’m not sure he’d want to hang out with me.
What job would you be terrible at? I would be terrible at any job requiring one to sit at a computer all day. I had a job like that for a year, but it felt like four years.
Dogs or cats? I like both, but I love our Boston Terriers.
Stripes or paisley? Stripes AND paisley.
Bowie or Bauhaus? Bowie of course, but Bauhaus does a killer version of Ziggy Stardust (required listening).
This story originally ran in Press Play Salem issue 6 (Apr/May 2019)