Hannah Dorval | Staff Photographer

Actor-comedian-DJ-musician Zack Fox is known for the multi-hyphenated, multifaceted nature of his career. From starring as Tariq on “Abbott Elementary” to mixing gospel music in a “Boiler Room” DJ set, he is a bona fide expert in creativity. However, this expert’s path to success may be unfamiliar to college students who are constantly taught to remain within the constraints of the path set before them. 

“Music and lyrics and poetry and sound and all of this stuff is very, very powerful as a medium to move people’s hearts and minds,” Fox said.

In his second DJ performance here in St. Louis, Fox mixed an unlikely variety of songs in his two hour set at The Pageant on Friday, Oct. 16. From Zara Larsson to Luther Vandross, expectations were subverted, eclectic musical blends were created, and varying tastes were catered to. 

That is not all he does, however. Whether he is comparing tech CEOs to Swiper from “Dora the Explorer” or life to a high school lunch table with greater stakes, Fox’s simple yet profound outlook on the world would lead one to believe that ‘philosopher’ should be added to his multi-hyphenated title. Fox’s experience within the industry has shown him harmful patterns he wishes to change through direct action in his community.

“There’s already a very … strict, concrete way that the hierarchy works,” Fox said. “A way that the money moves, things that rhyme decade after decade with how people are treated, who gets to have dignity, who gets to say who has dignity”

This rigidness carries over into other spheres within the realm of the labor industry, such as education. Fox left the Savannah College of Art and Design two years in as he felt that he was being steered in directions rather than being able to take the wheel of his ambition and create his own path. 

“Culture and society and university and capitalism are all telling you like, ‘Hey, hey, the clock’s ticking. If you don’t figure out that one thing that’s going to make you rent for the rest of your life, you’re going to die.’ … It’s like make money or perish,” Fox said. 

There is no ignoring the emphasis WashU places on preparation for the “real world” and the importance of preparing for a job after graduation. To that, Fox challenges students to push the boundaries of their college experience, take risks, and question whether the trajectory laid out for them is the one they really want to take. 

College has its own unique set of challenges, and a big one for students is this struggle to channel their various passions into one money-making ability. However, students are often faced with another choice: How do they choose what to love first? Where should they dedicate their time or which exec board should they be a part of? 

“The myth is choosing. … When we’re talking about university, we’re talking about a system that incentivizes specialization, and when people specialize, it’s like more of a guarantee that this person’s going to be like an ROI [return on investment] person,” Fox said.

This becomes especially important when thinking about how artificial intelligence will affect the future job industry. Where does an automated intelligent machine fall in a world where employers desire this guaranteed return on investment? Some students feel less inclined to pursue certain jobs out of insecurity about whether that occupation will be taken over by the “assured productivity” provided by AI models. 

“I don’t have … any answers on how to deal with AI, because mine just kind of go to like we need to be blowing up the data centers. … I guess I’m just a caveman in the sense that … the scale of AI is truly unfathomable to me. … I don’t know another thing to tell anybody other than if you see a Flock camera, shoot it,” Fox said. 

No matter what the future holds, Fox serves as an important example of allowing yourself to be guided by your passions, allowing success to follow, and not being bound by society’s definition of success.

“You should just be a curiosity cannon. Just aim it everywhere, you know? You only get to be this age, and in this university … during this time, once. You should just … blow it out of the water.”