Episode 958 - Kurt Vile

Episode 958 • Released October 11, 2018 • Speakers detected

00:00:00Marc:All right, let's do this.

00:00:10Marc:How are you?

00:00:11Marc:What the fuckers?

00:00:12Marc:What the fuck buddies?

00:00:13Marc:What the fuck stirs?

00:00:14Marc:What's happening?

00:00:14Marc:I'm Mark Marin.

00:00:15Marc:This is my podcast WTF.

00:00:18Marc:Welcome to it.

00:00:19Marc:How is it going?

00:00:20Marc:I want to put this out there because I think you should know our book.

00:00:26Marc:Waiting for the Punch comes out in paperback next week.

00:00:31Marc:You can go to markmarinbook.com or click on the book link at wtfpod.com to pre-order a copy or just get it when it comes out next Tuesday, October 16th.

00:00:42Marc:Waiting for the Punch in paperback.

00:00:44Marc:You've been waiting for Waiting for the Punch in paperback, so the waiting is over.

00:00:48Marc:See?

00:00:49Marc:That's what I should have done.

00:00:50Marc:That should have been the whole thing.

00:00:52Marc:There's no more Waiting for Waiting for the Punch.

00:00:56Marc:You just have to wait until next Tuesday, October 16th, if you don't want to preorder it.

00:01:00Marc:A lot of ways I could have handled that.

00:01:02Marc:But I chose the straight read, as they say in the business, in the business of broadcasting.

00:01:09Marc:So what's happening?

00:01:09Marc:What have I got to tell you?

00:01:10Marc:Today on the show, Kurt Vile is here.

00:01:13Marc:he's got a new record coming out i like kurt vile had an opportunity to talk to him we have common friends his new album bottle in comes out this friday october 12th get it wherever you get music kurt vile puts out a lot of records and he's uh he's got a unique thing going he always sounds like him the production sounds like him the music sounds like him his voice sounds like him he sounds like him that's uh that's not nothing

00:01:37Marc:You don't want to listen to something and go, like, this sounds like another guy.

00:01:40Marc:This sounds kind of like, hey, I can hear that other guy in this guy's music.

00:01:44Marc:Nope.

00:01:45Marc:Kurt Vile sounds like Kurt Vile.

00:01:47Marc:And he's a Philly guy.

00:01:49Marc:He's like a Philly guy, but he's a, what would you call it?

00:01:53Marc:He's not a hard-edged Philly guy.

00:01:55Marc:He's the other end of the spectrum.

00:01:57Marc:There's a lot of type of Philly dudes.

00:01:59Marc:And Kurt is of the mellow breed of Philly, which is a rare breed in Philly.

00:02:05Marc:And I'm not saying anything negative about Philly.

00:02:07Marc:I don't know how many Philly meatheads really listen to this show, but maybe the softer meatheads, maybe the turkey meatheads, perhaps.

00:02:15Marc:I don't know.

00:02:16Marc:But Philly is its own animal.

00:02:18Marc:It's its own place.

00:02:19Marc:It's its own time zone.

00:02:20Marc:It's its own planet, man.

00:02:22Marc:But Kurt comes from there, and you can hear it a little bit.

00:02:26Marc:But we had a nice talk.

00:02:27Marc:I was glad he came by.

00:02:29Marc:Speaking of Kurt Vile, why don't I just talk about music for a few minutes?

00:02:32Marc:Let's just focus in.

00:02:35Marc:on maybe what I've been listening to.

00:02:38Marc:What are you listening to?

00:02:39Marc:What are you listening to?

00:02:40Marc:Anything exciting?

00:02:42Marc:I just got a copy.

00:02:43Marc:Mark Arm...

00:02:45Marc:from Mudhoney, sent me a copy of the new Mudhoney record.

00:02:49Marc:I believe it's called Digital Garbage.

00:02:53Marc:Now, Mudhoney's got a lot of records out.

00:02:55Marc:There was a period in time where they were putting out a record every five minutes.

00:02:58Marc:And they're always good.

00:02:59Marc:They're always raw.

00:03:00Marc:They're always Stooges-y, Stooges-ish, but uniquely Mudhoney.

00:03:05Marc:Nice kind of, you know, raunchy guitars.

00:03:08Marc:Mark Scream singing.

00:03:09Marc:Yeah, and he sent me one, and I haven't heard of a Mudhoney record in, it feels like, years.

00:03:15Marc:And I got to tell you, it's a good record.

00:03:16Marc:I've only listened to Side One, and I'm like, this is a fucking Mudhoney record.

00:03:19Marc:Top-notch Mudhoney right here.

00:03:21Marc:So I've been listening to that.

00:03:23Marc:I listened to Kurt Vile's new record.

00:03:26Marc:I've been listening to, going back and listening to some Wilco, because I had to do some research.

00:03:32Marc:Enough said, enough said, not saying anything else.

00:03:35Marc:Had to kind of rejigger the Wilco knob in my brain.

00:03:39Marc:Had to open that portal back up, and...

00:03:42Marc:Play that out.

00:03:43Marc:Been listening to some Albert Eiler in the Jazz Zone.

00:03:46Marc:That new John Coltrane record that was never issued.

00:03:51Marc:That double album.

00:03:52Marc:Man, that fucking thing is sweet.

00:03:55Marc:What else I've been doing?

00:03:56Marc:I went to see...

00:03:58Marc:the MC5, the current lineup of the MC5.

00:04:03Marc:As you might know, not many are left.

00:04:06Marc:I think Wayne Kramer, the guitar player who I've had on the show here, he's left.

00:04:11Marc:There's a drummer left, but he's not playing with them regularly.

00:04:16Marc:But Wayne has pulled together the band.

00:04:18Marc:I don't know.

00:04:18Marc:I saw a benefit here at the Ford Theater.

00:04:21Marc:Wayne asked me to come.

00:04:23Marc:And I got to say,

00:04:26Marc:It was a pretty fucking amazing show.

00:04:27Marc:Now, I got there.

00:04:28Marc:There was three bands.

00:04:29Marc:I got there in the middle of the first band.

00:04:32Marc:I don't even know who it was, sadly.

00:04:34Marc:But the second band...

00:04:37Marc:holy shit it's a band called star crawler and it left a lasting impression on me i'm not sure if it's the right one i don't know man it's heavy but it's sort of like it's kind of punky but kind of hard rocky there's it's a trio behind a lead singer and this woman arrow de wilde

00:04:59Marc:Man, it was raw shit, man.

00:05:03Marc:She just jerking around up there, jumping around, falling down.

00:05:07Marc:Looked like she was hurting herself.

00:05:09Marc:And it had an effect.

00:05:11Marc:I mean, I'm going to go out and buy the records.

00:05:13Marc:I don't know if that was the way it was supposed to happen, but it was something to watch, man.

00:05:18Marc:It was...

00:05:20Marc:It was confrontational.

00:05:23Marc:It was good, man.

00:05:24Marc:It was good.

00:05:25Marc:And it made a lasting impression on me.

00:05:28Marc:That I will tell you, the band Starcrawler.

00:05:30Marc:But then the MC5.

00:05:32Marc:So the current lineup...

00:05:35Marc:It's pretty amazing.

00:05:36Marc:All right.

00:05:37Marc:So Wayne Kramer, who has been on the show, he got until he texted me, said I should come.

00:05:41Marc:So, you know, I'm like, OK, I'm going to come.

00:05:43Marc:I've never been to the Ford Theater.

00:05:45Marc:It's this sweet little amphitheater that's tucked away across the way from the Hollywood Bowl somewhere off Cahuenga there and only seats about twelve hundred.

00:05:52Marc:It's like a miniature Red Rocks.

00:05:54Marc:It's this fucking sweet venue.

00:05:55Marc:I don't know why I've never been there.

00:05:57Marc:Why?

00:05:57Marc:Because I hardly ever go out to see live music.

00:05:59Marc:So the MC5 at this point.

00:06:02Marc:is Wayne, the original guitar player of the MC5, Kim Thile from Soundgarden, Brendan Canty on drums from Fugazi, Doug Pinnock on bass, and I guess I don't know the band King's X, but that's who he's from.

00:06:20Marc:And this guy singing, Marcus Durant from a band called Zen Gorilla, looked so much better.

00:06:25Marc:And sounded so much like Rob Tyner, the original guy.

00:06:30Marc:I mean, I don't know that they sounded a lot alike, but there's something about the way that Marcus Durant sort of held himself up there that reminded me of footage I had seen of Rob Tyner.

00:06:40Marc:Now, obviously, Sonic Smith, Sonic Fred Smith has passed away.

00:06:45Marc:So Thiel is kind of filling that second guitar zone.

00:06:48Marc:But let me tell you who else was there, because it was pretty exciting.

00:06:52Marc:Matt Cameron.

00:06:54Marc:From Soundgarden was the second drummer on the show I saw.

00:06:57Marc:And Greg Dooley came out from Afghan Wigs and sang a tune, I think just one.

00:07:01Marc:And Duff from Guns N' Roses came out and played guitar on a couple.

00:07:06Marc:But the thing that amazed me most about...

00:07:10Marc:Seeing the MC5 at this point, because a lot of times you go to stuff like that where there's not many of the original members of the band because they're old or some of them are dead or they don't.

00:07:20Marc:They're not together anymore.

00:07:22Marc:You know, there or you just think that it's not going to be good or it's going to be disappointing or it's going to be a little sad.

00:07:29Marc:But I got to be honest with you, it's not like going to see Journey with the new guy.

00:07:34Marc:It's not like going to see some band from the 70s or 80s with a few hits that you remember.

00:07:40Marc:I mean, the MC5 was this fucking seminal sound.

00:07:45Marc:It was this Detroit sound that was an amalgamation.

00:07:47Marc:It was a part of that Detroit...

00:07:50Marc:momentum, and it was a defining sound of like the Stooges, of punk rock.

00:07:55Marc:It was just those few MC5 records.

00:07:58Marc:Nothing sounds like that.

00:07:59Marc:And it wasn't hits.

00:08:00Marc:It wasn't about the hits.

00:08:03Marc:It was about the time.

00:08:04Marc:It was about the insanity.

00:08:05Marc:It was about the chaos.

00:08:07Marc:It was about that sort of rendition, mid to late 60s, I guess it was, of that Detroit breakdown, man.

00:08:16Marc:And, you know, how are you going to capture that?

00:08:18Marc:You know, because Kim Thiel, you know, is a fairly compressed player.

00:08:22Marc:Like, you know, he's got a very specific tone.

00:08:24Marc:He's a great player.

00:08:26Marc:And he's holding up that end.

00:08:27Marc:But I happen to be sitting right up front and I'm right in front of fucking Wayne.

00:08:31Marc:I'd moved down.

00:08:31Marc:My seats were way back.

00:08:32Marc:I went over there with my buddy Adam.

00:08:35Marc:So I was almost inside the mixer.

00:08:39Marc:I was hearing what was coming out of the monitors and the amps more than I was hearing what was being broadcast or put out there through the PA.

00:08:47Marc:So I'm hearing Wayne, and I guess my point is that when those songs, if you honor those songs and the spirit of those songs and the heart of those songs, that MC5 stuff,

00:08:59Marc:I mean, it was electrifying, man.

00:09:03Marc:And I think that part of it was because the original guitar guy was playing it.

00:09:06Marc:I mean, Wayne was playing it, and he's specifically Wayne.

00:09:09Marc:It's amazing how tone just stays with somebody.

00:09:13Marc:And it's not about boxes.

00:09:14Marc:It's not about pedals.

00:09:15Marc:It's not about amps.

00:09:16Marc:It's about Wayne's fingers and Wayne's voice.

00:09:19Marc:So everybody was sort of following Wayne and all those songs, all the fucking songs, the MC5 songs, that is what they played.

00:09:28Marc:It sounded great, and it rocked.

00:09:32Marc:There was no point where you're like, well, this is a little sad, this is a little weird, or it's too bad that the rest of them aren't here.

00:09:37Marc:It was just right on the fucking money.

00:09:39Marc:And they even did some loopy-ass, hardcore hippie art, jazz experimental jamming, and that was even okay.

00:09:48Marc:It didn't go on too long.

00:09:49Marc:It wasn't like seeing a dead show, and it was space, and it was time to take a bathroom break.

00:09:56Marc:Then a few horns came out at some point,

00:09:58Marc:I don't know.

00:09:59Marc:I guess what I was sort of impressed with was just that Kramer's spirit, you know, and he does a lot of great stuff for jail guitar doors.

00:10:09Marc:It's his foundation for, you know, getting musical instruments into the prison system.

00:10:14Marc:And I think some of the horn players were ex cons.

00:10:17Marc:And there was a guy who was who came and said a few words before the show who was out of prison.

00:10:24Marc:It's very helpful.

00:10:25Marc:But but there's something about Wayne's spirit that still comes through that guitar.

00:10:30Marc:I mean, Wayne's in his 60s, man.

00:10:31Marc:And he's and I'm using the word man a lot because I guess I'm talking about the MC5, man.

00:10:36Marc:But, you know, he's doing if you've seen old footage of the MC5, him swinging that guitar up and jumping around.

00:10:40Marc:It's like, you know, little old Wayne Kramer is still swinging that guitar up and playing it straight up.

00:10:45Marc:And like he's all in.

00:10:47Marc:And it was it was electrifying.

00:10:50Marc:And I'm not saying this is some weird baby boomer guy who remembers the MC5.

00:10:54Marc:I'm I'm 55.

00:10:55Marc:You know, I was I was not conscious.

00:10:58Marc:I didn't come to the MC5 till the last decade or so.

00:11:01Marc:And I just got to say, maybe it's the infusion of all that other amazing talent on stage, amazing musicians who who were there to honor that music.

00:11:11Marc:But it's very specific.

00:11:12Marc:I had a great time.

00:11:14Marc:Wasn't too long.

00:11:15Marc:Nothing dragged on.

00:11:16Marc:You know, it was tight.

00:11:18Marc:They went from one song to the other.

00:11:19Marc:No dicking around.

00:11:21Marc:And at the end, you're like, fuck, yeah.

00:11:23Marc:No one course.

00:11:24Marc:Got to respect no encore on some level.

00:11:26Marc:I did.

00:11:27Marc:I don't know if they ran out of time or if it's an actual intention, but I was like, no, that was the show.

00:11:33Marc:That was the show.

00:11:34Marc:Why fuck with us?

00:11:35Marc:Why hold out a couple just because it's the form that's the acceptable way to play a concert?

00:11:41Marc:They're done.

00:11:42Marc:They're done.

00:11:43Marc:Lights up.

00:11:44Marc:Kurt Weill is here, and he's a younger man, younger man than I, and I like talking to these youngsters about their music, these kids about their musical stylings.

00:11:55Marc:But he's a friend of my friend Tom Sharpling's.

00:11:59Marc:Oh, shit.

00:12:00Marc:Wait a minute.

00:12:02Marc:Before I forget.

00:12:04Marc:I want to bring this up again.

00:12:05Marc:I am going to be hosting an event called Across the Great Divide.

00:12:09Marc:It's a benefit concert for the Americana Music Association and the Blues Foundation.

00:12:14Marc:It's going to be John Prine, Bob Weir, Lucinda Williams, Leanne Womack, Doyle Bramhall II, Shamika Copeland, Larkin Poe, Joe Louis Walker, Tash Neal, and I think just announced the special guest Slash is going to be there.

00:12:31Marc:And if my picking finger is good, Jimmy Vivino is the musical director.

00:12:36Marc:Maybe I will play a song.

00:12:38Marc:Is that precocious of me to even think that I may play a tune with the band on a night like that?

00:12:46Marc:Hey, man, blues is simple.

00:12:48Marc:Blues is simple.

00:12:49Marc:It's about the feel.

00:12:50Marc:It's about the tone.

00:12:52Marc:Man, Wayne Kramer shot that MC five tone right through that Stratocaster into my brain the other night.

00:12:57Marc:But I'm bringing up I'm I'm supposed to be setting up Kurt Vile here, but this is all music related.

00:13:03Marc:And I don't know why I'm talking like early 70s.

00:13:08Marc:jacked up jock and i mean dj when i say that so let's let's talk about kurt vile he has many records out and i started getting them a few years ago and like i said earlier you you drop that needle in the groove and and it's clearly kurt vile and that's a beautiful thing his new record bottle in comes out this friday october 12th and this is me talking to philly's own kurt vile

00:13:45Guest:So wait, so your wife is full on... She goes to school to be an Ayur... or takes classes to be an Ayurvedic consultant.

00:13:53Guest:Oh, really?

00:13:54Guest:Yes, really.

00:13:55Guest:So that's her trip?

00:13:56Guest:Well, she's... I mean, she's smart.

00:13:59Guest:Yeah.

00:14:01Guest:She was pre-med, you know.

00:14:03Guest:She went to Dartmouth, and then she just changed it all.

00:14:05Marc:Then she's taught... She's like, fuck Western medicine.

00:14:08Marc:Yeah, yeah.

00:14:09Marc:I'm going the other way.

00:14:10Guest:Well...

00:14:10Guest:obviously it's not you don't sometimes you really do need it but uh but yeah i mean it's just like anything else it's like see those commercials which ones i don't know advertising any medicine under the sun and like and the side effects are just relentless yeah you're like why would i take that it sounds like i'm gonna have a whole new set of problems maybe probably definitely

00:14:33Marc:Maybe.

00:14:33Marc:I don't know.

00:14:34Marc:It's weird.

00:14:35Marc:I take blood cholesterol medicine, and I don't know.

00:14:41Marc:It's weird that it's our natural aversion to be like, oh, fuck that.

00:14:44Marc:Fuck medicine.

00:14:45Marc:No one wants to be sick.

00:14:47Marc:Sometimes you're sort of like, well, I guess I got to take it.

00:14:50Marc:But there are side effects, but I haven't gotten it yet.

00:14:52Marc:Who knows?

00:14:53Marc:How long is life really, Kurt?

00:14:54Guest:I don't know.

00:14:55Marc:How old are you?

00:14:56Marc:54.

00:14:57Guest:I'm right behind you.

00:14:58Marc:Yeah?

00:14:58Marc:Yeah.

00:14:59Marc:It's sort of like, well, what if down the line there are side effects?

00:15:01Marc:I'm like, well, I'll risk it.

00:15:03Guest:I was more talking about those blatantly... Which ones?

00:15:06Guest:Yeah.

00:15:06Guest:I don't know.

00:15:07Guest:There's any late night commercial where there's these new medicines all the time.

00:15:10Guest:That is not... The jellyfish one.

00:15:12Guest:Remember the one that's like... If you get to with that side of thoughts, like contact, blah, blah.

00:15:17Guest:If your stomach expands, fills with bloop...

00:15:21Guest:Blueberry, like Willy Wonka.

00:15:25Marc:Yeah, yeah.

00:15:25Marc:If you turn into a giant blueberry, stop taking immediately.

00:15:29Marc:Something's wrong.

00:15:32Marc:The one I can't get out of my head, but I can't remember what medicine is, is the one from a thing found in jellyfish.

00:15:38Marc:It's from the brain for the memory.

00:15:41Marc:And I always think that's such a weird angle.

00:15:43Marc:Like, why...

00:15:44Marc:with jellyfish it's found in jellyfish why would that be appealing but it is sort of isn't it that must be deep shit if it's in jellyfish yeah so do you live out here you don't know I live in Philly I'm from Philly and I live there still oh really someone told me you had a place out here you don't huh I come out a lot but I don't have a place

00:16:02Marc:no nope philadelphia yeah i like philly yeah i do like i i don't know it as well as i should but like the times i've gone and hung out there and the people i know from there they're good people they got an edge to them yeah you know yeah you don't strike me as like the philly kind of fuck you philly god but i can be

00:16:25Guest:yeah it's in you i can't oh yeah you you keep that under wraps no you're hiding no i knew we just we literally just met yeah you're not gonna do it right i was i was on the phone when you came yeah and i was like this is not the way i was actually real excited to meet you yeah and uh and then i thought you're making a good joke you're like what's in that one no it's the last the guitar

00:16:46Guest:It's shaped like a guitar.

00:16:48Marc:He was like, what's in that one?

00:16:50Marc:You said a guitar.

00:16:51Marc:I was actually being more sort of like trying to impress you.

00:16:55Marc:I'm like, what guitar is in there?

00:16:57Marc:What's in that one?

00:16:58Marc:Is that a J45?

00:17:01Guest:That's some kind of double O, Martin.

00:17:03Guest:Yeah?

00:17:03Guest:You like that one?

00:17:04Guest:Festival Anniversary Edition.

00:17:06Guest:Where'd you get that?

00:17:06Guest:Philadelphia Folk Festival Anniversary Edition.

00:17:08Guest:Really?

00:17:09Guest:From Vintage Instruments in Philly.

00:17:11Guest:So you grew up in Philly?

00:17:13Guest:I grew up in Lansdowne, which is like the suburb directly outside of West Philly.

00:17:20Marc:Yeah, and you can't leave the place.

00:17:22Marc:You love the place.

00:17:23Guest:I do.

00:17:23Guest:In fact, not only that, but I...

00:17:27Guest:We moved in 2003.

00:17:28Guest:Yeah.

00:17:30Guest:We moved to Northern Liberties and everybody's in like Fishtown.

00:17:34Guest:First it was Northern Liberties and then they moved up to Fishtown.

00:17:36Marc:Who's everybody?

00:17:37Guest:Well, okay.

00:17:38Guest:Everybody in my relatively small circle of like music slash artist community.

00:17:45Marc:Oh yeah?

00:17:46Marc:They moved up to where?

00:17:47Guest:Fishtown and stuff, but anyway, I've moved since then, but I still have my little house in Northern Liberties, and I go in there and work, and now I live out in Mount Airy.

00:17:57Marc:Mount Airy?

00:17:58Marc:Yeah.

00:17:58Marc:Where's that?

00:17:59Guest:It's like Germantown.

00:18:01Marc:Yeah.

00:18:01Guest:It's a Germantown, then there's Mount Airy, then there's Chestnut Hill, and I'm in West Mount Airy.

00:18:06Guest:There's like woods out there.

00:18:07Guest:There's a, you know, parking is pretty bad in Northern Liberties, so.

00:18:11Guest:Yeah.

00:18:13Guest:I have a driveway.

00:18:13Guest:I live kind of next to the woods.

00:18:16Guest:That's nice.

00:18:17Guest:Yeah, I got kids.

00:18:17Guest:So, you know, we got to be able to park.

00:18:19Marc:How many kids?

00:18:20Marc:Two.

00:18:21Marc:Yeah?

00:18:21Marc:How old are they?

00:18:22Guest:They are eight and five going on six.

00:18:27Marc:So you're kind of... Two girls.

00:18:28Marc:That's nice.

00:18:28Marc:And you've been married a long time?

00:18:30Marc:Yeah.

00:18:30Marc:And it's just like locked in.

00:18:32Marc:You're kind of a family guy.

00:18:33Guest:Yep.

00:18:33Marc:Just like the TV show.

00:18:36Marc:Yeah.

00:18:36Marc:Just like the cartoon.

00:18:38Marc:I hope not exactly like that.

00:18:40Guest:No.

00:18:42Guest:I meant to tell you, one of my best buddies that I admired is your friend Tom Sharpling.

00:18:49Marc:I was just going to bring him up.

00:18:50Marc:Oh, did you know?

00:18:51Marc:Okay.

00:18:51Marc:Well, no, he likes you too.

00:18:52Marc:You guys are pals.

00:18:54Marc:Yeah, we're past that.

00:18:56Marc:Yeah.

00:18:57Marc:No, he's great.

00:18:58Marc:He's so funny.

00:18:59Marc:He's going to be in town this week.

00:19:01Guest:Yeah, we're missing each other like that.

00:19:03Guest:It'd be fun to see him out here.

00:19:04Guest:Him and... I did see one of his other buddies recently on the stage.

00:19:09Guest:Who's that?

00:19:10Guest:Andy Kindler.

00:19:11Guest:Andy.

00:19:12Guest:Yeah.

00:19:12Guest:Yeah, I just saw him on stage too.

00:19:14Guest:I got a lot of... Yeah, that's why... I love the Tom thing.

00:19:18Guest:I admire him.

00:19:19Guest:He's my buddy.

00:19:20Guest:And it's like the ultimate platform.

00:19:22Guest:Not unlike this, but I know him well.

00:19:24Guest:Yeah.

00:19:25Guest:So you can just be as stupid as possible and just keep talking and...

00:19:30Guest:to have a friend to give you that.

00:19:32Guest:Yeah.

00:19:33Guest:And he just bullshits right back.

00:19:35Guest:Oh, yeah.

00:19:36Guest:He's so fucking funny, man.

00:19:38Guest:Yeah.

00:19:39Guest:How'd you meet him?

00:19:40Guest:I met him... Well, I heard him first on the Gorsh, you know, like all his old... Yeah, yeah.

00:19:46Guest:His calls with John Worcester.

00:19:47Guest:Yeah.

00:19:48Guest:And then I... My band, Kurt Weil and the Violators, we opened... Like, my first Matador... My album came out on Matador Childish Prodigy in 2009, and then...

00:19:59Guest:I was offered to open for Big Star at the Masonic Temple.

00:20:02Guest:And it ended up being Big Star's last show ever, which is crazy.

00:20:06Marc:Wow, but like Big Star, like original lineup Big Star?

00:20:08Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:20:09Guest:And then like a year later, he died.

00:20:11Guest:But anyway, Tom was there.

00:20:13Guest:Yeah.

00:20:13Guest:And somebody pointed out that Tom was there.

00:20:15Guest:So me and my bandmate, Adam, at the time, he was in my band.

00:20:19Marc:How do you say his last name?

00:20:21Guest:Adams?

00:20:22Guest:Well, Grandusiel is his stage name.

00:20:24Marc:Grandusiel, yeah.

00:20:26Guest:That's his stage name?

00:20:27Guest:I mean, okay, well, I don't mean to say it's his stage name.

00:20:30Guest:He uses that, but it's not... His real name?

00:20:33Guest:Yeah.

00:20:33Guest:But anyway, yeah, me and him, we got obsessed with all his calls and...

00:20:37Guest:You know, he's like, we would just impersonate the hell out of it.

00:20:41Guest:And I was chasing him around.

00:20:42Guest:We were drunk.

00:20:43Guest:And he was like looking at us back, you know, walking away.

00:20:46Guest:What do you want from me?

00:20:46Guest:He was like, thank you.

00:20:47Guest:I'm very flattered.

00:20:48Guest:Thank you.

00:20:49Guest:Just impersonating everything.

00:20:50Guest:But he thought for sure we were making fun of him.

00:20:52Guest:Yeah.

00:20:53Guest:Because that's kind of what I like to do is just impersonate.

00:20:59Guest:Not like, here is my impersonation.

00:21:01Marc:Yeah, right, right.

00:21:03Marc:But just a natural mimic.

00:21:04Guest:Yeah.

00:21:04Guest:yeah yeah so that so then you guys become friends after that definitely yeah um and you do a show you used to do a show i've been on a show multiple times i can't wait to go back he directed my kv crimes video a couple albums ago uh-huh um which album uh waking on a pretty day that's a good record thanks

00:21:24Marc:Yeah, I listened to, I went all the way back today.

00:21:27Marc:I think I have the last three albums or four albums, and I went and listened to Constant Hitmaker.

00:21:33Marc:So let's go back to, so when did you start with the music?

00:21:37Marc:You grew up outside of Philly, and you come from a musical family?

00:21:43Guest:Yeah, we are a musical family.

00:21:45Guest:A lot of people play.

00:21:48Guest:How many people in the family?

00:21:50Guest:Actually, I'm one of ten children, so I have nine siblings.

00:21:55Guest:Do you know them all?

00:21:56Guest:Yeah.

00:21:56Guest:Oh, yeah, because they're all from the same parents.

00:22:00Guest:What's in that one?

00:22:04Marc:But where do you come in the lineup?

00:22:08Guest:I'm the oldest son.

00:22:08Guest:Uh-huh.

00:22:10Guest:I have two older sisters, but it's an even split.

00:22:12Guest:It's five boys and five girls.

00:22:14Guest:That's crazy.

00:22:17Marc:It's a lot of kids, man.

00:22:19Marc:I know.

00:22:20Marc:Is that a Catholic thing?

00:22:22Guest:They're not Catholic, but they're religious.

00:22:29Marc:Yeah?

00:22:30Marc:What strand?

00:22:31Yeah.

00:22:31Guest:Some kind of Christian strand, I guess.

00:22:33Marc:Oh, yeah.

00:22:34Guest:I mean, I know.

00:22:35Guest:I don't know.

00:22:35Guest:I think they don't have like a... No.

00:22:38Marc:But was it like, are you off the grid people?

00:22:41Marc:Are you living in a farmhouse?

00:22:42Guest:No, we lived in Lansdowne.

00:22:44Guest:We lived in a twin house.

00:22:46Guest:All the boys in one room, two bunk beds.

00:22:49Guest:Yeah, and the girls in the other room, and you just... Yeah, I mean, it was tight.

00:22:56Guest:Yeah.

00:22:57Guest:It was a lot of fights, and like we're all, nobody, you know, no hard feelings.

00:23:03Guest:In fact, the one...

00:23:05Guest:The one that I didn't get along with the most, I'm probably, I see him the most now.

00:23:09Marc:Oh, yeah?

00:23:09Guest:Younger brother?

00:23:10Guest:Yeah, my brother Paul.

00:23:11Guest:I haven't seen him lately, but he's, you know, he's a character.

00:23:15Guest:Yeah?

00:23:16Guest:A Philly character?

00:23:18Marc:Yeah, I guess.

00:23:20Marc:Yeah?

00:23:21Marc:There is a specific thing.

00:23:22Marc:You know what I'm talking about.

00:23:23Guest:Yeah.

00:23:24Marc:You know what I mean?

00:23:25Marc:There's like a specific thing that happens in Philly and in Jersey.

00:23:29Marc:It's a certain type of dude.

00:23:31Marc:Yeah.

00:23:31Guest:that only happens in those two places yeah well i'm just i'm just so glad because all these people now yeah uh you know fleeing new york yeah defeated i never had to go there to begin with but i could still benefit from its resources you know i go up to new york and get the hell out of there now i have two houses

00:23:52Marc:yeah you did all right you did all right yeah it's going good so how many people in the family played like what was the instruments um you know just mainly guitar yeah a little piano mainly guitars yeah banjos actually banjos oh banjos guitars like were your was your dad or mom musical people

00:24:12Guest:They're both like musical.

00:24:15Guest:My dad plays a violin a little.

00:24:16Guest:He picked it up later in life, but they're very encouraging and they're musical.

00:24:19Guest:It's like in their blood.

00:24:20Guest:They're obsessive.

00:24:21Guest:Like my dad's obsessed with bluegrass.

00:24:24Guest:Oh, really?

00:24:25Guest:So that's where the banjo thing comes from.

00:24:26Guest:He was hoping you'd... Bluegrass in old time.

00:24:28Guest:Yeah, he was definitely hoping...

00:24:29Guest:i would lock in yeah be a bluegrass player i guess but he does yeah his favorite song of mine is i'm an outlaw which is on the last my previous album well the one that's out at the moment yeah uh he likes that one yeah because it's got the banjo you got country tinge to it i guess he just likes it that it's the banjo you know he like he

00:24:53Guest:i wanted a guitar yeah maybe when i was 13 and they were going to get they're going to surprise me for one with one for like my birthday or christmas or but then i was being particularly bad that year or so they said so but then they not only that they were like we were going to surprise you with a guitar but you've been so bad you're not getting it so anyway yeah the next year he's like how about banjo and then

00:25:18Guest:At first I was like, I don't know, banjo.

00:25:20Guest:Yeah.

00:25:21Guest:And then I had a cousin who played music and he encouraged me.

00:25:24Guest:He's like, ah, that's pretty unique.

00:25:25Guest:And I was like, all right.

00:25:26Guest:And then, but really, what really sold me is my dad drove SEPTA trains, you know, SEPTA.

00:25:32Guest:Are you, are you from, where are you from?

00:25:34Marc:Are you East Coast?

00:25:35Marc:Yeah.

00:25:35Guest:i my i'm originally from jersey but i grew up in new mexico so he drew i don't know whatever yeah he just had one of his conductor friends who he was going to buy the banjo off of played over the phone the telephone you know not the cell phone and it sounded so cool going through that phone he's like all right here's a little he held it up so you could hear it he's like here uh how's it going i'm gonna play this song uh

00:25:57Guest:I just played some kind of, I wish I remember the song, Cripple Creek or something.

00:26:02Guest:Who knows?

00:26:03Guest:Could be anything.

00:26:03Guest:Foggy Mountain Breakdown.

00:26:05Marc:It's something, one of those like... Yeah, Foggy Mountain Breakdown.

00:26:10Marc:Great song.

00:26:10Marc:Yeah, great, yeah.

00:26:11Marc:So he plays it over the phone and that sounded appealing.

00:26:13Marc:Yeah, and so then I got it for my 14th birthday.

00:26:16Marc:Five stringer?

00:26:17Guest:Mm-hmm.

00:26:18Guest:Uh-huh.

00:26:18Guest:That's tuned to an open what?

00:26:20Guest:Open G, usually.

00:26:22Guest:Yeah.

00:26:23Guest:Did you take to it?

00:26:24Guest:Yeah, I took to it.

00:26:26Guest:Well, that wasn't even my first instrument in elementary school.

00:26:30Guest:I played the trumpet in school, so I could always pick up the instruments pretty quick.

00:26:34Marc:Yeah, trumpet's a good one.

00:26:37Guest:Yeah, I pick it up nostalgically sometimes and just blow a few notes in it, but I'm definitely not fluent in it.

00:26:44Guest:Plus, with the trumpet, you've got to have the embouchure.

00:26:47Guest:What's that?

00:26:48Guest:It's like that word.

00:26:50Guest:It has to do with the way you... I don't even know for sure.

00:26:53Guest:I know it from the Miles Davis book, but everybody uses that word with trumpet.

00:26:57Guest:You're like, oh, you've got to get your embouchure back.

00:27:00Marc:Oh, like the stream of air into it?

00:27:03Guest:Maybe that or just the, I don't even know.

00:27:04Marc:Yeah.

00:27:05Guest:Is it like the way you put your mouth into it?

00:27:07Guest:I actually don't really know.

00:27:08Marc:Yeah.

00:27:09Marc:But you might as well throw the word around.

00:27:11Marc:Why not?

00:27:11Marc:Yeah.

00:27:12Marc:You know, usually people know what it means and they don't ask me what it means.

00:27:17Guest:I'm sorry.

00:27:17Marc:I called you on it.

00:27:18Marc:I apologize.

00:27:18Marc:I'm just curious.

00:27:19Marc:Now I'm going to have to look it up later.

00:27:21Marc:I hope you get it back, whatever it is.

00:27:24Yeah.

00:27:26Guest:I will.

00:27:31Guest:Once I look it up.

00:27:33Marc:So banjo's a pretty hard instrument to integrate into rock and roll.

00:27:39Guest:Well, I guess, but I would say that... You only did it on that one song?

00:27:43Guest:No, no.

00:27:43Guest:I've played it a bunch.

00:27:44Guest:I do play it.

00:27:45Guest:Even my...

00:27:46Guest:My wife, she likes when I get into the banjo again because it's got that ethereal thing.

00:27:50Guest:It's like got the high drone string.

00:27:52Guest:So when you finger pick, you don't even have to hardly use any fingers.

00:27:55Marc:Yeah.

00:27:56Guest:I mean, on the fret hand.

00:27:57Guest:Yeah.

00:27:58Guest:And you just play these cyclical kind of finger picking.

00:28:03Marc:Almost like a sitar.

00:28:04Guest:Ethereal thing.

00:28:05Guest:Yeah, yeah.

00:28:06Guest:It just puts you in the zone.

00:28:07Guest:Yeah, yeah.

00:28:09Guest:And then also starting with the banjo, I didn't...

00:28:12Guest:I did take lessons and I would have otherwise gotten a guitar and they would have taught me like standard tuning, played these bar chords.

00:28:20Guest:Sure.

00:28:20Guest:And because I started like with the open tuning.

00:28:22Guest:Yeah.

00:28:23Guest:It kind of like in the world that I grew up in, all of a sudden, you know, like sort of indie rock type of bands and Sonic Youth or whoever, they're using like various tunings.

00:28:33Marc:Yeah.

00:28:34Guest:And once I, that was nothing new to me because, you know.

00:28:38Marc:Banjo guy.

00:28:38Marc:Banjo.

00:28:39Marc:Yeah.

00:28:39Guest:Banjo guy.

00:28:40Marc:Yeah.

00:28:40Marc:Not surprising me with that open tuning.

00:28:43Marc:I'm a banjo guy.

00:28:45Marc:Yeah.

00:28:46Marc:Well, it's weird because I have this weird thing with the gallows pole, you know, the Led Zeppelin song.

00:28:53Marc:Uh-huh.

00:28:53Marc:Because there's a banjo in there, and I've often thought that it would be better without it.

00:28:59Marc:Well, that's the... Dude, yeah.

00:29:01Guest:When you add a banjo but play it in a rock setting but still play like... Like everybody's like, that's corny.

00:29:08Marc:All right, so you're playing banjo.

00:29:10Marc:And do you hang out?

00:29:12Marc:I play guitar with my brother.

00:29:14Marc:Do you have brothers playing guitar?

00:29:15Marc:Did you guys do family stuff?

00:29:17Marc:Did you jam together?

00:29:18Guest:We jammed a little.

00:29:20Guest:Then I would just jam with my friends.

00:29:22Marc:When was the first band?

00:29:24Guest:Pretty soon after.

00:29:24Guest:15, 16.

00:29:26Guest:Somewhere maybe closer to 16.

00:29:29Guest:But I...

00:29:31Guest:i i had a friend that i mean i basically a year later somebody gave me a a neighbor across the street gave me a guitar because they always heard me playing the banjos and they were like enough already no they they just they probably thought it was a guitar they're like oh i see you like guitar here's a okay here's another guitar really no no they must have known you live next door to leprechauns but they were yeah no

00:29:57Guest:Yeah.

00:29:59Marc:Here's your guitar.

00:30:01Marc:No, no.

00:30:01Guest:Actually, they were very nice.

00:30:02Guest:They were nothing like that.

00:30:03Guest:Yeah.

00:30:04Guest:They were just supportive, you know?

00:30:05Guest:Yeah, it's nice.

00:30:05Guest:Because we were always on, like, the porch playing.

00:30:07Guest:We're not even an open porch.

00:30:10Marc:One of nine kids out there.

00:30:12Marc:I guess at some point there was a kid somewhere outside all the time.

00:30:15Marc:Yeah.

00:30:16Marc:There's two of them.

00:30:16Guest:I'm still nostalgic.

00:30:17Guest:I think about that because I never – all you could really do is play in your driveway or just all across everybody else's front lawns.

00:30:25Marc:Right.

00:30:26Guest:Or in the street.

00:30:26Guest:yeah which that doesn't fly today yeah but i am nostalgic about driveways i still don't have the right driveway in my house do you have a good driveway you don't like your driveway no what's the matter with it it just goes it's like goes downhill it's not the right you can't run up and down ride your bike i can't ride my i can't ride my tricycle on it can't ride your kid's bike i can't ride my my big wheel on my driveway or my uh too big of an angle

00:30:53Marc:Yeah.

00:30:54Marc:Sorry, man.

00:30:55Marc:It's all right.

00:30:56Marc:Is there any way to make it a driveway that you like?

00:30:58Marc:No.

00:30:59Marc:It's all right.

00:30:59Marc:That was so random.

00:31:00Guest:That's kind of how I talk sometimes.

00:31:02Marc:No, there's no problem.

00:31:03Marc:I mean, I know the feeling.

00:31:04Marc:I had to replace a driveway in my old house.

00:31:08Marc:This driveway is all fucked up, but this would be a good driveway if I put cement on it.

00:31:11Marc:Does it go straight back?

00:31:13Marc:It goes straight right out from the front to the street.

00:31:15Guest:Yeah, I love that.

00:31:16Marc:Yeah.

00:31:16Marc:Did your driveway have a basketball hoop on it, on the garage?

00:31:20Guest:No, but neighbors did.

00:31:21Marc:Oh, so you just go across the street?

00:31:24Guest:But I had a next-door neighbor, and he was my age.

00:31:27Marc:Yeah.

00:31:28Guest:We would just ride.

00:31:28Guest:Well, he had, like, one of those...

00:31:32Guest:What's the show?

00:31:33Guest:What's the show with Waylon Jennings song?

00:31:35Guest:The Dukes of Hazzard.

00:31:37Guest:He had the Dukes of Hazzard bike.

00:31:38Guest:Oh, really?

00:31:39Guest:Like the car.

00:31:40Marc:Yeah.

00:31:40Guest:And I just had a regular big wheel, but we'd go back and forth all day.

00:31:44Marc:The good old days.

00:31:46Marc:The stuff you did at first was all sort of self-generated, right?

00:31:49Marc:A lot of it?

00:31:50Guest:Yeah, I mean, I don't... Are you talking about the first CD?

00:31:54Guest:Yeah.

00:31:54Guest:Okay.

00:31:55Guest:Well, by the time that first CD came out, I... I don't know, let's see.

00:32:01Guest:Those are mostly my home recordings.

00:32:03Guest:The very first song, Freeway, was recorded by Brian McTeer, this guy in Philly.

00:32:07Guest:That was like my first studio recording, I guess.

00:32:09Marc:Yeah.

00:32:10Guest:But when I was like 20 to 21, like 21 to 23, I lived for two years...

00:32:18Guest:basically in Boston and I and out there I got like this I got one of those Roland digital eight tracks and Was but I was working this crappy job so I could where it was like an air freight company Eagle air freight driving a forklift is like a really ego air freight wait how'd you go in Boston because my wife my girlfriend at the time she she was like getting her masters and

00:32:42Guest:oh anyway so so driving a forklift yeah it was brutal with dreams the worst oh yeah and they they they preyed on me instantly like the lifers like oh yeah you ever see like you saw the departed or something you know that accent but they're just like yo flamer flamer yeah he's like he calls you like a flaming guy yeah yeah you're fucking flamer all the time like he's like

00:33:12Guest:what's the name of your record label bonehead records you know like and i'm like 20 like in a like literal blue suit oh my god i didn't even mean to go back so far but i in that time i was alone a lot or you know with my with my thing and i was buying a lot of gear and so i was doing the home recording thing but then by the time

00:33:35Guest:2008, that's when Constant Hitmaker came out, and that's when I had a collection to choose from of all my best home recordings, and that's what that is.

00:33:46Guest:So it is sort of like greatest hits of stuff.

00:33:49Marc:So that's what Constant Hitmaker is.

00:33:51Guest:Yeah, it goes from 2003 to 2008.

00:33:52Marc:Okay, so just before that then, so when you're in Philly, when do you meet Adam and start doing that stuff?

00:34:01Yeah.

00:34:01Guest:I met Adam in 2003 when I moved back to Philly from Boston.

00:34:06Marc:Oh, so that was after.

00:34:07Guest:I moved into Northern Liberties.

00:34:09Marc:Oh, yeah.

00:34:09Guest:Yeah, and we were buddies, and we played together.

00:34:13Guest:We definitely played together kind of right away, but it didn't get serious.

00:34:17Guest:We had a next wave of getting serious, and...

00:34:21Guest:I'd say from 2005 to 2008 that's when all you know we he would play with me a ton in my band or like at first it was just me and him kind of like a duo and then I would play in the war on drugs with him and then eventually like the violators involved out of that and so did the war on drugs uh so those are two different directions but it was the same a few of the same crew

00:34:44Guest:Well, I would say, yeah, that whole thing.

00:34:47Guest:I mean, the Violators was definitely like there were set members in the band, like four members.

00:34:53Guest:They all have pivotal roles.

00:34:55Guest:That's kind of always the way the Violators were.

00:34:57Guest:And definitely, and me and Adam, but we were just always playing music together, recording at his house.

00:35:06Guest:So whether it be end up on my thing or the war on drugs, it just depended.

00:35:11Marc:But did you, you were sort of in, you were on the first War on Drugs record?

00:35:15Guest:I'm on the first War on Drugs record.

00:35:16Marc:Yeah.

00:35:17Marc:Yeah.

00:35:18Marc:And then you sort of went your separate ways in a way?

00:35:21Guest:Yeah, I mean, I...

00:35:24Guest:as as glad i as i am that i was on that record and stuff i adam always knew i was obsessed with my own thing always and yeah in fact and i but yeah so i got to go to europe for the first time through the war on drugs and i was like i'm i'm stoked to do this but i you have to let me open so

00:35:44Guest:So, I mean, I hope, you know.

00:35:46Guest:You did?

00:35:47Guest:Yeah.

00:35:47Guest:But, like, you know, I convinced Adam, you know, after he wasn't as busy with the War on Drugs.

00:35:52Guest:Yeah.

00:35:53Guest:I'm very grateful because he played on my Smoke Ring record and he toured and The Childish Prodigy, the first Madder record he played on.

00:36:02Guest:Like, that's all violators.

00:36:03Guest:Yeah.

00:36:03Guest:You know, Adam, Jesse, my old drummer, Mike Zhang.

00:36:07Guest:Yeah.

00:36:08Guest:So anyway, I'm just grateful that I got Adam to continue to tour in the Violators a little longer because otherwise, I don't know what I would have done.

00:36:17Guest:He was really in the pocket.

00:36:22Guest:He was really a pivotal member of the band.

00:36:25Marc:And helped you define yourself, too, I guess, probably.

00:36:27Guest:Yeah, I think we both helped each other out.

00:36:31Guest:And you guys still friends?

00:36:33Guest:Yeah, definitely.

00:36:34Guest:Is he around Philly, too, still?

00:36:36Guest:I think he bought a place in Philly, but he's not there that often.

00:36:40Marc:It's interesting.

00:36:41Marc:There are guys that play, like The War on Drugs 2, but you as well.

00:36:45Marc:There are guys that play, and they never really find their own groove, but you have your own thing.

00:36:51Marc:You listen to it, and it's sort of like, oh, yes, Kurt Weill.

00:36:54Marc:There's no denying every... There's no question about it.

00:36:57Marc:That's right.

00:36:59Yeah.

00:36:59Marc:But it's not easy.

00:37:01Marc:You know what I mean?

00:37:02Marc:Not everybody has that.

00:37:03Guest:Well, I'm also lucky that imagine if... Well, it's not like you heard it, but I'm glad I had time to figure it out because that first constant hit maker, there's tons of... I put out tons of CDRs before then, and they're fine.

00:37:20Guest:I mean, there's moments on them, but like...

00:37:22Guest:It took me a while.

00:37:24Guest:I didn't have anything come out on a real label until I was 28, 29, so I had the time to fine-tune my sound.

00:37:30Guest:And I almost think I was never going to make it or something.

00:37:33Marc:Well, I mean, when you say CD-R, it's like how... Well, let me go back again just for a minute.

00:37:38Marc:So when you get your first guitar and then you're still hanging out at home and stuff, how are you finding... You're in the suburbs of Philly, but you're younger than me.

00:37:47Marc:What are you, like 39 or something?

00:37:50Guest:I'm 38.

00:37:50Guest:Yeah, I'll be 39 in January.

00:37:52Marc:So what kind of musical sources are you drawing from?

00:37:54Marc:Where are you getting your musical education?

00:37:57Marc:Well... You know what I mean?

00:37:58Marc:I'm not talking about playing.

00:37:59Marc:I'm just talking about what informs your taste.

00:38:01Guest:I mean, I've always been pretty obsessive, so I got obsessed with most bands.

00:38:05Guest:You know, like...

00:38:06Guest:You know, I loved the Smashing Pumpkins.

00:38:09Guest:Yeah.

00:38:09Guest:I probably wrote them off later or something, you know, a little bit or something.

00:38:12Guest:Like, I'm like, no, this is the new song.

00:38:14Guest:And different classic things that my dad played, like Credence, I loved right away.

00:38:19Guest:Some things I loved right away.

00:38:20Guest:You know, Hendrix I loved as a kid.

00:38:21Guest:I had those early CDs.

00:38:23Guest:Yeah.

00:38:23Guest:Like, I mean, my early CDs were like a collection of Jimi Hendrix or something.

00:38:28Guest:Yeah.

00:38:29Guest:But then, you know, once like all these sort of more indie rock type of bands, the good ones like...

00:38:35Guest:Like, you know, anywhere from Pavement, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., you know, and a lot of Drag City.

00:38:44Guest:Yeah.

00:38:44Guest:Tons of the Drag City stuff.

00:38:45Guest:You like the Drag City stuff.

00:38:47Marc:Yeah.

00:38:47Guest:Palace Brothers, Silver Jews.

00:38:49Guest:I mean, David Bourbon is definitely a hero.

00:38:52Guest:He's so great.

00:38:52Guest:He's so good.

00:38:53Guest:Have you hung out with him?

00:38:55Guest:I have.

00:38:55Marc:It's a lot, right?

00:38:56Guest:I've managed to pull him out.

00:38:57Guest:Yeah?

00:38:58Guest:It took me a few times to get through to him.

00:39:00Guest:And finally, I remember one day I called him while I was in...

00:39:03Guest:While I was in town for a gig.

00:39:05Marc:In Nashville?

00:39:06Guest:Yeah, and he actually, I think that was the last test, because I called him.

00:39:10Guest:He didn't answer, or maybe he even answered and hung up, but then he showed up at the gig.

00:39:14Marc:Oh, that's nice.

00:39:15Marc:I don't know what he's up to now.

00:39:17Guest:He's doing stuff.

00:39:18Guest:He's going to come back and break everybody's heart again.

00:39:22Guest:yeah drag city yeah like do you like the bonnie prince bill yeah i loved i loved uh especially like palace i grew up on i yeah yeah definitely i've i like the bonnie prince billy stuff too but i guess i'm nostalgic i was getting those seven inches and the early records as they were coming out oh right but yeah i like all all versions of that yeah i

00:39:44Marc:Who else is on there?

00:39:45Guest:Joanna Newsom.

00:39:46Guest:Bill Callahan, yeah.

00:39:47Guest:I mean, sure.

00:39:48Guest:I love, actually, Joanna Newsom's newest record.

00:39:52Guest:That record's incredible.

00:39:53Guest:I don't know if you've heard of it.

00:39:55Marc:The last one?

00:39:55Marc:Divers?

00:39:56Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:39:57Marc:That one's really good.

00:39:57Guest:But she came a little later, so that wasn't my teens growing up on that stuff.

00:40:03Marc:So Drag City was the hip, sort of like, this is new shit, cutting-edge shit.

00:40:06Guest:Yeah, but weird and accessible.

00:40:08Guest:Yeah.

00:40:09Guest:You know, nobody was playing too hot of licks that they were unreachable or something.

00:40:14Marc:Right, right, right.

00:40:15Marc:Seemed like, hey, that sounds like the guy next door.

00:40:18Marc:Yeah.

00:40:18Marc:Or like, he's just playing in his room, that guy.

00:40:20Marc:Yeah.

00:40:21Marc:Yeah, so it seemed possible.

00:40:22Guest:Yeah.

00:40:23Marc:Oh, yeah.

00:40:24Marc:It's important to have that.

00:40:25Guest:so so that was sort of your template like you know i can do this and i can do it myself if i have to right and and i definitely i had friends good i was friends to this day i'm really good friends with a group who they had a band and uh then their brothers my the the youngest my friend was dan you know dan park and then there's these two older park brothers and they both

00:40:49Guest:They would record their brother's band, but then at different times, first it was Bob, then it was Dave, they would record my stuff.

00:40:57Guest:So the whole home recording or semi-studio recording, I was doing it pretty early.

00:41:02Guest:I wasn't doing it myself.

00:41:03Guest:I would record on a tape recorder in my room, but I was in the quote-unquote studio since I was a teen.

00:41:09Guest:And I'd put out a CDR and be like, call it my album.

00:41:12Guest:They were like, oh, my next album is going to be, but it's not really an album.

00:41:16Marc:But what did you do with the CDRs?

00:41:18Guest:I would give them out.

00:41:19Guest:to people I became known you know as the CDR guy yeah or like actually I have one tape I was you know as a teen I would play like this Marple Newtown coffee house you know I was like the star of that scene I actually wasn't stupid I don't mean but I was the star of that scene yeah like just you and your guitar yeah with my tape more I meant to say with my stupid tape you know laughing

00:41:48Marc:Your album, your tape of your album?

00:41:50Marc:Yeah, my next album is going to be killer.

00:41:55Marc:You still got any of those tapes?

00:41:56Marc:Who's got the tapes?

00:41:57Marc:Yeah, I got them.

00:41:59Guest:Yeah?

00:42:00Marc:Did you go get like hundreds of them ran off?

00:42:02Marc:Yeah.

00:42:03Marc:Yeah, so you still got a box?

00:42:05Yeah.

00:42:05Guest:Yeah.

00:42:09Guest:I actually still have a box of the covers and the cases because we accidentally got too many of those.

00:42:18Marc:Yeah, but you have them.

00:42:20Marc:It's so funny when you self-produce stuff.

00:42:23Marc:Man, I have... Yeah, you must have some tapes or some CDRs.

00:42:28Marc:Some CDs that I made.

00:42:29Marc:Yeah, like that I ordered from the guy.

00:42:31Marc:You know what I mean?

00:42:32Marc:Like you design a cover.

00:42:33Marc:I didn't even get the gem box.

00:42:36Marc:I just got the envelope for the CD.

00:42:39Marc:And I made a cover design that I couldn't even use.

00:42:42Marc:And there's like a few hundred of those in my storage space.

00:42:45Marc:Well, I threw him away.

00:42:47Guest:Yeah.

00:42:47Guest:Well, I'll tell you, luckily at the very end, like my last few CDRs, say seven of them, when I actually started... Okay, in 2003, I started just using my regular name, Kurt Vile.

00:42:58Guest:Yeah.

00:42:58Guest:And...

00:43:00Guest:And those, I have like a good handful of maybe seven different non-albums, let's call them.

00:43:06Guest:But they're pretty cool because I would go to Kinko's and get the nice hard paper and print it out like it's a vinyl.

00:43:13Guest:Then you fold it and you put it in the plastic thing, except it's a little CD.

00:43:17Guest:And it made them look really cool, like a collage or whatever.

00:43:21Guest:Yeah.

00:43:22Guest:and i will say i don't know how kid i guess they just use band camp it's just a different time so maybe but still nowadays people just send you a link of their stuff and i hate links yeah so it must at least i could just hand people something you know no it's nice it was the tactile it was a different time you know what i mean like everything became part of the creative process yeah yeah as opposed to just like a link i hate links

00:43:45Marc:Yeah, I mean, like, you know, when somebody hands you a tape where they made the cover and they packed it themselves or even a record.

00:43:53Guest:I mean, you got records on the wall.

00:43:54Guest:You know, that's what people like.

00:43:56Marc:All your records are nice.

00:43:57Marc:Usually they open them up.

00:43:59Marc:You know, there's stuff, good pictures, you know, words and things.

00:44:04Marc:You know, like it seems early on on some of the really early stuff, there was a lot more psychedelic weirdness going on.

00:44:10Marc:Is that possible?

00:44:12Marc:In what ones?

00:44:13Marc:The early ones?

00:44:14Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:44:14Guest:Well, that's because, like, think about it.

00:44:17Guest:I'm no, like, professional recorder.

00:44:19Guest:Yeah.

00:44:19Guest:So, like, the weirder, the more effects you can put on something and add some analog weirdness, like, the cooler it'll sound.

00:44:29Guest:Otherwise, it's less, like, you know, direct into some digital machine.

00:44:33Guest:It's not going to sound very good.

00:44:34Guest:Right.

00:44:34Guest:Oh, so you had to hide the fact that you were... Well, I think that's part of the reason, but that was also just into the...

00:44:38Marc:psychedelic yeah the sound you want to push the edge get the noise get the noise going yeah I still I'm nostalgic about that I'm trying to get back to those roots because it seems like you got pretty confident in terms of like how you produce your voice your voice is really sort of up front now and you can like you know hear it and you can hear the words and you're talking

00:44:59Guest:Yeah, that's true.

00:45:00Guest:There was definitely a lot of delay on the vocals in the old days.

00:45:02Marc:Right.

00:45:04Marc:You sound like you're in some sort of a storage container.

00:45:10Marc:Yeah.

00:45:11Marc:So when you stopped doing the kind of homemade shit,

00:45:18Guest:that um like what's the process of of recording now like you got guys you've been with forever well i have a bunch of guys that i like to work with yeah um yeah i don't i don't know if i'll ever who knows i don't know if i'll find this producer ever again and be like oh no like i'm just saying like yeah

00:45:41Guest:like just work with one person like maybe but i doubt i now i work with like multiple people uh rob like rob schnapp is a guy i work with in la yeah and he he uh i really like to work with him he's like got a great ear and like some of my poppiest jams like pretty pimping he did and some of my favorites on this record he did um and then there's a guy on the east coast peter cadis uh

00:46:07Guest:i recorded with him with the violators he did like interpol and all that stuff obviously we're nothing like that but uh he's got it he's a engineer whiz as well yeah he rescued my last record uh i believe i'm going down because we ran out of time we had to mix it it was due and uh he he finished mixing like a ton of songs and made them sound great in like just a few days yeah well so then on this record we went back i went back with the band and and i had him record some of the songs and then

00:46:35Guest:Yeah.

00:46:36Guest:Because he saved the songs.

00:46:38Guest:I was like, well, he saved the record.

00:46:40Guest:Maybe he can save the band.

00:46:44Guest:But it turns out, you know, no one person can save the band.

00:46:47Guest:Can save a band?

00:46:48Guest:Yeah.

00:46:49Marc:It takes a band to save a band.

00:46:52Yeah.

00:46:53Marc:Tell me about like the last album or the one before Believe I'm Going Down.

00:46:59Marc:Yeah.

00:46:59Marc:You know, it's like sort of a blues trope.

00:47:02Marc:Yeah.

00:47:03Marc:You know what I mean?

00:47:03Marc:Yeah.

00:47:04Marc:So you're a blues guy?

00:47:05Guest:Well, yeah.

00:47:05Guest:I actually forget to mention the blues lately because I just, anything time I get into anything, I get so deep into it that people ask me again and I'm just on my new trip.

00:47:14Guest:But yeah, like Delta Blues, Charlie Patton.

00:47:18Marc:Charlie Patton.

00:47:18Guest:John Hurt.

00:47:19Marc:Yeah.

00:47:20Marc:Yeah.

00:47:20Guest:that lick that hurt does that little that little bend that uh yeah yeah yeah i mean those those are the obvious ones and there's tons there's tons um yeah fred mcdowell yeah love fred mcdowell crazy so like that's a recent one for you that's recent stuff like like getting into that no i got into that um

00:47:40Guest:I got heavy into that, I'd say, starting when I was in Boston, like in 2000, 2001.

00:47:47Guest:Forklift era?

00:47:48Guest:Yeah, but it was only an extension of... I made some cool friends out there in Boston who were actually going to college when I should be.

00:47:54Guest:Right.

00:47:55Guest:Except I was like the dude, the kind of shy, weird guy who would...

00:47:59Guest:have to gut up early and drive the forklift when he's hanging out with these college kids that are like smoking weed and like listening to Brian Eno.

00:48:07Guest:And they turned me, this kid turned me on to John Fahey.

00:48:10Guest:You know, obviously he's, you know, John Fahey.

00:48:12Marc:Yeah.

00:48:12Guest:Like he's like a student of the people like Charlie, he wrote a book about Charlie Patton in college or whatever.

00:48:19Yeah.

00:48:19Guest:But anyway, I remember I saw that this kid had the American Folk Anthology, and I was like, oh, my dad has that.

00:48:26Guest:And my dad was playing, like, Bull Weevil and all that stuff.

00:48:28Guest:Bull Weevil Blues, yeah.

00:48:30Guest:And then I just... I was like, oh, well, I guess it's cool, you know?

00:48:34Guest:Yeah.

00:48:35Guest:And I grew up on, like...

00:48:36Guest:uh, Doc Watson and all that kind of stuff.

00:48:38Marc:Sure.

00:48:38Marc:Then my dad was bluegrass.

00:48:40Guest:Yeah.

00:48:40Guest:So then I remember I went home on a break and I went to like the blue, the bluegrass festival with my dad and I bought all these CDs, like all these blues, tons of blue CDs.

00:48:51Guest:I just got deep into all that stuff.

00:48:52Marc:It's good, right?

00:48:54Marc:Of course.

00:48:54Marc:I mean, it informs everything as well.

00:48:57Marc:Fahey, I think he and a couple other guys went and found Skip James.

00:49:01Guest:Yeah.

00:49:02Guest:There's a chapter about that in his book.

00:49:06Guest:Oh, yeah?

00:49:06Guest:How Bluegrass Music Destroyed My Life.

00:49:10Guest:That's the name of the Fahey book?

00:49:11Guest:The Fahey book, yeah.

00:49:12Marc:Did you have a record store that you went to when you were a kid?

00:49:14Guest:I, well, when I was a kid, I had a CD store.

00:49:18Guest:Yeah.

00:49:19Guest:At first I went to see our CDs, but yeah, then I would go into town, um, to get like seven inches.

00:49:24Guest:And once I realized that there was stuff you couldn't get, like, like that wasn't on, the stuff on vinyl, you know, like exclusive stuff on vinyl.

00:49:34Marc:Yeah.

00:49:35Guest:So yeah, in the nineties, I would go into town and go to, uh, Philadelphia record exchange.

00:49:39Marc:Oh yeah.

00:49:40Guest:Oh, is that a famous place?

00:49:41Guest:uh it's famous among you know you guys it should be maybe it should be more famous but right then it was on south street and um yeah like people come like there's a the owner jc is from that band the strapping field hands i don't know if you ever heard of them or the silt breeze label like all those early dead sea records no i don't know anything about them what kind of music seems like you it's like weird uh lo-fi yeah well the dead sea is from new zealand it's like uh

00:50:09Marc:Like they're a Flying Nun band.

00:50:11Marc:Oh, yeah, the Flying Nun.

00:50:12Marc:I got some of that stuff.

00:50:13Marc:That's pretty stuff.

00:50:15Marc:It's pretty noisy stuff.

00:50:17Marc:Really?

00:50:17Marc:Some of the Flying Nun stuff.

00:50:18Marc:Oh, the Flying Nun.

00:50:19Marc:I thought we were still talking about the Dead Sea.

00:50:20Marc:Sorry.

00:50:21Marc:But you said they're a Flying Nun band or they're not?

00:50:23Marc:They were.

00:50:23Marc:Oh, oh.

00:50:24Marc:Yeah.

00:50:24Marc:Too noisy for Flying Nun.

00:50:25Marc:They kicked them off?

00:50:26Marc:No.

00:50:27Guest:They were.

00:50:28Guest:No.

00:50:29Marc:Yeah.

00:50:29Marc:But so this guy had his own label and he ran the place.

00:50:32Guest:Well, another guy, Tom Lacks, he had the Silk Breeze label and he worked at the Record Exchange at one point or all kinds of... So it's interesting though.

00:50:40Marc:So it's a place that had definitely, it was a curated situation because you had guys with points of view about music and it was like one of those classic record stores where you'd go in and they'd lay down some wisdom, right?

00:50:53Marc:Yeah, totally.

00:50:54Marc:And you're like, oh, you know...

00:50:56Guest:Yeah, I found all the early drag city pavement EPs before it was too hard to find them or something.

00:51:03Marc:Oh, he had them?

00:51:04Marc:They had them down there?

00:51:05Marc:They had them there.

00:51:06Marc:Yeah, so it's always good to... So you're like 20 when you're going in there, 18?

00:51:09Marc:18.

00:51:10Marc:17, 18.

00:51:12Marc:A young mind.

00:51:14Marc:Young suburban mind.

00:51:15Marc:These old bitter record guys with their labels dumping stuff in your head.

00:51:20Guest:Yeah, like, I mean, I...

00:51:22Guest:Like, how's this record?

00:51:24Guest:You know, young and impressionable.

00:51:25Marc:Yeah, yeah.

00:51:27Marc:You know, they shoot you right down.

00:51:28Marc:Yeah, yeah.

00:51:29Marc:Not as good as the first one, which you can't get anymore.

00:51:31Marc:I don't know.

00:51:33Guest:Yeah.

00:51:34Guest:No, but they're cool.

00:51:37Guest:I still go see them to this day.

00:51:38Guest:Yeah?

00:51:39Yeah.

00:51:39Guest:Yeah, great guys.

00:51:40Marc:What do you think that you learned the most?

00:51:41Marc:Like, what do you think really blew your mind, like, from those guys?

00:51:45Marc:Like, what changed your thinking, like, in dealing with the... Because I'm always curious about the dudes that turn people on to things.

00:51:51Marc:Like, I know who my guys are.

00:51:52Guest:Well, I'll tell you later on.

00:51:54Guest:Yeah.

00:51:55Guest:The one guy they call Harmonica Dan, because he's always jamming harmonica with different sets.

00:52:00Guest:Like...

00:52:02Guest:In fact, were you ever into Jack Rose, by the way, speaking of John Fahey?

00:52:06Guest:Jack Rose.

00:52:07Guest:He passed away, but he was an incredible guitar player.

00:52:09Guest:I don't know.

00:52:09Guest:He caught the John Fahey torch.

00:52:10Guest:He's from Philly.

00:52:11Marc:Oh, yeah?

00:52:12Guest:Okay.

00:52:12Guest:Great.

00:52:13Guest:Yeah, you got it.

00:52:14Guest:I'll write that down, too.

00:52:16Guest:But anyway, one time he, this is after they knew who I was.

00:52:21Guest:Yeah.

00:52:22Guest:You know?

00:52:22Guest:Yeah.

00:52:23Guest:And he just, he gave me a Randy Newman record.

00:52:26Guest:He's like, I got that.

00:52:28Guest:I put that aside for you.

00:52:29Guest:And I was like, really?

00:52:30Guest:Randy Newman?

00:52:32Guest:Which one?

00:52:33Guest:It was the one with short people.

00:52:35Guest:That's all I knew.

00:52:35Guest:I was like, short people?

00:52:36Guest:Little criminals?

00:52:37Guest:Yeah.

00:52:38Guest:But then Baltimore, that song blew my mind.

00:52:41Guest:And then, you know, a little later, I got Sail Away.

00:52:46Guest:And it just destroyed me.

00:52:47Guest:And I would burn these things onto CDR, you know, and just take them on the road with me.

00:52:54Guest:And, you know, when you realize that song Sail Away, which is about, you know, getting, you know, slavery.

00:53:02Guest:Like, you don't even realize it.

00:53:03Guest:You're just like, oh, I don't know.

00:53:05Guest:Like, his lyrics, he'll destroy you.

00:53:08Marc:Destroy?

00:53:08Marc:I interviewed him.

00:53:09Marc:It was one of the best days of my life.

00:53:10Marc:That's amazing.

00:53:11Marc:Oh, I love the guy.

00:53:12Guest:Good old boys.

00:53:13Guest:The best.

00:53:13Guest:He's like, yes, baby, I've been drinking.

00:53:17Guest:That's the best song in the world.

00:53:19Guest:It just comes down to, he's like, you know, I can't stand myself.

00:53:22Guest:Yeah.

00:53:23Guest:It takes a whole lot of medicine for me to pretend that I'm somebody else.

00:53:27Marc:The best, dude.

00:53:28Marc:That's like, I just got chills.

00:53:30Marc:That song kills me, man.

00:53:32Marc:I, you know, I met him and we interviewed, I'm a huge fan.

00:53:35Marc:So I interviewed him and then like, you know, I told him I wanted to hang out sometime.

00:53:40Marc:So,

00:53:40Marc:So we went to this event where he was playing, and I ended up emceeing it, but it was for Flea.

00:53:44Marc:It's a long story.

00:53:46Marc:It's Flea's Conservatory, where he has a school that teaches kids, and it's a fundraiser, and Randy Newman was headlining.

00:53:53Marc:And I asked him to play Guilty, and he fucking played it.

00:53:56Guest:Oh, man.

00:53:56Marc:What a tight song, though, right?

00:53:58Marc:Yeah, and I did a cover of one of his later songs.

00:54:00Guest:Which one?

00:54:02Guest:pretty boy ah it's like from the album where he's mocking kiss on the cover yeah yeah money we got a tough guy here we got a tough guy from the streets yeah yeah yeah he's like looks just like that dancing wop from those movies that we've seen you know that one no he's like with his cute little chicken shit boots on

00:54:24Marc:you know he just oh man he ripped what's that album called born again or something or something like that yeah yeah so oh i wonder if i have that one i'm real hung up on that first four records well you got that one's got and and i heard from somebody who it's got it's money that i love right is on there it's money that yeah it's money that i love yeah

00:54:44Marc:Yeah, or like, hey, little sheep.

00:54:46Marc:Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:54:47Marc:Something about a little sheep.

00:54:48Marc:He's cutting, man.

00:54:49Marc:Such a sweet guy.

00:54:50Marc:Very self-effacing.

00:54:51Marc:Yeah.

00:54:52Marc:Like hard on himself.

00:54:53Guest:I saw him once, and I've been a fan forever, and we played Harley Strictly Bluegrass Festival, the same stage.

00:55:00Guest:Yeah.

00:55:01Guest:And I just didn't even talk to him because I just saw him there and I didn't know what to say.

00:55:06Guest:It was like I loved him so much that for once I couldn't even, where do you start?

00:55:11Guest:Same with like Neil Young.

00:55:13Guest:Yeah.

00:55:13Guest:Like I meet him multiple times just for a second, but like how's he going to know?

00:55:18Guest:Yeah.

00:55:19Guest:How can you hold his attention, you know?

00:55:21Yeah.

00:55:21Marc:So you didn't say anything to Neil either?

00:55:23Guest:No, I've said things to Neil many, every time.

00:55:26Guest:You said things to him?

00:55:27Guest:Oh, yeah.

00:55:29Guest:I hope I have to.

00:55:32Marc:I'd like to see you guys talking to each other.

00:55:34Marc:He's kind of got an odd frequency too.

00:55:36Marc:Yeah, I listened to your show.

00:55:38Marc:Yeah, that's something, man.

00:55:39Marc:I didn't know how that was going to go.

00:55:41Guest:uh yeah i i've gotten a couple a couple funny interactions with him yeah yeah what happened well the one time i met him the first time was just cool so i'll blow through that yeah but then the second time wasn't that long ago i he played it was the first time i saw him with the promise of the real and it was incredible and it blew my mind like they back him up so good and

00:56:05Guest:I managed to get backstage because I got on the list by his day-to-day manager, Frank.

00:56:11Guest:Okay.

00:56:12Guest:Because Frank, he manages Hope Sandoval from the Mazzy Star, and they got me to sing with her on a song.

00:56:19Guest:So anyway, that was my connection.

00:56:21Guest:But I still had to like...

00:56:23Guest:i still had to like reach out and see if it would happen and it happened that he got me on the list and then he he's like oh i love to meet or something i was like oh it's gonna happen it's gonna happen uh so but then when it did finally happen he just said hello for a minute after the show and the show blew my mind it was incredible like they played down by the river for 30 minutes and it was just unreal yeah he would like he would start

00:56:47Guest:He would start like as if he's going to the last verse after Space Jam after Space Jam.

00:56:55Guest:And he would just come in and be like, be on my side.

00:56:58Guest:And then he wouldn't sing the rest of it.

00:57:01Guest:He'd just go into space again.

00:57:02Guest:Yeah.

00:57:03Guest:fucking with your mind.

00:57:05Guest:But anyway, so finally get back there and Frank, thank God for Frank, what a great guy.

00:57:11Guest:But still, I don't know him that well.

00:57:13Guest:He's like, all right, well, thank you.

00:57:14Guest:It's great to meet you.

00:57:15Guest:Thank you for singing with Hope.

00:57:16Guest:Well, we have a quick out.

00:57:18Guest:We have to leave, but it was nice to meet you.

00:57:20Guest:Of course, my heart sinks.

00:57:23Guest:I thought I was like, it's gonna happen.

00:57:24Guest:I'm gonna meet Neil and blah, blah, blah.

00:57:27Guest:And I'm with my wife, Suzanne.

00:57:29Guest:And then we get back there.

00:57:32Guest:And I don't know, he's sitting there.

00:57:34Guest:So I finally get, Frank says, oh, he introduced me to the young guys, the Nelson guys that back him up.

00:57:42Guest:Willie's kids.

00:57:43Guest:Yeah, Willie's kids.

00:57:44Guest:So Neil is finally there, but nobody ever troubles Neil with anything.

00:57:51Guest:So Suzanne just had to basically nudge me.

00:57:54Guest:She's like, just say something to him.

00:57:55Guest:Just say hi.

00:57:57Guest:And I was like, how Neil...

00:57:58Guest:I've seen you a million times.

00:58:02Guest:I'm friends with Gary.

00:58:04Guest:I got to say, tonight was the best by far.

00:58:08Guest:Down by the river, it was like you were in outer space, but underground at the same time.

00:58:12Guest:And he smiled at first, and then he was like...

00:58:15Guest:He just looked at me like, oh, yeah, we can go in outer space whenever we want.

00:58:23Guest:I actually told that on the best show when it happened because Tom Sharpling was there.

00:58:28Guest:Yeah.

00:58:28Guest:So we summed it up.

00:58:29Guest:But anyway, and then, yeah, and then Suzanne was like, ask for a picture.

00:58:33Guest:And I didn't want to because I was like, I heard he doesn't do pictures.

00:58:35Guest:I was like, can I get a picture?

00:58:36Guest:He's like, sure.

00:58:37Guest:I got a picture.

00:58:39Guest:But anyway, so then I met him a few times since then.

00:58:41Guest:I'm always like, it's always behind a stage.

00:58:43Guest:I'm always drunk.

00:58:44Guest:I always, I get like a little cynical because I'm always saying the same thing.

00:58:47Guest:I'm like, oh, Kurt, I met before a friend's Gary.

00:58:50Guest:Yeah.

00:58:51Guest:I always want to tell him about this band.

00:58:52Guest:You ever see this band, the Sadies?

00:58:54Guest:No.

00:58:55Guest:They're an incredible live band.

00:58:56Guest:They're legends.

00:58:58Guest:Yeah.

00:58:58Guest:They're friends with Neil, like a...

00:59:01Guest:They're two brothers.

00:59:02Guest:They shred.

00:59:02Guest:You gotta seem alive.

00:59:03Guest:They're like country infused rock psychedelic rock and So I always mean to tell Neil because I know he likes to say is I'm always like mean to say I'm friends with the stays But I always forget but then the last time we opened for Neil Just recently in Quebec like not a couple weeks ago even oh yeah, and it was like for this big festival and

00:59:24Guest:So there's like 90,000 people there.

00:59:27Guest:It's just us, then Neil.

00:59:29Guest:That must have been great.

00:59:30Guest:It was great.

00:59:31Guest:I definitely clammed up.

00:59:32Guest:Yeah.

00:59:33Guest:On stage?

00:59:34Guest:Yeah, I clammed up.

00:59:35Guest:I never played for a crowd that big.

00:59:37Guest:I started with that song, Wheelhouse, which is a favorite song, but I just flubbed one of the notes, and then I put me in.

00:59:46Guest:I lost it.

00:59:47Guest:But anyway...

00:59:48Guest:So, Neil... He fucked you up for the whole set?

00:59:51Guest:Most of it.

00:59:52Guest:So, I just stood there.

00:59:53Guest:I mean, I played, but I stood there.

00:59:54Guest:But anyway, Neil, they played an amazing set as usual, and we got to watch it from side stage.

01:00:02Guest:And then...

01:00:03Guest:and then we were on the one side of the stage and uh and the other side of the stage is where they would get on and off yes and so during the encore and i i mean i know a lot of the guys now i know the promise of the real guys they've i've played with them at willie's ranch so i'm buddies a little bit with plenty of them but not you know not neil but

01:00:23Guest:So anyway, they go off for the encore, and they're all passing around this joint.

01:00:28Guest:Yeah.

01:00:28Guest:And then I ran with my wife, and we got the joint, and we started smoking it.

01:00:34Guest:So we're like, and Neil hit it.

01:00:37Guest:So we're smoking that joint, and then finally the same thing sort of happens.

01:00:40Guest:They all come off the stage.

01:00:41Guest:I'm hugging like Lucas and everybody, and they're like, great show, but Neil has this orb around him.

01:00:46Guest:You're like, he can't, you know.

01:00:48Guest:Yeah, right.

01:00:48Guest:Daryl Han is there with a giant lollipop, like, hugging Neil.

01:00:53Guest:Everybody's, like, around Neil.

01:00:55Guest:And so they're going down the exit in the back like a zigzag, you know?

01:00:59Guest:Yeah.

01:01:00Guest:And he gets a little further away every time.

01:01:02Guest:And finally, because we're, like, a little stoned, I'm like, well...

01:01:06Guest:I just won't talk to him you know cuz and then and then she's like well just just I was like I just wanted to give him this Sadie CD and then and then she's like well just jump down and give it to him cuz it's the last level we were like on this level and they're down there before he gets in the on the bus so then I jumped down I was like hey Neil

01:01:25Guest:I was like, hey, Neil, you hear the new Sadies?

01:01:28Guest:And I knew we knew him, but the way I did it because we were stoned, it looked like this dude came out of nowhere.

01:01:33Guest:And it was like Elliot Roberts literally held up his elbow to block me.

01:01:38Guest:He was like, hey, whoa, whoa.

01:01:41Guest:And I was like, I don't know.

01:01:43Guest:and then I gave him the CD and then I don't know that's basically the story was he into it or you don't know he was looking at it they're his friends but like everybody was blocked I just came out of nowhere I understand but even I talked to Elliot he's obviously a legend too and I was like Elliot I was like Elliot

01:02:00Guest:But I didn't even see that he blocked me with his arm.

01:02:02Guest:Suzanne watched.

01:02:03Guest:She was all up on the top level laughing.

01:02:05Guest:Yeah.

01:02:07Guest:We were stoned on their weave and just laughing.

01:02:09Guest:And this old dude's like holding up their elbow like they're going to block me.

01:02:13Guest:And then all of a sudden, Elliot was like, oh.

01:02:17Guest:he's like he looked all confused because then when we realized it was me he's like oh kurt what and then and he's like just give it to me he's not going to listen to it anyway or something like that which is not true yeah because he didn't know it was the sadies but then i said to elliot i was like elliot i i just i i'm kurt i opened i i just wanted to he's like the sadies i know

01:02:39Guest:He's like, we just didn't know who you were.

01:02:44Guest:Right, right.

01:02:45Guest:He didn't know who you were.

01:02:46Guest:I'm like, well, that's kind of the always sort of... Maybe it's not the thing.

01:02:50Guest:Maybe most people just talk to somebody like a normal person.

01:02:52Guest:It's always awkward.

01:02:53Marc:But... It's always awkward, especially when you have reverence for somebody.

01:02:56Guest:Oh, my God.

01:02:57Guest:I think they're all...

01:02:58Guest:It's such an honor to have been able to get near and see so many shows.

01:03:03Guest:And I just feel like they're like, oh, Kurt, you know.

01:03:07Guest:Yeah, we know Kurt.

01:03:07Guest:He's a good kid.

01:03:08Guest:But you got to watch him.

01:03:10Guest:He might steal your wallet.

01:03:12Guest:He'll jump out of nowhere and scare you.

01:03:14Guest:You got to watch him.

01:03:17Marc:He's trying to talk to Neil.

01:03:20Marc:Here he comes again.

01:03:21Marc:The kid's here.

01:03:22Marc:Yeah.

01:03:23Marc:Well, even like when I talk to McCartney, like you get into the zone with it and you have the moment.

01:03:28Marc:But then when it's over, you're like, I'm just like one of those guys.

01:03:31Marc:You know, I'm one of those guys.

01:03:33Guest:But you're not.

01:03:33Guest:That's the thing, right?

01:03:34Guest:But you're also not.

01:03:36Marc:Like you want him to know.

01:03:37Marc:You want them to know.

01:03:38Marc:You want them to know.

01:03:39Marc:How many people have opened for Neil Young?

01:03:40Marc:like you know from the beginning of time you know like you know like in my mind it's like I'm another guy who interviewed McCartney was it amazing for me am I grateful yes is it a different format yes is what I do different than other people sure but in his life you know what I mean like I don't know you want to make an impression but who knows if you do really

01:04:00Guest:He's a, well, that's why he's so great is because he, uh.

01:04:05Guest:Who, Neil?

01:04:06Guest:Yeah, he won't let, yeah, well, Paul McCartney's great too, obviously, but I, like, I'm, just, like Neil, he'll, he just won't be bothered.

01:04:16Guest:He'll just focus on his thing, and it's nothing personal, and in fact, one day.

01:04:21Marc:No, exactly.

01:04:22Guest:Yeah.

01:04:22Guest:I mean, he was real cool on your show.

01:04:24Marc:I liked that show.

01:04:25Marc:Once I sort of got through the gauntlet, you know, he was really cool.

01:04:30Marc:Yeah.

01:04:30Marc:But, like, he definitely tests people.

01:04:33Marc:And he definitely is going to, you know, make you work for it for a minute.

01:04:37Marc:But...

01:04:38Marc:But he's like an amazing artist.

01:04:39Marc:So wait, let's talk about this new record before we space it out.

01:04:43Marc:But I also wanted to ask you about the John Cale thing.

01:04:46Guest:That was at the end of the Courtney... I did this record with Courtney Barnett recently, and we did one tour, but at the very end of it, I ended up at...

01:04:55Guest:Last minute got invited to play this John Cale, Velvet Underground.

01:05:01Guest:What do you call it?

01:05:02Guest:Anniversary.

01:05:03Guest:Yeah.

01:05:04Guest:And it was awesome.

01:05:05Guest:He's a trip.

01:05:06Guest:Yeah.

01:05:06Guest:I sat in on Big White Cloud and...

01:05:10Guest:On guitar and I got to sing and play on Run Run Run.

01:05:15Guest:That's a great song.

01:05:16Guest:Are you a Velvet guy?

01:05:17Guest:Yeah, of course.

01:05:18Guest:That's just sort of like when you... The basics.

01:05:21Guest:Yeah, but that's also like when you're a blues guy.

01:05:24Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:05:25Guest:Of course, I'm a Velvet Underground fan, but I consumed that in my teens.

01:05:29Guest:Sure.

01:05:29Guest:But still, of course.

01:05:30Marc:Yeah, I still listen to it.

01:05:31Marc:So the new record, in terms of how you approached it, was it any different than the last one in terms of production and stuff?

01:05:38Marc:What are the big changes for you on this one?

01:05:40Marc:What made you go like, I'm doing this different?

01:05:43Guest:Basically, the biggest difference is that I would record...

01:05:47Guest:in between tours or trips, like just in normal life, like go record for a couple days here and then keep going as opposed to like do some long album tour and start an album from scratch.

01:05:59Guest:Yeah.

01:06:00Guest:After all the touring is done, I can't stomach that anymore.

01:06:02Guest:It makes me want to vomit, so I just kind of like live it.

01:06:05Guest:Yeah.

01:06:05Guest:I just go in and out of the studio, like while you're in route, like play a show.

01:06:10Guest:Yeah.

01:06:10Guest:And then you're in California or – and then you –

01:06:13Guest:you know, just go into the studio and stay, don't stay in as long.

01:06:17Guest:For a week.

01:06:17Guest:Don't, yeah.

01:06:18Marc:Knock out the whole record.

01:06:19Marc:Yeah.

01:06:20Guest:A couple of songs at a time.

01:06:22Guest:Yeah.

01:06:22Guest:Or even a song, but that, you know, so you got like a sort of travelogue of, it's just kind of just real life, you know, that's where I'm at.

01:06:29Marc:I kind of,

01:06:29Marc:So it unfolded in sort of a real life way.

01:06:32Marc:Like each song, there was times between each song.

01:06:34Marc:Yeah, and there were plenty of songs left over.

01:06:36Guest:I've just kind of been recording the whole time I've been on the road for the last record, really.

01:06:42Guest:I made that Courtney record with Courtney.

01:06:44Guest:I just made several records within, I've been recording kind of the whole time.

01:06:49Guest:I made that Courtney record.

01:06:50Marc:So this is like, in other words, the difference was, you know, you're sort of outliving life and you drop into the studio, do a song, maybe two songs.

01:06:57Marc:And it was sort of like, were the songs being written when you came back to record one?

01:07:01Marc:Was it, did you already have it in the pocket?

01:07:03Guest:A lot of times.

01:07:04Guest:A lot of times I'll get inspired.

01:07:05Guest:I have certain songs in the pocket for sure that I know I want to record, but a lot of times when I have a studio date coming up, I'll get inspired and write more songs.

01:07:12Marc:Right.

01:07:13Guest:The newer the song in the studio, the better.

01:07:15Marc:Well, it's a great record.

01:07:15Marc:It sounds like a Kurt Vile record, and I thought it was great.

01:07:19Marc:I enjoy listening to them.

01:07:19Marc:You brought up the zone.

01:07:21Marc:It seems like you're very good at getting in the zone.

01:07:24Marc:You create an atmosphere with your music, and it's relaxing, and it's sort of ethereal.

01:07:31Guest:Oh, thanks, man.

01:07:32Marc:Is that what you're shooting for?

01:07:33Marc:I guess.

01:07:34Marc:It depends.

01:07:34Marc:It doesn't make me anxious, is what I'm saying.

01:07:36Guest:Yeah, well, that's...

01:07:38Guest:I know, I can feel anxious.

01:07:39Guest:I got certain songs that are real chill, but they're about being terrified on the airplane.

01:07:44Guest:I'm on the way to the studio, I think I'm going to die, so I write down these lyrics, and then all of a sudden it's like, stop this plane because I want to get off.

01:07:53Guest:But I will say about the John Cale thing, the very last song, which is really long, it's called Skinny Mini, but there's insane guitar solos.

01:08:00Guest:I wrote those lyrics while I was backstage waiting to go on for the John Cale song.

01:08:07Guest:Yeah.

01:08:08Guest:I don't know.

01:08:09Guest:So that's sort of another example of just kind of... Like how you do it.

01:08:13Guest:Just do it all.

01:08:13Guest:Just kind of live it, you know.

01:08:15Guest:On the very last KV Courtney Barnett show in Austin, we had one last sound check, and I had this guitar jam, and then I just put it right into my...

01:08:26Guest:looper you know and it stores loops and then and then I went straight there from there to John Kale and then it was just inspiring atmosphere I had my own backstage room and so I started playing the loop and then I heard the song in my head and then a few days later I was supposed to go into the studio again so then I had this jam you know right so that's what it did yeah that's what it started with

01:08:48Marc:So that's right.

01:08:49Marc:So it's probably a better way to work, really, to stay open through the whole process just by living life.

01:08:55Guest:Yeah, totally.

01:08:55Guest:And it's not like I was like, this is my theory.

01:08:58Marc:No, right.

01:08:59Marc:That's just the way it is.

01:09:00Marc:This is my theory.

01:09:02Marc:I'm going to.

01:09:03Marc:Yeah.

01:09:03Marc:I'm going to tour, go in the studio for one song, and then tour, and then do a John Cale event.

01:09:10Guest:And backstage, I will write the lyrics.

01:09:13Marc:It worked, though.

01:09:14Marc:It worked.

01:09:15Marc:Maybe it'll be your system.

01:09:17Marc:It's good talking to you, man.

01:09:18Marc:Okay.

01:09:19Marc:You good?

01:09:19Marc:Yeah, if you are.

01:09:21Marc:I am.

01:09:22Marc:Okay, good.

01:09:27Marc:That was cool, man.

01:09:28Marc:He's an interesting dude.

01:09:31Marc:He left his hat here.

01:09:32Marc:I had to send it back to him.

01:09:34Marc:What was that hat?

01:09:35Marc:I think it was a Waylon Jennings hat in my recollection.

01:09:38Marc:It seemed important.

01:09:39Marc:Because if you have something as specific as a Waylon Jennings hat, you're going to want that hat back.

01:09:44Marc:I got it back to him.

01:09:46Marc:Kurt's new record, Bottle In, comes out this Friday, October 12th.

01:09:49Marc:You can get it wherever you get music.

01:09:51Marc:Don't forget to grab yourself a paperback copy of our book, Waiting for the Punch.

01:09:55Marc:It's out next Tuesday, October 16th, but you can pre-order your copy now at markmarinbook.com.

01:10:02Marc:Okay?

01:10:03Marc:You can do that.

01:10:04Marc:Okay?

01:10:05Marc:Or click on the book link at wtfpod.com.

01:10:09Marc:Right?

01:10:10Marc:You got it?

01:10:10Marc:No more waiting for Waiting for the Punch.

01:10:13Marc:I've been getting a lot of feedback for this echo pedal that Tal Wilkenfeld gave me.

01:10:18Marc:Everything is not okay, but it might be okay with you.

01:10:22Marc:If you look around your life and your loved ones, it might be okay.

01:10:29Marc:That's the micro.

01:10:31Marc:Keep the macro in mind.

01:10:33Marc:All right?

01:10:34Marc:Vote it up.

01:10:53guitar solo

01:11:28Marc:Boomer lives!