What’s your favorite record and why?
The Velvet Underground (1969). There ain't a damn thing wrong with it.
To whom do you owe a huge thank you, and why?
My mom and dad. I never call them. They set an example for me of hard work and moderation. They told me I could be whatever I want, do what I want, go anywhere in the world if I work hard. My dad is a retired pilot. He says he was happy to fly through the sky every day and call that work. My mom is a flight attendant. She is a picture of patience and downheartedness. They have always encouraged me to do what I love, even at the expense of my teeth. When I struggle with the daily grind, wishing I was on tour, wishing I was there already, I think of my parents, young and poor, before I came along, dreaming of future stability and making it happen for themselves.
What’s been your greatest moment of doubt, and how did you get through it?
A couple years ago in Denton, Bobby Jealousy and Shivery Shakes performed a joint cover of Sloop John B, the Beach Boys' version. A full house of people turned around and walked out within 3 and a half minutes. It doesn't seem like that big a deal now, but I felt my world crashing down for a second and was confused a while after. Who wouldn't want to hear a double-band kill Sloop John B? I am still confused by the incident and now that it's on my mind again, who wants to cover Sloop John B in a “We Are the World” style roundabout?
That's how I get through doubt. Stay stubborn. Act like an ass. Slap myself in the face and say- wake up! Try again a little bit different.
If you could get in the tour bus with any band ever, who would it be, why and what would it look like?
2009, A Giant Dog. It was our first tour and I don't think anything could top it. If I imagine getting in a bus with the young Rolling Stones or The Who, I just feel stressed out. I could never keep those animals in check. Fleetwood Mac, what a mess. Sharing a van for a couple weeks is a terribly intimate experience and works best with people who know each other well.
We were all about 23 and it was everybody's first tour except Orville. I don't think I slept for most of ten days we were out. Every night was a party. It was unspoken, but we took turns getting the others to the next town alive. We got to play an eviction party at a house in Philly then drove 14 hours to Nashville and played with Natural Child and Cy Barkley at a defunct police station.
Tell us about your best friend.
He spends a lot of time alone in his room alone making up riffs. He has long hair and sometimes wears glasses. He's been working almost every day since he was 15 and I admire him for this. Among his many talents is the ability to make people laugh, even at his own expense. We use telepathy to write songs together and sometimes to wordlessly make fun of other people in public. Andrew Cashen is my best friend, but for the record his is Andy Bauer.
If you could sing for one of your heroes, who would it be?
I would like to commission Bette Midler to sing The Wind Beneath my Wings to Louis C.K. And I get to be there, and it's just the three of us in one room.
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