roninriot
Banned
Here is a little teaser of the upcoming DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE interview for LIME.
It was a really good interview because CHRIS was such a forthcoming interviewee.
I can't post the whole thing though. But here are some of the juicier bits!
____
MTV writer, James Montgomery, described your newest album, Narrow Stairs, as one that could either make or break the band. Why’d you think he said that?
CHRIS WALLA: He loved Narrow Stairs but he wasn’t sure if he was going to be the only one who liked it. This is a really polarising album – there are no gummy bears in between! It’s not an album that makes a lot of sense the first time but it grows on you after repeated listening. Initially, there was a lot of resentment towards the first single, ‘I Will Possess Your Heart’ but fans began to warm up to it. None of us knew what to expect but it felt like the right album to make.
Do you allow fans’ reactions to your songs to steer the musical direction of the band?
We can’t be completely blind and deaf to our surroundings as much as we’d like to pretend to operate in a creative vacuum. We’re definitely influenced by their reactions to a certain degree. But Narrow Stairs is a lot more independent sounding than our last record. With Plans, we kind of freaked ourselves out with the change of labels and we wanted to make a commercial hit record to see what would happen. It was such an awkward album to make and we didn’t enjoy the experience at all. We spent more hours working on the record than we actually spent seeing each other! I love some parts of Plans but it’s not my favourite album. I like Narrow Stairs much more and there are certainly more standout moments on it.
You’re pretty famous for your strong political stance. Who do you think should win this year’s US presidential election?
I sure hope that Barack Obama wins. I think he can win simply by being himself and staying true to his ideas. John McCain has been in Washington for 30 years and he has become part of the establishment. As it is right now, Washington is a horrible, incestuous and devastating place. It’s a place where good ideas go to die. The funny thing about the States is that there are a lot of people in the Mid West who live on farms in Iowa or Ohio who just don’t want to vote for somebody who doesn’t look like them. They’re not active racists but it’s just a strange and unfortunate situation to be in.
So do you think that this is the crucial year which determines how the US will go down in history for the next decade?
Absolutely. President Bush has damaged our country’s reputation beyond recognition and my biggest fear is that McCain can’t wait to go to war with Iran. If he wins the election, it would be a national tragedy. I love my country – almost unconditionally – but I’m really sick of feeling ashamed of being an American whenever I go overseas. I hate how we have used our influence in the world and I desperately want to reclaim my flag from dopey, mid-western, gun-touting, truck driving lunatics! None of their values are the real values of the country I believe in. I long for the day I can once again proudly call myself an American. We’ll just have to wait and see.
It was a really good interview because CHRIS was such a forthcoming interviewee.
I can't post the whole thing though. But here are some of the juicier bits!
____
MTV writer, James Montgomery, described your newest album, Narrow Stairs, as one that could either make or break the band. Why’d you think he said that?
CHRIS WALLA: He loved Narrow Stairs but he wasn’t sure if he was going to be the only one who liked it. This is a really polarising album – there are no gummy bears in between! It’s not an album that makes a lot of sense the first time but it grows on you after repeated listening. Initially, there was a lot of resentment towards the first single, ‘I Will Possess Your Heart’ but fans began to warm up to it. None of us knew what to expect but it felt like the right album to make.
Do you allow fans’ reactions to your songs to steer the musical direction of the band?
We can’t be completely blind and deaf to our surroundings as much as we’d like to pretend to operate in a creative vacuum. We’re definitely influenced by their reactions to a certain degree. But Narrow Stairs is a lot more independent sounding than our last record. With Plans, we kind of freaked ourselves out with the change of labels and we wanted to make a commercial hit record to see what would happen. It was such an awkward album to make and we didn’t enjoy the experience at all. We spent more hours working on the record than we actually spent seeing each other! I love some parts of Plans but it’s not my favourite album. I like Narrow Stairs much more and there are certainly more standout moments on it.
You’re pretty famous for your strong political stance. Who do you think should win this year’s US presidential election?
I sure hope that Barack Obama wins. I think he can win simply by being himself and staying true to his ideas. John McCain has been in Washington for 30 years and he has become part of the establishment. As it is right now, Washington is a horrible, incestuous and devastating place. It’s a place where good ideas go to die. The funny thing about the States is that there are a lot of people in the Mid West who live on farms in Iowa or Ohio who just don’t want to vote for somebody who doesn’t look like them. They’re not active racists but it’s just a strange and unfortunate situation to be in.
So do you think that this is the crucial year which determines how the US will go down in history for the next decade?
Absolutely. President Bush has damaged our country’s reputation beyond recognition and my biggest fear is that McCain can’t wait to go to war with Iran. If he wins the election, it would be a national tragedy. I love my country – almost unconditionally – but I’m really sick of feeling ashamed of being an American whenever I go overseas. I hate how we have used our influence in the world and I desperately want to reclaim my flag from dopey, mid-western, gun-touting, truck driving lunatics! None of their values are the real values of the country I believe in. I long for the day I can once again proudly call myself an American. We’ll just have to wait and see.
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