The Whole Equation of Anything: an interview with Jeffrey Lewis

Jeffrey Lewis is an anti-folk icon and visual artist based in New York City. All his art forms can be experienced on his website. After I purchased a zine he created ("Sonnet Youth"- a collection of sonnets and drawings inspired by Sonic Youth's Goo), we chatted over the merch table following his set at the Music Hall of Williamsburg during that February blizzard.

How are you?

Very well. I warmed up nicely even though it’s very cold and wintery out. Being on stage is a good way to warm up.

Was there a specific moment that you can recall in which you knew you wanted to play an instrument or write a song?

You know, I’ve never considered myself a musician. I went to LaGuardia as an art major and I’ve always been into drawing and making comic books and I started playing at open mics because it was a good way to draw a lot of people. Because I would just hang out for hours at the open mic and draw a lot of different performers and my sketchbooks filled up with drawings of musicians and then it was sort of like, well, I can make up a couple of songs a week and just play the open mic also while hanging out drawing people, too. So I sort of just started like that. And then, somewhat to my chagrin, the music just started developing and having a…I sort of started ending up having a career in music rather than a career in drawing, without really having any experience or much ability in music. But in a certain way, I think that that maybe made people more interested in my music. Because like everybody else knew what they were doing and I was kind of like the guy who didn’t know what he was doing, which maybe made me sort of stand out more among the crowd, whereas perhaps with the artwork, maybe, a lot of people know how to draw. I don’t know. So anyway, I, yeah, I feel like I never really decided “I’m going to become a musician” or a songwriter. But I didn’t fight against it either. I was just like, alright. This is working out. Let’s just keep doing this.

Is ignorance bliss?

Oh, definitely. Absolutely. I’m so glad I’m stupid.

How has growing up in New York City affected your art?

I think growing up in New York City has been really important for me in so many ways, and I never understand it when people are like “Oh, I could never have kids in New York.” Or “I wanna move out of the city before I start a family”. Because I think it’s such a wonderful experience to grow up with so many different kinds of people, so many different kinds of food, different kinds of music…I always was just a product of public schools and you know, that exposure to different people, I think, you know it sort of can’t help but inform your art in some way. I think the most important things are the things that you don’t even realize, like the things you take for granted about what you do, but once you start traveling the world, you realize that other people think what you do is like, “Oh, you’re so New York!” or you’re so whatever the hell it is. You know, you’re so Jewish or you’re so white or you’re so short or you’re so…whatever the heck it is. And you’re just like, I don’t know, I’m just me. I’m not any of these things. I’m just being myself. But once you are in a context where suddenly people make you feel like that is something rare and special that, you know, New York City is so small, and while we’re here, it’s our entire universe. When you go out into the rest of the world, you realize that it’s such a different universe than the rest of the world and it’s more special than we have to give it credit for while we’re here in the midst of it.

How important is individuality?

Well, I don’t know. That’s a tough one. Like, everybody’s an individual so in some ways, I feel like individuality just alienates you, and the more individual you are, the harder it is just to hang out with people, and you sort of have to learn to compromise yourself just for the sake of being a human being. And I feel like that’s sort of the toss-up that we all deal with in our lives is how much are you willing to compromise what you wanna do in order to be part of a group of other people or to have a relationship with somebody, or to have a band with somebody, or to be friends with somebody. And, you know, if everybody was just a total individual and just did anything they wanted to do, everybody would just be a baby. I feel like part of growing up is maybe not being so individual, but kind of learning where you fit in to this community with other people. So it’s sort of like…I don’t know. It’s a tough thing. I feel like people place so much emphasis on being an individual but everyone is an individual. If they just kind of relax, maybe their individuality would come out more? But maybe that’s just easy for me to say because, I don’t know. It’s hard to say. It’s a weird question. It’s a good question. It’s actually an excellent question because I’m going to be thinking about it for a while.

Do you have any advice for young artists?

Well, let’s see. One thing I’ve learned is that it’s very easy to make art because all you need to do is spend a lot of time at it. I didn’t realize that until I was about eighteen. I had been drawing all my life but it wasn’t until then that I realized there was a very simple equation: draw more, you get better at it. That’s it. You don’t need to go to school for anything. No matter what you do, if you do it for four hours, you’re much better than if you just did it for two hours. And that’s it. That’s the whole equation of anything. But it’s so hard to do one thing a lot, and not be distracted by other things. But other than that, pretty much anything is just that easy. If, you know, if you wanna be an artist as your job, well, if you can actually make art for forty hours a week, like a day job, 9-5, you’re gonna get so good, that like, you will be able to make a living at it. It’s just like, can you actually make art for forty hours or more every week? That’s the challenge. But getting good at it is actually kind of easy. Just do it a lot, no matter what it is.

What is the meaning of life?

Probably, it’s probably totally meaningless, meaningless, like no meaning, just complete meaninglessness, but that can be a good thing, because otherwise you’d be really stressed out all the time. That you’re like, screwing everything up, ‘cause of course you’re going to screw everything up because it’s always your first time doing everything in life, you have no experience in anything because it’s your first time being alive, but if it actually mattered and it meant something, then you’d really be stressed out all the time. But luckily, it’s all totally like, you know, whatever, we’re all just gonna die and it doesn’t matter at all. But that doesn’t have to be a depressing thing. That can actually be pretty cool. It’s like okay, so what?  Like, alright. That’s cool. That takes the pressure off.

Photo via BlitzGigs.

She Obliterated Everything She Kissed

I am perplexed by the current popularity of electronic cigarettes. Is there smoke? Are they better for you than real cigarettes? But most importantly, can they be recycled?

I don't know the answers but I do know this NJOY electronic cigarette commercial is amazing. It features the rocking, rebelling, frequently erring, and always inspiring Courtney Love. She is juxtaposed with haughty bourgeoisie ladies tsk tsking her bad seed ways.



(I hope I'm not subconsciously encouraging smoking. Don't do it, kids.)

And I Took Out My Tongue Twice Removed From My Face

Do dreams come true?

Yeah. They do, as evidenced by the recent news concerning my favorite band: Neutral Milk Hotel. One of the only bands to receive a perfect 10.0 on Pitchfork released a reunion tour announcement today on their website. Only five dates in North Carolina (with Daniel Johnston!), Georgia, and Japan and Taiwan have been posted thus far, but there are "more to come".

What a beautiful dream/that could flash on the screen.

My Favorite Thing To Do Was Run Away

Richard Hell is the creator of the punk look. Well, the original punk look- spiky hair, ripped jeans and shirts held together by safety pins; the look that the Sex Pistols across the pond copied and exaggerated to the nth degree. Hell isn't bitter about this, but he is bitter about a lot of other things he mentions in his new autobiography, I Dreamed I Was A Very Clean Tramp.

The bassist, singer and songwriter of Television, the Voidoids, and other influential early punk bands is quite candid in his new book. He calls Patti Smith's band generic and calculated, speaks of his rivalry with his best friend and collaborator, Tom Verlaine, and even calls himself a "slut". But Hell also remarks on his respect for Smith and Verlaine, and eventually reaches some form of humility when he quits heroin at the close of the story.

Hell's autobiography has received rave reviews from the New York Times and other publications. He will appear tomorrow at 6:30 at the NYU Fales Library to read aloud from his autobiography. 

See ya punks there!

P.S.- on the topic of the beginning of punk- my favorite book ever (besides The Perks Of Being A Wallflower) is Please Kill Me by Legs McNeil. It is the definition of a page-turner. I highly recommend it. 

Photo by Laura Levine.

You're Already Winning: An Interview with Lindsay Baker of Radical Dads

Lindsay Baker is the frontwoman of Brooklyn rock band Radical Dads. Their next album, Mountain Town, will be released in May. The single is available on their bandcamp. Over coffee, she spoke to me about her most prominent musical experiences. Catch them at Cake Shop tonight.

What was your high school experience like?

I went to a private, all-girls school in Columbus, Ohio. I spent a lot of time at my local record store and hanging out with musicians and music people in Columbus, and learning how to play guitar and doing that sort of on my own. I begged my mom for a 4-track, a cassette 4-track- this was a long time ago [laughs]. I think it was Christmas when I was 17 or 18. I don't think she got it for me but I ended up saving enough money so I could buy a 4-track and started recording a little bit on my own. It was all in isolation, because I didn't really...by the time I was a senior I started to make friends with some of the musicians in Columbus but there was still the divide of being 18 versus being, you know, in your twenties. Luckily, the bar policies in Columbus were very loose and so I could often get into shows. I went to a lot of shows, and I was just like a music nerd, you know, like really into listening to new music and reading [about it]. I mean, back then, there was no internet, so it was all like reading magazines and I would mail a way for record labels' discographies and catalogs and stuff to order stuff. So a lot of digging through record bins and I also did a lot of painting and drawing. That was sort of another thing I was into.

Did you like your teachers as a high school student?

Yes. I loved them.

Was there a specific moment in which you knew you wanted to play music?

Yeah, I don't know the exact moment but I started listening to music...actually, well, maybe there is a specific moment. So I was like going to all these record stores in Columbus, I mean not, there were like, two of them that I would frequent. One of the guys that worked at one of the record stores said to me, or asked me if I played any instrument, and at the time, you know, I'd taken piano as a kid but didn't really pursue it beyond eighth grade and the guy said, you know, (in lower, imitating voice) "You should play an instrument. You listen to good music, 'cause all the people that listen to good music should start bands." I mean it sounds, you know, like a little corny, but I was like, "Oh! He thinks I should play an instrument! Maybe I should!" And I got excited about playing music and emulating my heroes, so that's when I started.

What was the first song you played on guitar? Do you remember?

I'm trying to remember the very first one. I don't know, I had this guitar teacher, that I would just like bring in a list of songs that I liked and then he would teach me how to play them. But the thing was many of them were, you know, like songs that were just traditional Beatles songs. And he would always get very frustrated and be like "This is the dumbest chord!" Because they weren't musician-y type chords where like, I don't know...indie rock bands as opposed to like the Eagles. He wanted to teach me "Hotel California" and stuff like that. I think I did learn that. That was probably one of the first ones. Maybe some other Beatles songs that he was trying to shove down my throat.

Growing up in Ohio, did that affect the music you write and or did it affect who you are as a person?

Definitely. Yes. 100%. I mean all the people that were playing music in Columbus while I was growing there are people I really admired and when I was in high school was when it was right before Guided By Voices signed with Matador and so they were out on a local label. Their cassette was in the local music section so the whole Ohio music thing was very influential to me, and just that sort of lo-fi, DIY kind of sound that was still...the thing I love about Guided By Voices is that it's still pop music, it's just really weird [laughs]. There's something off about it as well. And then there were a bunch of bands in Columbus that were...it wasn't that they all sound the same or played the same genre of music but just sort of that grubby, dirty thing. I can't explain it except that there were like rats in the records store. It was actually filthy [laughs].

Do Radical Dads' songs emerge out of spontaneity or from a more careful, time-consuming approach?

I think it's like a mix, actually. Some of them happen at practice and some of them...I'll bring in a guitar part. But it all starts with the music part and the lyrics come later. And for most of the songs, I sorta do that in isolation a little bit, but my bandmates will sometimes propose an idea for a topic for a song.

How would you describe Radical Dads' music?

I don't know. It's just sort of what happens when the three of us get together to play music because we're all really good friends as well so I think it's that dynamic that creates the music. It's very influenced by the other bands we love, but I think it's just a different variation of that. It's really hard to put that into words. I don't know...rock music? When the people I work with ask me what kind of music I play, I say, "It's like rock music. It's pretty loud." And they're usually satisfied with that.

You said that you guys have all been good friends. Is it difficult managing friendships and managing business relationships?

No, because we all work together really well so it works out nicely and we all sort of take on different roles. Robbie sort of is the architect of the band, he's the drummer, and Chris and I will bring in guitar parts and he'll shape them and say "Oh no, play that part three more times!" or "Don't play that part there, play it at the end." It's nice. Chris and I just come in with parts and it works out well. Chris and Robbie do more of the business-y type stuff and I spend more time writing lyrics and writing songs. But it works out really well. It's not a problem at all.

What do you consider playing a good show?

It would probably be a good show if we're playing with other bands that we either are friends with and love or are musicians we admire and if it just sort of...it's just like a feeling between the three of us in sync with each other and having fun. I think that's more important because hearing yourself is always a variable and the audience is always a big variable. You might be playing to two people or you might be playing to a packed room. You want to have fun no matter what and you want it to be worth your while to be there and it usually is. Good vibes are also very important which is just...how do you quantify that? That usually just comes from having a bill where there are other like-minded bands with people that we're friends with.

What are you listening to right now?

The new Sea and Cake record, Runner. It's really good. I just got this really great Albert Ayler record. He's like a free jazz guy called Vibrations. I've been on a real Sea and Cake kick. I just saw them at Littlefield's the other day and they were amazing. That was like my favorite band in high school. Some things never change. I'm going to see Metz tonight. They're pretty good.

If you could time travel, what decade would you escape to?

Ooh...that's a good question. I should keep thinking about these things; my time travel options! As a musician, I sort of wish I was a little bit older than I am. Not now, I don't wish I was older, but when I was in high school. If I had a been more a part of when indie music was more of...I feel like now indie rock is a whole different thing from when I was a kid. So, you know, the early 90's. That would be a good time. So that means I would have had to have been born earlier in the 70's instead of the late 70's. It's not very far back.

Do you have any advice for young artists?

Don't worry about where you're going to end up, just keep doing the things you love doing because that's what's going to take you some place, if you're going to go some place, you know what I mean? If you're going to get recognized, you're going to get recognized for doing the things you love doing. So you may as well keep doing them and not really worry where that's going to take you. The thing I always loved doing and never needed any coaxing to do was playing music and writing songs but I didn't think for some reasons that that was something I should really cling to and keep going with. It just seemed like this little side-thing for a long time, but now I'm like "No! This is what I love! I gotta keep doing it!" When we started the band, it was just out of wanting to play music together and my goal was to play a show, and it just sort of grew from there.  So I think as long as you're having fun and doing those things, then you're already winning, you know? You're already fulfilling your dreams because you're doing what you love to do. Sometimes, you have to fill out the other logistics of that, money or whatever, but all that stuff can be figured out. It's just important to keep doing whatever it is that you love.

Photo by Daniel Doherty.

The Talkhouse

I just discovered The Talkhouse, a blog that began only a few weeks ago. Each post, either a review or a forum, is written by a musician about a musician. The public is not able to comment on posts, but the musicians the posts are about may comment on the articles. How cool is that?

I found three articles about some of my favorite artists, Fiona Apple, Animal Collective, and Richard Hell. Check em' out!

Image via The Talkhouse.

Everyone's Throwing Up Peace Signs: An Interview with MMOSS

MMOSS is a dreamy psychedelic rock band from New Hampshire. Their latest album, Only Children, is available on their bandcamp. I asked a few members some questions right after their show at Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory. Luke is the guitarist. Rachel is the organist, flutist, and singer. Keven is the drummer.

Hello everybody.

Luke: Yo. Whaddap.

When did you first know you wanted to play an instrument?

Rachel: Nine years old. We had the option in school for band.

What instrument?

R: Flute.

Keven: The first time I ever heard Link Wray, I wanted to play guitar.

How old were you?

K: I was probably twelve years old.

L: Yo. Thirteen, listenin’ to a little Deep Purple, wanted to rip it up on the bass, you know what I mean?

What does it mean to play a “good show”?

R: It means when it’s over, you feel happy.

K: I think it means that everyone communicates.

R: Has a conversation.

K: And everyone’s throwing up peace signs.

L: Yep.

 What is good art?

K:  Good art is anything that makes anyone uncomfortable.

R: Anything that holds my attention.

L: Agreed.

Do you have any advice for young artists?

R: No.

K: Stop trying to imitate other artists’ work and start trying to imitate other artists’ lives.

R: Yo, I got one. Just do it.

K: Yo, Nike.

L: Don’t worry about anything. Just do what you wanna do, you know what I mean?

Is there anything else you wanna get off your chests?

R: Just do it! If you wanna do it, just do it. Nike.

K: I have one thing to say. In my opinion, the Everly Brothers are the best band that’s ever lived. That’s it.

L: Yo, this [your] high school rocks.

(To Luke) Why weren’t you smiling when you performed?

L: I wasn’t smiling?

I didn’t see you smile at all.

L: Really?

Yeah.

L:  Well, I guess there’s, uh…some things going on right now. That’s it. That’s why I wasn’t smiling.

 (To Rachel) I saw you emoting.

R: Oh, really? I’m always emoting.

Top photo by Briana Raucci.