AVC: Do you and Jim keep the new people at arm's length, just in case they don't stick around?
BD: [Laughs.] No, it's hard for me to keep people at arm's length. Well, actually, people probably wouldn't agree with that. But no, I want it to be the full-on full deal. I want to have a great time with these three guys, and I want it to be like hanging out with your bros. Which is what it is. It's a great time.
AVC: Speaking of departed bass players, this is also your first album working with a female singer since Andy Maguire left. What was that like?
BD: It was cool. We recorded "Rhthm And Soul" twice, and the first time, I did the harmony myself in a falsetto. We were re-recording the song over at Trail Of Dead's studio, Mob House, and we started talking about how, this time, we should use a girl on this part, because it sounded silly with me singing the high part. About 10 or 15 minutes later, Yasmin [Kittles] walked in.
AVC: Were you familiar with Yasmin's reputation as the "karaoke queen" in Austin?
BD: Oh, was she?
AVC: She used to host a karaoke night over at Beerland, and she even had a karaoke public-access TV show.
BD: Huh! I didn't know that. It was just a thing where she walked in and we asked her if she wanted to sing on this song, and five minutes later, we had a microphone set up and we were recording it. If it didn't sound good, we would have just found someone else, but it sounded great.
AVC: It seems like you do those kinds of favors for your friends a lot, even the non-musical ones. The video you did for "The Underdog," for example, features a lot of cameos from Austin scenesters. Is that important to you, keeping this bridge between your rock-star profile and your personal life?
BD: You know, I don't even think about having a "rock-star profile." But sure, I always think, "Wouldn't it be great to have your friends along for the ride?" I just feel like me, you know? I've always been me, and I feel like the same guy. It surprises me when people expect me to be anything other than just a dude. I'm just a dude.
AVC: How have your connections with those Austin friends changed since you moved to Portland? Do you still consider Austin home?
BD: Well, Portland's my home, because that's where my file cabinet is. But I was in Austin probably more than I was in Portland last year, working on the record for so long. I haven't had much of a chance to miss it, because I'm there all the time.
AVC: You tend to isolate yourself when you write, renting houses in remote places and so on. What effect do you think that has on your songs?
BD: Mostly, it allows me to go through a period where I really concentrate and get in a flow. Sometimes the whole process can be daunting, and when you're away from it, thinking about going back to it is especially daunting. If I go away for a week, I can be working on 10 songs at once, just jumping around to each one. I can get a month's worth of work done.
AVC: Is it ever a drain on you emotionally?
BD: It's always an intense time, because I'll specifically go somewhere where I don't know anyone and I'm isolated. The first day or two that I'm there, I'm usually really lonely and feeling kind of dark. Then I get used to it and it becomes kind of fun, having that be everything I do.
AVC: How often do you try to write?
BD: I tried to write something this morning, actually. [Laughs.] For about 45 seconds. I tried singing the lyrics to [David Bowie's] "Joe The Lion" to this acoustic song I just kind of made up. I recorded it for 45 seconds and then just said, "Ah, this sucks."
AVC: When you know it's not happening, do you stop for the day, or do you try to force it?
BD: Sometimes, like if it's like last summer, when I really needed to crank some stuff out, I'll keep going even if it feels like I'm hitting a wall. And that can suck.
AVC: How many songs do you end up throwing away?
BD: A lot. Although it's pretty rare that I'll get completed, finished lyrics to a song and feel like it's done, and then decide that it's not worth doing. Usually, I can tell along the way—even if it's something I've been working on for a couple of months—that it's just not going to work. Maybe I'll come back to it a few months or even a year later, or maybe it's just gone. We're putting out an EP with the first pressing of this record that has a bunch of songs like that, that have good stuff in them that for whatever reason I couldn't finish, plus some demos of songs that I did finish, and some interludes that I wrote.
AVC: Do you still put songs aside for a possible solo record?
BD: Yeah, I've got a couple of songs set aside. There's one called "Telephone My Heart," and one called "New York Kiss." Those are pretty much done.
AVC: What makes you decide to keep songs for yourself?
BD: In the case of "Telephone My Heart," it's already recorded and I did everything myself. And Jim didn't really like that one, so I guess it's gonna be a solo song.
AVC: You said once that you would often kickstart your creative process by listening to a Wire song.
BD: [Laughs.] That must have been a long time ago.
AVC: It was. Do you still do stuff like that?
BD: Sometimes to get in the "musical mood," I'll just turn on music really loud, or go drive around and listen to music, or learn a song that I really like on guitar or piano. That gets me in the right frame of mind to proceed. It probably isn't Wire these days, though.
AVC: What would it be?
BD: [Laughs.] I knew that question was coming. Let's see… King Tubby. The Kinks. A.C. Newman. LCD Soundsystem. I bet you like that record.
AVC: Why would you assume that?
BD: [Laughs.] Because you look like that guy! And you've got to put that in there, okay? Parts like that make the interview better. But anyway, I love that record. It's probably my favorite record of the year. For some reason, I never really wanted to hear them. I never listened to the last one. I just thought I wouldn't like it for some reason, and boy, I was wrong.
AVC: Let's talk about the Spoon dress code.
BD: Is there a dress code? Well, let's just say I never thought it was cool to wear shorts onstage.
AVC: But you also get dressed up to record?
BD: Not every day, but yeah, sometimes that gets me in a good mood. Mike McCarthy is really the one that started that. He would show up for even our daily sessions wearing nice slacks and a tucked-in shirt and a nice coat and nice shoes, and it felt like we were going to work, you know, like we were being pro. It just made it a little more Motown-era or something. And then I started copying him.
AVC: When you first started playing, you used to wear sunglasses onstage. Was that because you were uncomfortable in front of an audience?
BD: Actually, I think I wore sunglasses because I thought it was cool, and then I realized that it's not the only way to be cool. Of course, I still wear them if we're outside and it's real bright. But I think I saw Ben [Hotchkiss] from The Real Heroes, and he was in a band called The Duckhills where he wore sunglasses onstage. I thought, "Wow, this guy looks awesome." It made a big impression. And of course, I was really into Lou Reed.
AVC: For the longest time, the press has referred to you as "underrated" and "criminally overlooked." Do you still feel that way?
BD: No. The press has been pretty good to us ever since Girls Can Tell. I think we're one of the best bands making records today, and do I think we should be selling more records than Maroon 5? Yeah, because I think we're better. That's if it were a just world. It's not a just world. Actually, why don't we put The Bravery in there instead? No, let's not use The Bravery. Who's a good band to use?
AVC: Linkin Park?
BD: Yeah! You can't get any worse than Linkin Park. Let's use that.
AVC: How did it feel being held up in that XM Radio commercial alongside Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and Ludacris?
BD: It felt ludicrous. It was pretty out of control.
AVC: So far, you've only been a part of advertising upscale things, like Jaguars. Is there anything you wouldn't let them use your music to advertise?
BD: I wouldn't let them use our music for Hummers. That's pretty upscale, isn't it? I just think they're obnoxious.
AVC: What was the first time you realized you'd made the jump from small clubs to big festival audiences?
BD: I remember driving up to a show in Denver on the Kill The Moonlight tour, and there was a huge line. I think the previous time we'd played in Denver, we played to 40 people or something. And so I was like, "Whoa! Something's going on here." And [tour manager] Ben [Dickey] was like, "Yep, something's going on here." [Laughs.] And I was like, "Really? Why are people coming to see us all of a sudden?" And he said something obnoxious like, "Because you're gonna be huge." I've always remembered that moment.
AVC: Ironically, now that you're no longer on a major label, it seems like you're headed toward major-label levels of success. Would you ever consider going back to a major label?
BD: My problem was never with the major label, it was with the guy who we put our trust in and then wouldn't take my phone calls once we'd signed to a major label, who then quit.
AVC: You're referring to Ron Lafitte at Elektra?
BD: Yeah. And I like where we're at, and I like what we're doing. I'm very happy and I feel very fortunate. The opportunity [to jump to a major] has come along, but it was nothing that seemed as good as staying on Merge. For me to even consider it, it would have to be a pretty nutty proposal.
AVC: You've been a very vocal proponent of "believing" in rock 'n' roll in your songs. Do you think rock 'n' roll is in danger?
BD: No, I don't think it's in danger. I think there are lots of people that believe in rock 'n' roll. It's real easy. You just find some friends to play with and then you can feel it. I think that happens all the time. To be in a band and be playing in a room really loud, even if you never play a show, that feeling is really addictive and pure.
AVC: Can you see yourself ever stopping?
BD: I don't have any intention to stop. Rock 'n' roll is my main concern.
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