In 1998, after 20 years of pioneering punk and alternative guitar rock, Bob Mould decided he'd had enough. The former leader of Hüsker Dü and Sugar decided to abandon the sound associated with him, even titling his 1998 album The Last Dog And Pony Show to emphasize the point. At the time, Mould planned to release an acoustic album (similar to his critically acclaimed first solo album, Workbook) and experiment with other sounds and styles. The result came in two forms: a heavily electronic rock album called Modulate, and a completely electronic album called Long Playing Grooves, released under the name LoudBomb. Modulate confused Mould's longtime fans—who avoided Long Playing Grooves altogether—and the album received lukewarm reviews.
Mould kept working on his "Workbook revisited" idea, but as time passed, he returned to the guitar-rock sound he'd ostensibly abandoned. Earlier this year, word spread quickly that his next album would be a "return to form," a notion he reinforced when he announced that he'd play Hüsker Dü songs on tour with a full band (featuring Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty) for the first time since the group broke up in 1987. He discussed all of it on his blog (modulate.blogspot.com), whose very existence indicated another seismic shift in perspective for the once intensely private musician. But when Yep Roc Records released Body Of Song in late July, it didn't quite match all the return-to-form rumors. Instead, it was a progression from Modulate, with Mould subtly incorporating some of the electronic elements that dominated that album. But they only serve as accompaniment to his signature guitars, vocals, and hooky songwriting. Before leaving on tour, Mould spoke with The A.V. Club about finding peace with his legacy, the impossibility of a Hüsker Dü reunion, and why he's no longer the most depressed man in rock.
The A.V. Club: When The Last Dog And Pony Show came out, you said you were done with the guitar-rock sound associated with you. How did you change your mind?
Bob Mould: I don't know. In '98, it had been literally 20 years of the same thing. Everything was really good up until '95, '96, and then it was just like all those shitty bands ruined a good thing, and that's like, "Uh, I really don't want to have anything to do with this stuff much longer." I just think looking at 20 years of doing the same thing, looking at other people sort of wrecking the party... And the travel is really tough. It takes a toll on my body and on my head and just on my life, you know? So it was sort of a grand gesture. After that, I just sort of settled into my groove in New York. It was the first time where I really, really had the time to be out and fully integrated, acquiring a lifestyle to go along with my music lifestyle and my work lifestyle. It led me to an appreciation of electronic music that I never had before, which led me to try to make these three records in '02, and two of them got finished and released and then had this record. Fast-forward up to the end of '04, when the president of Yep Roc was like, "Will you put a band together and tour with this record?" I'm like, "Oh yeah, sure."
AVC: Had that not been part of your plan?
BM: I sort of suspected that it would. When I saw what the record was going to be, when I knew that Brendan [Canty] was on board for the record, and it sort of had that edge. I think that combined with reconciling the history that I have, I guess, the guitar stuff, and sort of coming to terms with that. It seems like a good fit, at 44, probably a good thing. And I guess sort of the "ha-ha" part of me is like, "This is what everybody gets for putting up with Modulate. You humored me for that, and here you go."
AVC: The "return to form" buzz was a misnomer, especially considering the dancey sound of "(Shine Your) Light Love Hope."
BM: I told people to be careful of the "return to form" thing.
AVC: In one interview, you said you were relieved that Body Of Song received praise, because when you get bad reviews, "It's like getting a report card full of Ds, and you have to look in the mirror and examine yourself." Is that how you felt after Modulate?
BM: I just felt really exhausted after Modulate, and I blogged about this today, actually. I felt like I was on the defensive all the time, and I don't know if I was put there or I started fighting for Modulate because it was so different. I felt like I was having to explain too much instead of just saying, "This record rocks. You're gonna love it." And maybe if I had done that, people would have been more receptive. Yeah, so there was that in play. This one, because everybody is getting it—give or take a caveat or two—it makes it a lot easier.
AVC: What are the caveats?
BM: The two caveats are, "It's great, but he sort of copped out and went back to the guitar thing," or "It's great, but I wish he'd just leave the damn vocoder out of it." Those are sort of the two things, and again I was talking about this today when I was writing a long-winded spiel on the train. I love the nitpicking. I understand it, appreciate it—thank God it's there, because the only reason it's there is the enormous body of work that I can't get away from anymore. Of course people are going to nitpick. It's never going to be center. I'm not 23. I'm not fucked out of my head on alcohol. I'm in a different place in my life, and my music is a reflection of who I am right now. I think I've gotten good with all of that stuff, and I can have a good laugh with all of that now.
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