Jayhawks – Tomorrow’s grass is Greene-r
ND: Where is the new Golden Smog album at?
GL: We recorded it; we spent 10 days on it. It’s not done yet. We decided to be a little more adventurous with it, and run the risk of taking ourselves a little more seriously. We kind of said, “We have the opportunity to record some music, let’s try to make it great.” And that wasn’t the attitude we had when we last played. Some of those last Smog shows toward the end, the money was there, so we did it. And we were doing the same songs, and a lot of covers, and we got back, and the first day in the studio, Jeff [Tweedy] and I just sat up all night talking about how excited we were about making a new record.
ND: Gary, what was your introduction to the Fibbers?
GL: It was through Ann, my ex-wife-to-be. A wonderful girl who has great musical taste, and she had the records. And then I think I read something about them in Option or something. So I started listening to their record, and I have to say it was my idea — it was Ann’s idea, and then it was my idea — to have the Fibbers tour with Golden Smog. And because of that, a lot of wonderful things have happened. And when the tour was done, I decided to start lifting things from them. Ideas. Violin players. And by the end, they were all getting up and singing and playing with us. I thought they’d just think we were a bunch of squares. Like Jessy knows, I have a little bit of a complex of coolness. I always feel like we’re really square, and not hip.
ND: I think that’s a common malady. Because there’s so much music, people don’t have a handle on what is perceived as cool, or even what they really think is cool.
GL: Well, I know we’re not considered Atari Teenage Riot right now. But you know what? That’s okay.
JG: Yeah, but you should never say things like that. I don’t think you should ever say things about perceived cool, because I think so much is perception. And it’s all how you feel about yourself. I have the same problem. Like you said before, you have all confidence in your music, where you don’t have that in other areas of your life. For me, I have confidence to a certain extent in all areas of my life, but none of them too much. I have a certain amount of confidence in music, but to have complete confidence, I know I need to practice, and I have to make sure I do my absolute best. But at the same time, I’m doing it for myself. So if it’s cool to me, then that’s all that matters.
ND: I have the same theory about “guilty pleasures,” because I simply do not believe in the concept. You can hear a dumb pop song on the radio and be absolutely taken by it, and that’s a legitimate reaction. And if you dismiss it from your scope of listening, you deprive yourself of experiences and emotions. If all you’re doing is watching out for what’s “cool,” all you’ll be listening to is the Velvet Underground.
GL: Yeah, that’s the only thing that’s safe — among everybody.
JG: I think that “cool” is a very bizarre word. What’s more important is: Does the music relay something that matters? Is there passion? Is there truth? Do you believe what somebody’s trying to tell you? And those kinds of things are what you get from classical music. There’s definitely a passion and a truth there. I don’t think music today is any less powerful than it was. I think there’s a lot of music that is less powerful, but in general, there is good music; you just have to dig for it. But you can’t base things on the cool factor at all, because then you’re just misleading yourself, because money and all that stuff has so much to do with what defines something to be cool. And it’s usually wrong.
GL: I don’t know how we got started on that question.
JG: Inevitably, you knew we’d get there.
GL: Yeah, it always comes back to that.
JG: That’s a very nice shirt, by the way.
GL: Thank you. Long Beach style.
ND: What about fashion? is it important?
GL: It’s very important.
JG: It’s about coming into your own, I think. I mean, I went through some very strange years. I grew up in a country town with all the country bumpkins, and New Yorkers. And I kind of resented…When I quit the violin, I also quit the whole cultural thing. My parents were very into the cultural life. I got kicked out of private school. I was a nerd, kind of. But I was like a dropout version. And I listened to Lynyrd Skynyrd, and very Southern rock kind of stuff. I loved Aerosmith. And then when I went to college, I moved to L.A. and I had no concept of being a musician, or anything. It was jut to get away from that whole scene.
ND: Did you bring your violin?
JG: No. I didn’t even bring my violin. When I moved to L.A., I started going to Santa Monica College, and there would be people sitting around the mall jamming. And I thought, “God, I have to have my violin.” So I had it sent out, and my biggest aspiration was to play with the Grateful Dead. That’s where I was at.
GL: And now you’re stuck with us.
JG: See? That’s exactly the attitude I’m talking about.
GL: It’s a joke. I guess. Jessy’s not only my violin player, but my psychologist.
JG: But it’s not about the fashion magazines, or anything like that. It’s just about wearing what makes you feel good. And feeling good about yourself.
GL: I’m a clothes freak. It’s hard to figure out what to wear, so it’s not a cliched rock deal. I’m just one of those people who steps back and looks at things from a distance, and goes, “What are people going to think about this period of music and fashion?” You know, what are people going to think in 50 years? (Laughs) See, I not only worry about what people think now, I’m worried about what they’re going to think in 50 years. No wonder I’m so fucked up.
JG: God. And I thought I was bad.