WIUX

Maggie Graber: How are you enjoying this tour?

John Vanderslice: Oh, should we check to make sure it’s recording okay? Or should I hold it closer—

MG: Yeah, yeah it’s good. I’ve done some test work.

JV: You’re smart. [Laughter] Okay, so this tour has been, well, the problem with talking about tours is it’s easy to sound like you don’t appreciate it because if you do anything over and over, probably if you were to like be in an orgy every night, it would be—there would be a mundane-like tiresome quality to it, you know what I mean? [Laughter] Like I’m sure if you were the groundskeeper of the Playboy Mansion, it wouldn’t seem very exciting to you, you know? So, with that being said, I would say this is the most fun tour that I can remember being on that we’ve headlined, and in general, it’s more fun when you’re supporting the band, when you’re playing before—like it’s just easier, and you kind of feel like you’re on vacation, and when you’re headlining it, it feels more of like work—I don’t know why, but it’s just the way it is for me. But this has been a really great tour. It’s been incredible and the hotels have been nice, the venues have been nice, and we’ve been eating really good food. [To Husband & Wife guitarist Mike Adams] Hey Mike, make sure you say goodbye to me before you go. [Inaudible] Okay good. And—I’m sorry if I shouted or anything, is this gonna be on the radio?

MG: No, no, it’s okay. This will—like I’ll transfer it—

JV: Transcribe it—perfect. Got it.

MG: And then I can send you a copy of it.

JV: Oh, only if you want.

MG: I mean—

JV: I trust whatever you say and whatever you do.

MG: No, it’s cool.

JV: You can make me sound like a neo-Nazi [Laughter] like, so then he talked about the purity of the white race—it was quite bizarre [Laughter. Seriously. It was funny. And a joke.] But yeah—the tour’s been great. I would say it’s really been one of my favorites.

MG: And how have you liked Bloomington?

JV: Yeah, I love it. What’s not to love?

MG: I know, isn’t it great? And right now, it’s almost fall and downtown, the buildings, especially right around the square.

JV: Tons of stuff going on.

MG: Last week was the Lotus Fest, I don’t know if you’ve heard about it—

JV: No, tell me about it.

MG: It’s like this huge international music festival, Balkan Beat Box was here—

JV: Wow—

MG: And it’s so weird because you walk down the street and you’re like this is Indiana?

JV: That’s great. That’s great.

MG: It feels like something that would be in a big city. I wanted to talk about Emerald City (his most recent album) just because your last two albums have dealt a lot with 9/11 and “Emerald City” is alluding to the Green Zone in Baghdad—

JV: Yeah—yeah.

MG: And how has living in San Francisco, first of all, and today’s overall political climate, how has that impacted you and your music-making?

[Inaudible Background Profanities]

Random Man: Don’t quote that. [Laughter] Don’t print that.

JV: Print it. [Laughter]

JV: [to Random Man] Did you like the show?

Random Man: Dude, it was f***ing tops.

JV: Did you tell all my band mates that? [Extends hand for unrequited high-five]

MG: He just left you hanging.

Random Man: Yes. [to me] What are you interviewing him for?

MG: Um, WIUX, the radio station in town.

Random Man: You can print this—I was listening to WIUX a couple months ago, Andy who promoted the show, on the air played an Okkervil River song and said “this next song is John Vanderslice “White Dove” and played another f***ing Okkervil River song.

[Laughter] [Andy laughs and comes over and talks to Random Man. Inaudible]

MG: That happened on my show today.

[Conversation about signing a poster and loading up the truck]

JV: Okay, we should do this because they’re gonna pack up and make me leave.

MG: Alright. Yeah—so question. How has today’s politics impacted you and the way you’ve made music?

JV: Oh. Well—well it’s just seeped in almost against my will. It’s unbelievable how hard it is for me not to write about politics. Especially, you know, San Francisco is a relatively political town—

MG: Right—

JV: And all those war protests, it was pretty amazing and very affecting, but I’m actually thinking about writing a record, a pop record that does not—I want to avoid all the usual things that I do, which is okay—which is great, but you know, I really want to write a totally different record. I don’t know if I’ll do it [laughter] or if I’ll follow through but I’ve really been thinking about that.

MG: Mmhmm.

JV: Also, it’s—I’m kind of optimistic about next year for some reason, and maybe not feel so burned out—

MG: Mmhmm, yeah. I actually, kind of know that feeling that you’re talking about a little. That it’s not so dreadful–

JV: It just can’t be this bad.

MG: Right. Yeah. I agree. [pause] Also, you own Tiny Telephone, that tiny analog record studio.

JV: Yeah.

MG: Why are you such a fan of analog, first of all, as opposed to digital recording, and what’s the difference for you?

JV: Well, yeah—well, I like that it’s—

MG: That raw feeling?

JV: Yeah, it’s a little bit more raw, and I like that it’s linear. I like that you can’t edit stuff. Because for me, and for most creative people, the problem is having too many choices and I guess I really like having limited choices. I mean, it’s just my own personal preference and there are tons of digital records that come out of Tiny Telephone, it’s just we do really maintain analog gear, and like, we have a no-sampler rule, like we won’t even allow—and it’s not even a political move, it’s more that we want to limit the way that we work, we really want to close doors.

MG: That’s awesome. And also, you were a contributing producer for Spoon’s “Gimmie Fiction.”

JV: Yeah—yeah.

MG: Are you planning on producing anymore in the future for other bands or for your—

JV: I just co-produced the last Mountain Goats record with Scott and that’s probably gonna be the last thing I do for a while just because my schedule next year is gonna be probably pretty tough because we’re gonna be doing another record.

MG: Mmhmm.

JV: I would say that, like, I’m gonna try to not work with that many bands. It’s very difficult—it’s incredibly difficult. And I love Spoon and Mountain Goats, I would always work with those bands, but I feel like I know those bands and have followed them since the beginning of what they were doing, you know, because I’m an old school Spoon fan and when I came in and I really just did a small part on a really great record, but when I came in, I felt I really understood the band and where they were coming from. Same with Mountain Goats. I’m an old school Mountain Goats fan. Like old school. So—

MG: Mmhmm. That’s sweet. Also, I’m a creative writing major, and a couple of your songs you use Robert Lowell’s poetry—

JV: Yeah, yeah—

MG: And William Blake’s poetry. And I was wondering how you feel about using another person’s lyrics and how do you put your own spin on that. Like—

JV: Yeah—

MG: William Blake—that was 1800s—

JV: Yeah, well the cool thing about William Blake is that his stuff just sounds so modern, it’s bizarre.

MG: Mmhmm, yeah.

JV: And the thing is, I don’t do it anymore because I feel it’s like a crutch but I did it when I was having writer’s block, you know, that’s why I was doing that, because I couldn’t write my own lyrics. And so I was scouring books of poetry and trying to get ideas and that’s why I did it.

MG: Yeah, that’s sweet. Also—last question. Your photography—you’re really into photography.

JV: Yeah, I really like it, although [whispers] I’ve been really bad on this tour.

MG: Oh really? [laughter]

JV: I haven’t been shooting at all.

MG: Have you been around the Midwest? Is this just like—

JV: No it’s been the whole country so far and it’s like we’ve been out for a month and I’ve only shot maybe three or four rolls of film—

MG: Oh really?

JV: And I’d usually be up to twelve. The tour’s been too busy.

MG: Okay—

JV: It’s been really rough.

MG: Do you feel sad about that a little bit?

JV: Yeah, it makes me feel very guilty.

MG: Yeah—is it kind of your way of…picture-scrapbooking? [best term ever]

JV: Yeah, it’s a way of slowing down the tour—

MG: Making sense of it—

JV: Making sense of it, absolutely. Yeah.

MG: And did you start taking a lot of photos when you started touring?

JV: It was only touring.

MG: Only touring?

JV: [laughter] Yeah.

MG: That’s interesting.

JV: Isn’t it stupid? They’re making fun of me. [about band members] [laughter]

MG: Well thank you so much—

JV: Thank you so much, that was [we hug and it’s wonderful] Those were great questions. Thank you

MG: Thank you, I really appreciate it.

JV: And just keep in touch.