A Conversation with John Vanderslice

John Vanderslice might very well be the nicest guy in Indie Rock. This interview will read a bit different than my usual "conversations," because it took place twice and over four different sessions because of a slip-up (I deleted the thing) on my part. While I was freaking out and apologizing profusely for my goof, John was reassuring me and shrugging it off like some sort of really cool and talented little-league coach (Thanks John!).

Besides making amazing records of his own, JV owns Tiny Telephone Studios, where amazing records are constantly and consistently churned out by people like Beulah, Deerhoof, Death Cab, Get Him! Eat Him!, Mates of State, Jolie Holland, The Mountain Goats, Spoon, and many many more. John is on tour, and his shows are pretty spectacular events; you can find those dates and plan your trip accordingly here. You can buy his amazing and newly released record, Emerald City, here.

Caleb (HTFAF): Hey John

JV: Hey Caleb!

Caleb (HTFAF): Emerald City has been out for a little bit now, and there seems to be a bit of a different sound from your lat few efforts, would you say that's true?

JV: Well, Emerald City is very different because it's the first true band record i've made. My band (Dave Douglas, Ian Bjornstad and
David Broecker) and Scott Solter [Who engineered] were the only people who played and gave me input, and my records have always been very open ended as far as who plays. They played almost everything actually: I tried to limit my tracking to vocals and acoustic guitar only, we recorded almost all the basic tracks live and that was very new for me! Also, this record was very quickly made for me.

Caleb (HTFAF): How quickly are we talking?

JV: This was the fastest record yet, maybe 20 days in the studio total.

Caleb (HTFAF): I noticed the acoustic guitar gets a weird treatment on a lot of the record, sort of distorted, and the album as a whole is a bit more percussive than previous efforts. Was that a conscious thing?

JV: Oh yeah! Chalk that up for a victory for tube distortion: most of that is from a 1940's made Bogen PA head that was probably used in a roller rink.

Caleb (HTFAF): I understand the title of the record is a bit of a political one.

JV: Yeah, Emerald City's title comes from the green zone in baghdad, it's what I guess would be considered a slang term for such. We're building a billion dollar embassy there, we will never leave.
Caleb (HTFAF): You seem to pay a lot of attention to the middle east, there were a few songs on Pixel Revolt that dealt directly with it, and this record has a few references to 9/11 along with the title. Has this always been the case?

JV: Yeah, even since my old band MK Ultra. I don't believe the Bible, but I do believe the end of the world will start here.

Caleb (HTFAF): You gained some big love from bloggers a while back for speaking out on the power of blogs vs. print media, a subject that is on a lot of peoples brains and blogs lately. Following that path a bit: what are your feelings on the current state of major record labels?

JV: Well actually I used to be a scout for Columbia records, which was an amazing job: as you do almost nothing for $125 a week plus expenses. No one listens to what you send
in and that was even better. I had a fabulous boss, really sweet and cool. It was common that some of the high-level A&R people there would get print-outs of emails. When they got them, rather than writing a repsonse or just deleting them, they would dictate a response to someone who was getting paid to email the person back. When i saw that it thought: these guys are fucked! I wonder how much longer people will be able to put out cd's. Will this be the last Christmas for cd's? Who knows, but it's certainly moving that direction and very fast.
Caleb (HTFAF): Do you think there is a future for the independent record store and label, or do you think it will ultimately all crumble?

JV: Oh no, anyone who's providing an intellectual service (as tastemaker, editor, compiler, etc.) will thrive in the age of the internet. By thrive i mean, they'll get a lot of attention, they won't necessarily make a lot of money.
Caleb (HTFAF): You're hitting the road again this fall, as a blogger I see a lot of tour dates and venue names. Do you have any favorite venues to play?

JV: Kraftbrau Brewery - Kalamazoo, MI. Modified - Phoenix. Kilby Court - Salt Lake City. Cafe 11 - St Augustine. Gosh, now that I think about it there are dozens.

Caleb (HTFAF): Is there a specific show that sticks out in your mind as your best?

JV: Yes actually, and it happened somewhat recently. Modified in phoenix during the spring of this year. We played with st vincent and it was just a great show. We got our pizza delivery guy on stage, played in a dusty desert parking lot for the last song, it's just great. It's all on youtube, there are dozens of shows i could think of but why not list that one? it felt perfect.

Caleb (HTFAF): Is there a show you witnessed as an audience member that sticks out?

JV: Oh yes. Radiohead on the OK Computer tour. It literally changed the way I saw music.

Caleb (HTFAF): I know you're a bit of an analog junkie. Do you have a favorite piece of gear?

JV: Right now it's my bogen tube mic pre, rebuilt by skip simmons.
Caleb (HTFAF): Do you think the advent of cheap digital recording is harmful for young bands?

JV: Not at all. Cheap audio gear is good for creative people no matter what, anyone can make good sounding records on shitty gear and anyone can make the opposite. That doesn't mean i don't have a taste for very expensive analog stuff, though.

Caleb (HTFAF): If you could give one piece of advice to the aspiring indie rock stars of the world what would it be?

JV: I would have to give them four, sorry.

1. Use a wheel and tire lock when you park your van on tour. if you get a trailer, get one for that too.
2. If you like your own work, you're on the right path. Don't worry how long it takes to get others behind you, that might happen at the last second, like on your death bed!
3. Google "ROTH IRA"
4. Collect tons of gear.

Caleb (HTFAF): Is there a project that has come through Tiny Telephone that you would call your favorite?

JV: The Granfaloon Bus record, "good funeral weather", that was done in 1999 by Greg Freeman. It was the first record that captured the potential of the studio, it's a truly wonderful and under-appreciated record.

Caleb (HTFAF): Is there anyone you would really love to work with that you have yet to work with?

JV: Oh God yes, hundreds of people. Silver jews, Destroyer, and Midlake are probably at the top of that list.

Caleb (HTFAF): In the same breath, have you written any songs that you're particularly proud of?

JV: Yeah, a few. Up Above the Sea, The Mansion, Keep the Dream Alive, The Golden Gate, Grand Canyon (MK Ultra)

Caleb (HTFAF): A really cheesy and common interview question that s thrown around way too causally is "What records changed your life?" Are there any records that you would say actually changed the way you thought about, wrote, played, or listened to music?

JV: Definitely. In the Aeroplane over the sea [Neutral Milk Hotel], Doolittle [The Pixies], Takes a Nation...[Public Enemy], and Drums and Wires [XTC].
Caleb (HTFAF): How much longer do you think you'll be making John Vanderslice records? Do you have a retirement goal, or would you eventually like to solely work with other people?

JV: Forever! I'd love to be touring until i'm 70. My retirement goal is to not be poor, and you KNOW the US government isn't going to be helping anyone after a few more years.

Caleb (HTFAF): I hope you're up on your daytime game shows, or this will be lost on you but it is now time for what I like to call the fast money round.

JV: Excellent.

Caleb (HTFAF): What is the last film you saw?

JV: 20,000 leagues under the sea, on Turner Classic Movies last night. It was amazing!

Caleb (HTFAF): What are you listening to?

JV: Lots of radio lately: Studio 360, Le Show, This American Life

Caleb (HTFAF): What was the last book you read?

JV: The Lonely Planet guide to Coastal California

Caleb (HTFAF): What are you excited about?

JV: The new PT Anderson film!

Caleb (HTFAF): I'm all done, thanks so much John.

JV: No problem, thank you!

+++

[mp3] John Vanderslice - White Dove
[mp3] John Vanderslice - Numbered Lithograph
[mp3] John Vanderslice - Trance Manual

See live performances of every song on Emerald City via John's video blog tour.

Buy JV records at insound.