NEWSLETTER

It’s funny, because I used to think about your music in relation to location, like how A is such an American-sounding record, like it definitely came from this East Coast lineage. And then you went and lived in England for a while and made PREfection, which has these totally English-sounding guitars. I guess I wanted it to be this thing where the new record is this California record but it really isn’t.

I’m glad you say that because some people have tried to pin it on me that it’s some kind of West Coast thing. It’s all over the place because I was all over the place. I can’t stand it when people market themselves as being from a region, like drawing “212” on your forehead. You know what I’m talking about.

It’s been a while since your last album...

It took forever because I bit off more than I could chew by recording a lot of it on my own.

Did you feel that right away, or was it a new challenge every day?

Yeah, it was just one thing after another for a year, learning how to record on a computer, learning about outboard gear, compressors, microphones, all of which I knew nothing about before this. I’ve made records in, like, a week. PREfection was recorded in a week and I didn’t have time to think. There’s a certain kind of raw energy that comes from that, and I think I’ll do the next record the same way, but on this one I wanted to push myself.

Do you remember the first song you wrote?

Sadly, I can’t. I have a rotten memory.

I just looked at cassmccombs.com and there’s no information, just the text “Fire in the hole.” A few years ago I remember it was a series of super-upsetting fraternity-party photos. Do you feel like there’s a correspondence between that art and your music?

Those photos were found by Tres H. Zour. We really should bring them back “by popular demand.”

What’s the story behind those photos? What were they and why did you like them?

They’re hard to describe. Just nightclubbers enjoying themselves. It doesn’t seem that shocking to me but I’ve definitely heard some strong reactions from people. A radio DJ in Amsterdam asked me on the air if the photos explained some hidden meaning about my sexual orientation.

I ask because people have accused you of being opaque in your songs, and there definitely seems to be gray areas that you’d rather not give people access to. Is this is a conscious project, or just natural?

It’s a shame about an accusation like that because to me, I’m trying to be as direct as possible—that’s what lyrics are for. There are a lot of very stylish people out there who don’t have time for music, and I think they should spare us all their complaining.

In your press bios you are often identified as a Scorpio, and you make reference to it in “Lionkiller,” the first song on your new record. Which of the following traits do you think mark you as one: determined, emotional, passionate, magnetic, jealous, compulsive, or secretive?

Multiple choice! This is fun, but you’re missing a few. I’m not really sure if I identify as being a Scorpio, but it’s just a plain fact: I am a Scorpio whether I like it or not, just as I was born into many things that I can’t escape.

You’ve said that you dislike interviews. Is that true? And why?

Yes, I dislike interviews very much. If I believe I have the personality of a wet blanket, what do I have to say? Why do artists have to vouch for their actions? It seems counterproductive. Music journalism on the whole is completely outside the world of the creative process and everyone knows it, although it can be a funny game in and of itself. I hardly ever have a negative opinion about music. In fact, it seems to me the only people who have very strong opinions about music are oafish jocks. Men. And there are a lot of them out there. There should be more printed opinions by women in this world.

ETHAN SWAN
Cass McCombs’s new album, Dropping the Writ, is out now on Domino Records.


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