Interviews -Death Cab For Cutie-

Tokyo, 2003.9.25
text by Yoshiyuki Suzuki
interpretation by Stanley George Bodman
transcription by Shizu Kawata

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"I think we're in the great spot right now as a band. We have a lot of ideas that we have yet to explore. I would just wanna be able to continue to make the best record that we know how to make."

So can I begin with a question about what kind of musical environment you grew up in and what made you want to become a musician?

Ben：I began to play the piano at young age and I started to play the guitar after. I don't know... I've always wanted to play music. I feel very fortunate that I've come to be able to do so.

Jason：I've been playing drums for about 17 years. [As for musical history] I started on tuba, got a fat lip and decided that was nothing for me. Then I found a friend who was playing the drums and just buddied up with him and started playing drums. I've been playing ever since.

Chris：My musical background is that I used to spend days and days on just sitting and wearing headphones playing with the music on my parents' stereo when I was about 5. Then I started playing the piano when I was 10, I think and guitar when I was like 14.

Nick：I've been playing the bass for about 7 years now but I've been playing music for a lot longer than that. I wanted to become a musician... the day that I heard a Tears for Fears song "Shout" for the first time. There was a solo in the middle of that song that I heard and for some reason I just wanted to know how to do that. That sounded good and I wanted to know how to make those noises. I thought that was flute at the time though it was keyboard, so I went right into the band class next day and I told the band teacher that I wanted to learn how to play the flute [laughs]. He said, "only girls play the flute but you could play the clarinet because we didn't have a clarinet player in the band." Later I found out that only girls play the clarinet, too. But the band teacher had a different agenda. So I played the clarinet for a while and I wanted to play something a little more macho. So I switched it to guitar and I was a terrible guitar player until I saw the light. And I became a bass player.

Nick, I heard you grew up in Japan until the age of 5.

Nick： Yeah I lived here for 4 years. Both Ben and I did.

Ben：Separately.

Nick：Yeah. I lived in Sagamihara for a year and I went to preschool, kindergarten and 1st grade here in Japan then moved away.

Did you get interested in Japanese music at the time?

Ben：My dad would buy a lot of 7 inches - Japanese 45 bpm. There's a songs I remember and it was like [sings] 'to-ki-o'. And there was also some band whose whole thing was about their mustaches. Really think but they're fake mustaches. In the 7 inches, you could poke out the mustaches and have a fake mustache. And they wore white tuxedos and black ties.

Nick：I remember being young and going to a lot of festivals in the summer. Bon-odori. A lot of music like those drums things like that.

Ben：Taiko.

Nick：Taiko drumming. I have some very strong memories as a child from my experiences culturally here. I'm not sure if it was Kabuki or Noh... Which is the style that has Mie? There is a very climactic moment in the performance where the actor makes the face and screams really loud? I can't remember. Anyway I was a child and I went to see that. And it was the most terrifying thing I'd ever seen in my life [smiles]. So I have lots of memories though not so much for Japanese bands. I remember the very famous Japanese song, [starts singing] 'sa-ku-raaaa sa-ku-raaa'. But I don't know very much about it.

OK. Well it's been almost a year since Jason joined the band. Can I ask you how that happened? Also how do you feel about making albums and touring as a member?

Jason：It should've happened a long time ago. I've known them probably for 6 years or more. There was a time I was playing in a band with Nick. And before I was in the band, Ben was playing the drums in that band. They've always been crossing pass for years and years. And bands sometimes have cycles where maybe changes can be made, you know, members decided to move on or whatever. This band Death Cab for Cutie at the time was ready to make a change in their lineup, and I was really looking in to do something different, too. It's something we joke about that we had a crush on each other and we had it for a long time. Finally we said, "let's just do it. let's just make this new record and see what happens." So we just got together in the room, recorded the album and made the best of it. That was a year ago. I have a long history with them all. We've had a great friendship before we even started so it was a very easy transition. It's been great. I'm really looking forward to the future.

Then how did you all feel about the show last night?

Ben：I had a great time last night. I had a lot of fun.

Jason：I felt the hospitality. It was really great.

Nick：I liked the venue a whole lot. It was surprising for me the most that a lot of Japanese people smoke but it was a non-smoking rock club. I thought that was very odd. That was very nice because we don't smoke. [Smoke] can be too much sometimes in a smaller room so that was great. And the crowd was... I would say everything about the night. Creativeman and everyone worked there. A lot of people went out their way to make sure that... I mean we showed up at the club and our back line was already set up for us. It was a very relaxed atmosphere and I think that made us very comfortable. I think in turn we played a very good show because of that. I've been saying everyone that it was a dream-come-true for me to be able to play in Japan. I can't think of better people to be with when I am playing and I can't think of a better first experience in Japan as a band than what we've had so far. I'm really thankful.

Chris：It's amazing. We're having a wonderful time. I can't wait to come back and do a whole tour.

I saw you had a little trouble with the equipment last night?

Chris：I just do that. I mean a lot of it was just turning on the reverb and so. I have a lead tune for one song and then I have to put a capo on for another song.

Jason：We've had a lot worse. Anytime you're accustomed to play your own instrument, and you have to step on something brand-new, especially flying into another country the day before. Trying to turn your whole schedule and clock completely around, and you put yourself into foreign instruments. It takes a bit of adjusting but all in all this trip has been great.

Chris, you were almost going to smash your guitar before the encore.

Chris：[laughs] I don't know. I should've. Sometimes these things happen.

And also I saw Jason was playing the drums with your own bare hands. Was that inspired by John Bonham? Doesn't that hurt your hands?

Jason：Actually there was a point in John Bonham's career where he felt he was louder with his hands that with his sticks. Not that I was inspired by all that. Sometimes you want a different sound from the drums but you can't always get it out with drum sticks or brushes or anything else. It's more percussive. It's more dynamic and it's exciting to watch as a viewer. Actually, that's the second time I'd done that live with this band. I think the first time was in Australia. Last show. Ben said, "hey, let's try that again for the night." I'm sure that will probably happen more in the future. So that was just for the moment.

I thought last night's setlist had every song from each and every album. Was that because it's your first time to play in Japan?

Chris：Pretty similar.

Ben：It's always a drag when you go to see a band you like and you love their old songs but they get up and play all new songs with no old songs. I think we're all conscious about that. I'll never forget seeing Built to Spill in 1996. It was just after the "Perfect From Now On" came out. I was so in love with the record and I was so excited to see them play from that record. But they played, I think, 90% new songs that had not been recorded yet. That made me furious. I couldn't believe that. I mean the reason you play shows is to play your songs that people know in front of them. That's what people are coming to see, [they are] not coming to see you try out new stuff. When we put a set list together, we try to make sure it reflects everything - all the records along with new stuff, too. We try to make sure there'll be a nice balance.

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