A few nights ago, four out of five members of the band, The Monkey Power Trio, were interviewed by a fellow named Diego Aguilar on Stanford University’s student radio station, KZSU. The interview is, by all accounts, unremarkable. I have heard, however, that some young people on the Stanford campus have turned it into a drinking game, which is gratifying. They apparently chug beer every time one of my geriatric bandmates yawns, or notes how late at night it is. (The interview took place live, at midnight (EST), well past our prescribed bedtimes.)
The most interesting thing to come from it, from my perspective, was the possibility that, one day, we might be able to broadcast our annual, 24-hour session live, unedited, from the studio of KZSU. I think that could be incredibly painful for their listeners, but incredibly cool for us… I really like the idea of our being able to take calls, and song ideas, from listeners, whenever we get bored, or fall victim to one of our repeated creative slumps. I suppose, however, there could be a downside, as it would demystify the legendary one-day-a-year band to some extent. I think that it would probably be worth it, though… especially if it led to a live, 24-hour vinyl release that included several hours of us just snoring in our cots.
No bread 2 KZSU Phone Interview 5-5-12 MPT by markmaynard11
Among the songs referenced, in case you’d like to hear them, are Chiasmus and Don’t Excarnate Your Kids, from our most recent record.
5 Comments
Did the interviewer actually just say – ‘those trombone tracks were pretty rad’?
Boom goes the dynamite!
“We spend more time thinking about what we’re going to eat than we do about the songs.”
Your honesty is unprecedented.
Tom Waits, from what I understand, is considering legal action.
And I loved the painfully long pauses. More people should do that to interviewers. It really throws them off balance.
I would love to listen to your families opening their Christmas presents live on the radio, and then all the fathers getting drunk on eggnog and beating the shit out of their instruments. If you do it, you should be sure to bring a camera crew. It would make an incredible Christmas special.
I really like the idea of a Christmas special. You’d need to figure out some sort of narrative, though, that would explain why you’re locked in a studio. Maybe the band and their families could chase an injured cat into the building on Christmas Eve, and then find themselves trapped in the building, and it’s there that they discover the true meaning of Christmas, without their presents, surrounded by good friends, lots of instruments, and a few bottles of booze that have been hidden around by underage student DJs over the past several decades.