An Interview with Cut Worms

Having recently had Beatles on the brain, specifically the early years of their hysteria-inducing mop tops, I started to think about their early interviews. I started to look up some of those early pressers and was taken aback by just how many times the fab foursome was asked about money and marriage, but there were some gems amongst the clunkers. And so, inspired by the early press conferences of the Beatles, especially their US interviews, I decided to ask some of those very same questions to some of the best and brightest making music today.

Cut Worms recently won me over with the divine "Cash for Gold," and I'm definitely not the only one thinking the future looks pretty darned bright for Max Clarke and his utterly charming, nostalgically modern noise.

May 4 sees the release of Hollow Ground on Jagjaguwar, and May 3 kicks off a lengthy tour opening for King Tuff. If I may be so bold as to suggest that you a) buy the record and b) go see Max up close and in person, well, consider me strongly suggesting both.

Read on to see Max's As to my Beatles-y Qs, and get your best business casual ready for those King Tuff tour dates. See y'all in DC on May 16th. I wouldn't miss Max's "popular song as form of mystical experience" for the world.    

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What has been your most exciting moment in the last year?

Probably signing my first record deal.

Who are your favorite recording artists?

The Beatles, Buddy Holly, Hank Williams Sr, too many to name…

Do you feel safe riding in airplanes?

For the most part, yes.

Does every city look the same?

No. Some do…but there’s still some idiosyncrasies wrought by history left in most cities I think... they haven’t fully homogenized everything…yet…

What message are you trying to get across, if any?

Popular song as form of mystical experience.

How would you describe yourself in one word?

I wouldn’t.

Where would you like to go that you haven't gone yet?

Greece.

Do you feel that you're setting a new trend in music?

I don’t think so.

What kinds of guitars do you use?

Wooden ones with strings and wires.

Does anybody ever ask you for advice?

Not very often.

How do you prefer for your fans to act at your concerts?

Business casual.

How do you go about writing your songs?

Arduously and desperately.

What is one question you would like to be asked that probably nobody has ever asked?

Probably this one. But no one’s ever asked so I never thought about it and don’t have an answer.

What do you call your sound?

Charles.

Have you ever had a mental block-out on stage?

Oh yes several times. I forget my words sometimes or forget to play whole verses. It’s frightening.

What are your unfulfilled ambitions?

To live on a houseboat.

What advice do you have for teenagers?

Care about something.

What is the closest you have come to losing life and limb?

I’m always losing life but never limb.

Do you think of yourself more as an entertainer or a musician, or do you think it's more of a combination of the two?

I’ll quote the great Rob Zimmerman here -- “I think of myself more as a song and dance man.”



[posted 5.1.18]

[photo by Joyce Lee]

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