Post Stardom Depression
NadaMucho Interview – Post Stardom Depression
Q & A with Jeff Angell
Interview by Sonja Oliver
NadaMucho.com: First off, tell me about yourself and the other guys in the band.
Jeff Angell: There’s not much to say. We’re all friends. In fact, Kyong, Brent and I have been friends since we were really little, and I’ve known Josh for nine years now. Some guys get together to form bowling leagues and wear funny shirts. We decided finally to get together and form a band.
NadaMucho Interview – Post Stardom Depression
Q & A with Jeff Angell
Interview by Sonja Oliver
NadaMucho.com: First off, tell me about yourself and the other guys in the band.
Jeff Angell: There’s not much to say. We’re all friends. In fact, Kyong, Brent and I have been friends since we were really little, and I’ve known Josh for nine years now. Some guys get together to form bowling leagues and wear funny shirts. We decided finally to get together and form a band.
NM: And what a great band it is…I’m a big fan and I’ve been meaning to tell you that your music makes me want to have dirty sex. Was that intentional on your part?
JA: Hahaha…well…all music has a sexual kinda energy. If it has a groove and it makes your hips move, then it’s sexy. Actually, I like singing more than I like having sex. Well, if I could occupy my day with just those two things, it would be great.
NM: Well, it was hard to miss that you were singing about sex when the opening track starts with “Sometimes I feel like I just wanna fuck…â€
JA: It’s definitely about that, but it’s more about singing about how excited someone makes you feel. It’s not entirely about cheap, slutty sex…you can feel that way, and that’s not bad. There’re actually some really romantic songs on Ordinary Miracles, but half of romance is the obsession and the sexual attraction. We did want to be a “sexy†rock and roll band, but we’re not necessarily trying to alienate people with the blunt sexual lyrics. It’s a fine line and some people can totally miss it.
NM: Speaking of not alienating people, do you guys have lots of groupies or what?
JA: You get some cool people and you get different kinds of things. Most of us have been in monogamous relationships for the most part. We all love the ladies and think they’re delicious, but we’re less likely to get a blowjob in the bathroom than to get with someone we really dig. We’re not prudes.
Older peoples love us that were into the older bands…and the younger kids think we’re doing something different. Surprisingly, I don’t think we’re a hip band, you know what I mean? We’re not a “cool guy†band.
NM: But it still feels good to be loved by the people, right?
JA: Of course, and I feel like we have a little “rock star†credibility because some of our heroes are fans of our band, and that feels really good. There’s not a swimming pool or fancy car that’ll make you feel more like you accomplished what you did than a big admirer listening to your music and liking it. Respect is more important than money. But you can’t live on respect (laughing).
NM: So what do you guys spend your money on?
JA: We all bought houses with the money we made from our record deal a while ago. I own a house and am renting it out while I’m playing and touring around…the freakin’ drummer is a crazy real estate asshole…he owned a bunch of shit within just two years and wrote a book about it that you can buy on Ebay. You have to be smart about your money so that you can keep having fun. At some point people use their dream as an excuse to not function and an excuse for partying all the time.
NM: Fellow staffer, The Snizz, and I have been having an ongoing heated debate we’d like you to settle. Puffy or crunchy Cheetos?
JA: Puffy is better, because they don’t hurt my mouth, but I don’t eat that shit ‘cause I’m trying to maintain my rock star figure (laughs).
Damn it! I lose! Ok, then…tell me this. What are five CD’s you have in your player right now?
JA: My CD player doesn’t hold five, it holds one…but here they are:
David Bowie – Earthling
Bjork – Greatest Hits
Black Crowes – Amorica
Anne Peebles – The Hi Records Years
Firewater – The Man on the Burning Tightrope
NM: So you’re a Black Crowes fan. PSD has been compared to The Cult and your voice compared to Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes. Do you agree and how do you feel about that?
JA: Either of those comparisons are OK in my book. I think Chris Robinson is one of the best American rock singers of all time. I learned to sing from him. I don’t think his music is as unique, but his soul seems more real and personal than most. People that disguise themselves as punk rock are an embarrassment. I sing from my soul and I feel the blues and soul music way more than other genres.
NM: Compare and contrast Ordinary Miracles and Sexual Uno, your first album.
JA: With Sexual Uno, we kinda had to end up picking the best from the worst on account of the label wanting to hold off on the better songs to put on a later album. There are still a couple songs I really like on it…more like demo songs or a B-sides album. At the time, we needed to put something out, and there were some cool songs but it wasn’t really representative.
NM: What about Ordinary Miracles?
JA: Ordinary Miracles I think is great. We’re really proud of it. We produced it mostly all on our own, in our practice rooms and picked all the songs we wanted to do without interference. We wrote a lot of songs to put together that record, and I think it’s a solid effort. PSD isn’t a “message bandâ€, per se, but the songs capture what people can relate to. You know, we write about what goes on in everyday life and then put them in little packages and time capsules into the songs. In OM there’s a lot about love…longing…
NM: What’s in line for your next album?
JA: We recorded it ourselves already, but might want to go into a bigger studio to get it more clean, bigger production. We like to record everything live, but we’re afraid we might lose something because we’re concentrating on the production. That way, we can sit back and smoke a J and play the music, and not have to hassle with pushing the buttons and shit. The music is kinda the same style as Ordinary Miracles but it’s looser. OM hurt to make. The new one is much looser, more fun, we didn’t think about it and it just happened. OM was about who are we, what are we trying to do. Now that we found it, we’re going after a lot less speculating and a lot more doing.
NM: Hypothetically, if I were to buy you a drink at your next show, what should I order?
JA: Beer or Jagermeister. Beer because people who drink hard alcohol tend to get more fucked up and make fools of themselves. I stick to beer. I like Jagermeister because it tends to soothe and coat my throat so I can sing…cause I smoke all the time. Smoking a lot and drinking Jager is the key to being a good singer.
NM: Ok, well I think that’s all the questions I have for you. Anything else to add?
JA: Don’t make me sound stupid.
NM: Ok.