Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
This kid is really weird.
Full disclosure:
We shot this interview with Bradford Cox, front man of Deerhunter and Atlas Sound, the day prior to our rad interview with Brad’s buddies, The Black Lips. But that was not the first time we’ve encountered this character.
Earlier this year, Buddyhead hanged with both Brad and Deerhunter’s bassist, Josh Fauver. Given that we are not remotely “The Press,” we had zero questions worth asking, and so resorted to instigating an argument over Weezer. Shit got heated and afterward, Brad requested that we not post the interview. And we haven’t. And that’s fine, because this is one is way… better?
For anyone curious about what went on in the “lost” interview, I’ll give you the score:
Josh thinks Weezer’s fully wack, and wouldn’t stand in the same arena as a song playing from the Green album. Bradford doesn’t, and would.
Josh told us to publish the full, unedited Weezer-nuking interview. Bradford, he said “Don’t.”
Well, actually Brad made the specific request that we refrain from relaying the bits about Josh wanting to use 14-year-old, sweatshop Koreans laced with cocaine to bait Rivers Cuomo into a gas chamber. Or something to that effect. Josh goes off. But that was apparently not an image Brad wanted associated with Deerhunter. He was fine, however, with advising that meeting Mark E. Smith will ruin your love for music. (We can’t wait! Mark- it’s our turn, cousin! Fire us from The Fall!)
Brad also rightly said, “The Arcade Fire is soooooo gay” and admitted to buying a Hendrix “signature model” fuzz pedal that same day. No productive conversation took place beyond that point, because we wouldn’t shut up about Gary Glitter. We never shut up about Gary Glitter. It’s a wonder that nerds in bands keep letting us waste their time.
At any rate, our dialogue with Deerhunter has been congenial, and most likely because a) homeboy wasn’t wearing his sister’s dress when we talked to him and b) the Deerhunter guys are friendly fellows with good taste. Yep- Deerhunter is a class act. Bradford might screw with journalists and he sure talks some weird shit on stage, but that’s rock & roll, right? He’s a sweetheart, otherwise. And judging from what I’ve seen, both he and Josh are very appreciative of their goofy fans. I watched these guys respond to compliments from big, enthusiastic girls with replies like, “Oh, that’s very sweet! Thank you so much!” Complete gentlemen, right? As friendly as they are, these perverts are sure to have all sorts of nasty weird lurking in their bedroom closets. Don’t go into a Deerhunter closet.
Anyway, since I’ve just defeated the purpose of not publishing the original video, please consider all of this as hearsay and speculation…that happens to be gospel truth.
To make up for the valuable time we wasted by talking about child molesters, we met up with Bradford a while later so he could get his chance to yammer about boring bullshit and ask you- our ever-faithful readership of greasy, Dennys cooks – to buy his dorky records. But that didn’t happen.
Instead of that jive, we filmed the fruitcake licking psychedelic toads for an hour. Best night of Brad’s life. He was crawling up walls like a goddamn gecko. Shit freaked us the fuck OUT! I tried to stop the interview eight times, out of concern for everyone’s safety, but homeboy was not about to throw in that nasty towel.
Okay, we haven’t really made Deerhunter suck on drug frogs (yet).
Truth is, Brad got silly with swine flu and we exploited it shamelessly. Apparently, homie’s evolved some auto-immune defense that sets him off tripping HARD when he gets sick. (So hard in fact, that Travis is determined to snort the weirdo’s next flu like it’s his life’s work. And it might as well be: He’s a fucking DJ.)
Watch the video. And stay to the end, folks: this thing gets weird.
Afterward, listen to Deerhunter’s new EP, Rainwater Cassette Exchange, right here. It’s rad and Brad’s rad, so buy it.
And don’t forget about the new Atlas Sound album, Logos, that drops 10/20 on Kranky. The man is working hard.