Brightest Young Things

Here it is: A brief, but ultimately well meaning, phone conversation with Jared Swilley, bassist for the Black Lips, an Atlanta-based flower punk band, planning to (dis)grace the Black Cat’s main stage TONIGHT, March 5th. Go to the show. Their latest album is entitled 200 Million Thousand. Buy it.

Ok, off we go.

BYT: Hello? Yeea-uh, Jared! This is Cynthia from Brightest Young Things. I’m supposed to be interviewing you.
Jared Swilley: [Off the record.]

BYT: Oh, it’s fine. So, this is going to be really, really informal. I’m going to try and tape record it if that’s even possible…Okay? Hold on. Let me try to set this up…
[TCB]
BYT: Okay, so you’re on speaker. CAN YOU HEAR ME?!!
JS: Yeah.
BYT: Okay. So, where are you guys at right now?
JS: I’m in my room in Atlanta right now.

BYT: Oh, cool. Where do you live?
JS: In Atlanta?
BYT: Yeah.
JS: Like old Fourth Ward - kinda between there and between the Park.
BYT: Okay. Is that near the Cotton Mill?
JS: Ahh, actually, it is the Cotton Mill. That’s my driveway.

BYT: My friend actually lived in an apartment that was burned down in that fire.
JS: Oh yeah, I used to live just in the shadow of that, in Cabbagetown.
BYT: Uh huh. You know, I know Joe and I’m so happy for you all. This was back when he was in high school and taking classes at the community college.
JS: Yeah, he was taking advanced classes. You know Joe?
BYT: Hell yeah. I’ve seen that you were in D.C. a few times over the past few years and wanted to go the shows so bad, but couldn’t. But I saw you all at Lollapalooza in Chicago this past year and you guys were amazing.
JS: Oh, thanks. Thanks. It was a little too early, but yeah, it was fun.

BYT: It was crazy. I’d seen the Shins on that same stage two years prior, and they were so bloodless, so disconnected. It ruined their set completely. But you all seem to generate and really feed into the crowd’s energy.
JS: Yeah, you know, you gotta work. It’s a give-and-take kind of thing.

BYT: Okay, so I’m going to ask you a few questions now. I don’t know if you know who Gore Vidal is, but he…
JS: Oh yeah. I just finished reading Burr.

BYT: Cool. Well, he said, “Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say and not giving a damn.” I feel like this really underlies your band’s ethos.
JS: Oh yea, we definitely have our mantras we live by. And, uh…

BYT: Oh yea, what’s that?
JS: I mean, our mission…I think everyone should have a purpose in life. We just want to essentially, for ourselves, have fun and see the world while doing it. And we want to help other people have fun and spread love, instead of hate.

BYT: That’s awesome. You all have to been to so many countries. Can you just say something about some of the cooler countries you’ve visited or things you’ve seen?
JS: The West Bank, Israel, Brazil, Peru, Mexico, India…

BYT: I saw a performance on Youtube. I think you were at a college in Israel. You all looked like you were in a broom closet? It was a really tight space.
JS: [Laughter] Yeah. Yeah. It was super fun. We got to go into the River Jordan, the Dead Sea, walk through the Old City in Jerusalem, so that was a really good trip.

BYT: What’s the creative process like with you guys? I feel like you all create a lot of stuff. You’ve come out with what, five albums in what seems like no time?
JS: Yeah, five. And we recorded another one in Berlin a couple weeks ago. It’s with a gospel group called the Almighty Defenders and we recorded an LP there, in Berlin.

BYT: That’s really neat. And you all each have your own little solo projects going on as well?
JS: Yeah, we have a couple. I have a band called the Gaye Blades.3 It’s kind of hard to do. I’ve only put out two singles because I’m always gone. But when I’m at home, I’m going to record on Sunday and try to get another single done. But the creative process is like, I just have a lot of pent up energy and if I didn’t get it out through music I’d probably be doing drugs or performing street crime or something like that.

BYT: Regarding the New York Times (NYT) coverage of you at SXSW, do you want to say anything about that? I thought that was a brilliant piece5. And what happened to Ian’s gold teeth?
JS: He broke his good pair that he got in Memphis because he put them in the washing machine and they got tore up. So, he got these really cheap ones in Atlanta and they started f*cking up his teeth.

BYT: Oh no.
JS: So, he has to get good ones. If you get a $100 grill, they’re gonna f*ck up your teeth. You have to spend at least $500 on them.

BYT: Holy sh*t.
JS: BYT: So back to SXSW, I mean how did the NYT get in contact with you?
JS: You know, I have no idea. Vice (record label) called us and was so excited. They were like, “The NYT wants to embed a journalist with you.” I’m like “Sure. I love their crossword puzzle. That’s great.” But I have no idea how they found us. They just hung out with us all day. It was a long day. By the end of the night, the journalist, he couldn’t keep up with us. He was pretty swervey. But he had a blast, though, he was cracking up, ya know? Because he was like 40-something and by the end of the night, we were at a house party and we were making him shotgun beers and stuff, grinning from ear to ear. So he had a good time.

BYT: I think you played at a clothing store. Did you get free jeans?
JS: Yeah. SXSW is all about getting free clothes. When I go this year, I’m going to make it my goal to not spend any money. Drinks are free. Eat for free the whole time. And just try to get as much free sh*t as I can.

BYT: Well, is there anything else you want to say?
JS: I hope people buy our record and enjoy it.

BYT: Are you going to have them at the show?
JS: Yeah, well, unfortunately, we did a vinyl and we f*cked up. And so those are going to be a little late, so we won’t have them ready.7

BYT: Seriously. You all play so many shows. Do you even remember playing the Black Cat?
JS: Oh yeah. Last time we played with Quintron and Miss Pussycat. It was pretty fun. I had a blast. One time Ian ran across the bar at the Black Cat and they got really mad. And one time we got kicked out because they caught us smoking [stuff].

BYT: Yeah, they get really mad pretty fast. I’ve been kicked out of there before, too.
JS: And we got kicked out one time because Cole went into the girls’ bathroom to pee and they got mad about that. But they like us. They love us deep down.

BYT: I’m sure they do. I’m sure they do if they have you back. Well, all right, Jared. I hope you have a great day and I look forward to your show. I hope you [...dramatic pause...] rock.
kthanksbye.

Want more:
myspace and live show tonight await

Further reading:
Peter & Chris Chen went to see them last time, and lived to tell the tale. Barely.