LETTER TO JANE magazine #2: A New Language by Letter to Jane

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- TELL ME WHAT YOU LIKE AND I’LL DO THE SAME...

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- I LIKE FLOWERS, ANIMALS, THE BLUE OF THE SKY, MUSIC...EVERYTHING. WHAT ABOUT YOU? - I LIKE AMBITION. HOPE. THE WAY THINGS MOVE. ACCIDENTS. WHAT ELSE? WELL, EVERYTHING.

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- SEE? WE CAN NEVER HAVE A REAL CONVERSATION. YOU NEVER HAVE ANY IDEAS, ONLY FEELINGS. - THAT’S NOT TRUE. THERE ARE IDEAS INSIDE OF FEELINGS.

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- “IN AN EFFORT TO BE WITH HER I HAD TO STOP TRYING DEFINE WHAT I THOUGHT.”

5 60 LETTERTOJANE.COM GASTON TORRES

- “I HAD TO REALIZE THAT EVERYTHING WAS NOT BLACK AND WHITE.”

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- “EVERYTHING WITH HER WAS MORE LIKE A BLUR.”

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L E T T E R I S S U E L B Y

TO I I

G T I M

J A N E A

N E W A

M O O R E

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W M S W N T B V

A S H E D A L E O P H O A R I S A H A B I L H R E E A E S T I V I A N

T G E A N R T S

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O U B O N D I N O M O R H L U W A L I E L D E R K I A S F O U C O A S G I R L

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W A S H E MALE BO

- FOR INSTANCE HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE 4:10 IN THE AFTERNOON? - BLUE. RED. GREEN. THE SUN IS SHINING. YOU ARE HERE. I AM HERE.

CHAPTER 3: BLUE AND RED

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- “SHE DIDN’T HAVE TO EXPLAIN EVERYTHING THE WAY I HAD TO.” - “I DISTRUSTED IMAGES, SHE WAS ALREADY USING THEM TO TALK TO ME.”

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E D O U T ONDING

ERNEST GREENE

TIM MOORE: Hello? ERNEST GREENE: Hello, is this Tim?

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TIM MOORE: Ya, how are you today? ERNEST GREENE: Good, it’s kind of raining here, but that’s alright.

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TIM MOORE: It’s raining here too, but I’m in Oregon so that’s not really a surprise. I’ll just get to it so you can enjoy your rainy day. ERNEST GREENE: [laughs] Ok, sounds good. TIM MOORE: Are you still unsigned, or are you connected to a label these days? ERNEST GREENE: I’m still unsigned. I’ve been talking with a handful of labels about the next record and I’ve started working on new material, but I felt like there wasn’t a big hurry, especially when I’m about to go on tour. It just makes more sense to wait till after the tour to see where I’m at then.

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TIM MOORE: So there’s new music on the way? ERNEST GREENE: Ya, I’ve been making new music for the past month I guess. It’s kind of a slow process because this project is still pretty new, and I’m still figuring out what I’m going for and what I’m best at. So nothing right now, but I’m hoping to finish something and get it out as soon as possible. The whole promotional schedule, where let’s say I finish something, and then it takes three or four months till it gets an official release is really frustrating for me because generally I like to work on new material. Odds are that in four or five months from now I’ll be working on something entirely different, so that’s frustrating but that’s how it goes. TIM MOORE: I’ve seen that happen a lot when I helped produce for an indie label. They’d hold a product for a couple months, and by the time of release we were all into something extremely different, and yet we’d have to go back and promote this old stuff that we weren’t excited about anymore.

ERNEST GREENE: Ya see I guess I understand when you go by the old school methods of print magazines and big things like that where they take a while, but I feel that now things move so quickly with Twitter and stuff, that it’s not that big of a deal. I mean people will know the record is coming out, and you can always come up with all these different schemes to build up hype for it. My situation is kind of an exception because I never thought it out or had those intentions; it kind of all fell in my lap. I’ve done a couple interviews where people ask me for recommendations about how to promote and sell and I just tell them I have no idea. It’s just complete luck that I am where I’m at right now. TIM MOORE: You sure gained a lot fans quick. Is there anyone out there that you know who’s a fan that made you go, “Wow that guy likes me?” ERNEST GREENE: [laughs] There have been a few, kind of “what the fuck?” moments out there. This is really early on in the beginning when a lot of the attention was going on, someone sent me a link to Ricky Martin’s Twitter page where he had wrote about how he liked one of the songs. It was one of the oddest things, but I guess he’s an avid blog reader or something so that was pretty funny. A friend told me once that Ashton Kutcher also wrote a thing about my music as well. Those are just a few of the odd ones. There are some people that I really look up to that I’ve been in contact with, so that’s been really cool. It’s definitely a surreal feeling. I guess I’m getting more used to it now, but it’s been pretty strange. TIM MOORE: [laughs] I would have guessed you were going to say Ricky Martin. ERNEST GREENE: Ya I found it pretty odd, but who knows, maybe one day I’ll get to meet him. TIM MOORE: I was reading yesterday about Swizz Beats sampling Justice for that track on

Blueprint 3. ERNEST GREENE: Ya I saw that…

TIM MOORE: But can you start out simple or is it more of an editing process? I know when I used to make music in Reason I’d get all my ideas out, and end up with like twenty instruments on a track. ERNEST GREENE: That is exactly what it was like early on when I first started using the program, I was the same way. I believe the virtual mixer on Reason has like fourteen different tracks on each mixer and I would have three or four mixers on each project, which is a lot of tracks. I guess I was never that great at mixing down

TIM MOORE: Since it’s so easy to translate your ideas into songs and you’re known for having these really simplified melodies… ERNEST GREENE: Ya that’s definitely what I go for…

TIM MOORE: Ya, I never made the connection till I read that article, then it was so obvious. This sort of leads to my question about your drums. It seems like your drums usually get overlooked when people talk about Washed Out, which is a shame because your drums are great. Is that because of your hip-hop background? ERNEST GREENE: Definitely. You know, some people’s style is to really mix it up and have a lot of little drum fills and make it as complex as they can, but I’ve never really been into that. For the most part the beats have always been really simple, but always very important. I would say until the last couple years it was mostly instrumental stuff, so the beats were even more in the forefront and even more important. With the Washed Out stuff it’s mostly just “kick, snare, kick, snare,” you know, nothing really complex at all, but the sound is really important to me. I

TIM MOORE: What’s your typical setup like? Are you using Reason or something like that? ERNEST GREENE: Ya I’m using Reason and Cubase, which is a bit of an older program. I use Cubase for tracking vocal and live instruments and also for cutting up any samples I’d use. Then I transport all that into Reason, and arrange everything. Then I add in some synths to make some melodies, bass lines, and beats. So ya, most of the work is done in Reason and that’s pretty much it. I have a couple little keyboards that I use on occasion, but mostly I just use the computer. The beauty of software is that you can move pretty quick from idea to having at least a rough draft recorded. That’s what I’ve been doing lately, not necessarily writing demos, but coming up with song ideas so that I can move really fast, which is exciting. I’ve definitely gotten used to working in that style and I think it would be really hard to move away to another software program, or even doing it the old school way of micing up instruments. It just takes so long and I’m pretty impatient with all that.

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TIM MOORE: So I was wondering if there’s any producer out there that you’d like to sample you? ERNEST GREENE: Oh wow that’s a good question. There have been a handful of remixes where they did something similar to what he did in that song, where they took small samples and built up around it, but not like any hip hop groups. Most of the time it’s mashups, where it’s just 4 bar loops and they just drop an a cappella on top of it. I don’t know, let’s think about that one… maybe the Neptunes. I love their stuff but they’re really not into sampling. I definitely love hip-hop, that was a big influence when I starting making music on my computer and sampling. I thought it was really subtle and clever how he [Swizz Beats] did that song. I forget what the original words were in the Justice song but he cut it up and made it say something completely different. You can definitely see the connection when you put the two side by side.

compress a lot and that gives it a distinct sound.

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to where that many tracks would make sense. three years ago I was really into that Caribou album Up in Flames. It’s a great album and there’s just so many things going on at once. The guy used like a thousand tracks on the album, and I was trying to achieve that but it just never worked, it sounded like shit; there was just too much going on. So I kind of figured out that if I limit myself and think more about what’s really essential for the song and how things compliment each other then it makes for a stronger song. I really try to limit myself to just one of those mixers, so like fourteen tracks, and in most cases it’s fourteen or under. I start with a bass line and a vocal melody and make sure I can get that as strong as possible. It’s all about adding a few layers of texture, and just simple little stuff that will compliment the melody and that’s it.

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TIM MOORE: Would you say you’re a pretty consistent songwriter, or does it come in waves with the occasional drought? ERNEST GREENE: It definitely comes in waves, and it’s impossible to predict. When I was writing Life of Leisure it came pretty quick, with everything I would sit down to work on would get me pretty excited. I guess now my mindset has changed a little bit. I don’t know if it’s just that I’m in a different situation where there’s a lot expectation and somewhat of a deadline. There’s this feeling that I’ve got to do something fairly quick, so it’s been a bit harder of a process. I also edit myself a lot more to really hold out for something strong, and just brush aside something that’s just not working immediately. In the past I would work a song or at least an idea every day, and then in a week one song would really stand out that was good, and I would work on that. A song a week is pretty good I think. TIM MOORE: I would say that’s a very good pace. ERNEST GREENE: Now that’s slowed down a bit. I have maybe six to eight pretty strong ideas.

In some cases though, the hard thing about making an album is that everything has to work together. So one song on one side of the spectrum isn’t going to work well with another song on the other side of spectrum, so I’ve had to edit while thinking in that context. TIM MOORE: I read that in the beginning of all this you weren’t interested in performing live, but now it looks like you’re performing live fairly regularly, so what’s changed? ERNEST GREENE: There were a couple reasons why I wasn’t too excited about playing live in the beginning. One was that I’ve never really performed live before. Any recording project I’ve done has been just myself in my bedroom as kind of a hobby. I have friends who are in bands and I’d always consider about performing live, but the right situation never came along. Songs to me are just better to listen to on some headphones, not just me standing up there by myself. So that was one reason I wasn’t too excited, and then factor in that people expect some kind of professionalism when you reach a certain level, and that was a bit intimidating. The other reason was that I just got married and I wasn’t really psyched about touring for four to six months or more. However, I do think it’s great on one level where you’re traveling and seeing the world, which is something that I’ve started to embrace with these tours coming up. I’m really excited to get out and travel and play the shows, but I’ve been up front with all the labels that I’ve talked with that I don’t think I’ll ever be that kind of band. I just felt like I should take advantage of this opportunity and go to Europe or whatever. And the place I’m in right now, yes I just got married, but I don’t have any kids, so there isn’t much holding me back. I’ve had a pretty good amount of time to rehearse and come up with some good stuff for the live shows. I think it will be pretty intense at the beginning because I am still pretty new to it, but after performing every night for thirty days I should hopefully kind of get the hang of it.

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TIM MOORE: Since you have a background in so many different genres, if you wanted to do more of a rock album would you keep it under the Washed Out name or would that be a different side project? ERNEST GREENE: Ya actually before I was doing the Washed Out stuff I was doing more of a rock thing called Lee Weather. So I had about five or six songs and I wanted to try to make something out of it, but it never really worked out. I’m thinking about doing a small run of 7” because I have a little online store, and all of

TIM MOORE: I’ve heard you describe yourself as a pretty stubborn person when it comes to making music, has that changed at all? ERNEST GREENE: I’ve reached out a little bit to people; that’s another thing I want work on for the new album. I want to mix things up a bit. I don’t want the same vocal sound on every song, or ya know, a copy of one song on five other songs. I’ve reached out to a couple of musicians and sent them some songs. I’m trying to work it where someone could sing a melody or sing a part of a song, and I think it might work out but it’s really hard. In most cases these people are busy doing their own thing, and some people don’t have the means to just sit down and record a vocal part. I hope it works out, but I really don’t know how it would work. I am really stubborn in most situations where I’ve sat down with someone else and tried to write a song; it’s just been a disaster. It might be something like I haven’t sat down with the right people or something, but in most situations it just seems like nothing gets done. It will be like one person will be playing a riff, and then they won’t budge from that, and then another per-

TIM MOORE: I know what you mean I went to a hip-hop show not too long ago, and it was nothing but arms crossed all serious and mean looking and it just looked like no one was enjoying themselves. ERNEST GREENE: [laughs] Ya you might as well just be sitting in your house smoking a joint with a really great sound system. I’m sure that would be much more entertaining if you’re going to be like that.

this stuff has been pretty small numbers so it’s all sold out rather quickly. Also, it’s going to be awhile till this next record comes out so I’ve been thinking I’m going to do something with those tracks. There’s been some interest with a few labels that have heard some of it, but I think I might just go ahead and do it myself, it’s just easier that way. Anyways the sound and vocals are pretty similar to Washed Out where there’s a lot reverb and vocal harmonies, but it sounds like a rock band with the drums, guitar, and bass; that’s at the heart of it. It’s really fun when I get burned out working with synths; it’s fun to work with something completely different, it’s refreshing. I’ve written maybe two new Lee Weather songs this past month that just came about at random. Generally they work out really good when I’m not trying to write a hit but just playing around.

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TIM MOORE: Are the live performances changing your writing process at all? When you’re making music do you think “Man, it would be easier live if I made it like this…” ERNEST GREENE: It really hasn’t changed the way I work. I can usually tell early on when it’s going to be a live song that will work. I’ve really been thinking about this for the tour in March. I’m trying to get away from having the majority of the song happen on the backing track and moving towards building the track on stage with loops and stuff so I’ll be playing more, which I think will be more entertaining and more fun for me. So I’ve definitely thought about when I’m writing about just keeping things really simple. I’m going to try to keep things relatively upbeat because I’m not a big fan of going to see a show and just stand there with my arms crossed. Sometimes that can be cool to have those heady atmospheric parts, but my favorite stuff has a little bit of both.

son is playing a different riff, and it just doesn’t work. I don’t if you’re familiar with Toro Y Moi?

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TIM MOORE: Oh ya I love him. ERNEST GREENE: Ya, we’re really good friends, I used to live in Colombia where he still lives, and we had a little project for a week. Someone asked us to do a show only a week in advance so we sat down and wrote eight or nine songs, and even that was really frustrating and he’s a great musician. He can come up with a hundred different ideas for whatever you’re playing, but ya even that was frustrating for me. I don’t know, I guess I should be more flexible, but we’ll see how that will work in the future. Maybe I’ll bring some more people in.

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TIM MOORE: You still live a fairly rural lifestyle and you’re not tied down to any label or deadline. Do you view those things as ways to keep the control over your music? ERNEST GREENE: Ya, I got married in October, and before that we didn’t really have any plans about where we wanted to be. I guess the music was taking off at that point but we really weren’t sure where we’d be six months down the road. I was living in a really small town called Perry Georgia, which is about twenty minutes from where I’m living now in Macon. It’s a little bit larger but it’s still a pretty small place, and we did that for a couple reasons. One of them was that I kind of wanted to be away from all the hype and the hoopla. I think moving to someplace like New York would be just too much to deal with and I wouldn’t get any work done. That’s kind of just the way I’ve always been, I’m pretty shy, and I’m a bit of a homebody. I would rather just like to stay at home and do my own thing, and work on my little projects. We’ve considered about moving to Athens Georgia which isn’t very far from here, and it’s a college town, so there’s a lot more going on with music. It would be a lot easier to do a couple one off shows there, but it still would be a situation where it would be relatively small and I could

get things done. I feel that with the tour I can get all of my craziness out of me and it’s nice to do that and then come home. TIM MOORE: I think that’s a benefit to you personally. I mean let’s take where I’m from, Portland. Every band that comes from here has that “Portland” label on them, or someone will say they’ve got that New York sound, etc. With you being away from that, you can just be you. ERNEST GREENE: Yes! I mean I’m sure there are certain things where that helps, such as getting inspiration or bouncing off ideas people. The hardest thing for me is that this is rural Georgia, not that progressive. People for the most part just want to listen to southern rock, something like the Allman Brothers, and that’s pretty much par for the course. I would love to get a band together and try to make that work, but I honestly don’t think I could find three other people that would be interested or had the freedom to do that. But I have friends in Atlanta, and I can just drive down there for the weekend and meet with people. I’ve had a couple business meetings up there, and it’s nice to come back here and be anonymous. It’s kind of a little haven, and that’s pretty cool. TIM MOORE: What do you like to do outside of music? I know you are a photographer as well. ERNEST GREENE: Ya I carry a small digital camera around, and it’s kind of just whenever the inspiration strikes sort of thing. For me, it’s more about trying to capture random things that happen; it’s more of a diary for me. I love looking at pictures. I would definitely say that I look at pictures online more than I listen to new music. I have a handful of blogs that I read. Honestly, it’s been a really boring month lately because I’ve just been in my bedroom working on music stuff, so I haven’t been out and about. That’s another thing I like about photography is that it works best when you’re around other people or actively engaging life, whereas music for me is being held up in a room. Other than

that my wife and I watch tons of TV on the computer. We just finished Mad Men and Breaking Bad, and that’s about it, it’s a pretty boring life (laughs). TIM MOORE: That doesn’t bad at all.

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ROBIN CHRISTIAN

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TIM MOORE: I think a lot of new bands are starting their own indie labels hoping to be bought out by a bigger label, and I think you will now be looked at as one of those golden examples of that working out. Why did you feel it was necessary to create a label as opposed to just being a band who self released material? ROBIN CHRISTIAN: I’m not sure that’s true, certainly not true for us or our friends. Our label actually existed before our band did, although back then it was just run by John and Kevin, I jumped in for release number three. For our first Male Bonding release our friend Conan, (who worked at MTV at the time), found a bunch of cassettes there and took them home to recycle. His band (Graffiti Island), our band, and our friends Pens had some songs and had played some shows together so it seemed like a good thing to do. Also Conan was always saying “Lets just do our own thing”… We each drew a cover and they all sold out fast. This was satisfying because we had documented something. Conan then built an empire out of this tape called Italian Beach Babes which is now a massive company currently spilling records out of his bedroom and into his hallway. We put on a grunge themed fancy dress show on Halloween to launch the tape at a bar at the top of our road and lots of people showed up, it was fun. We already ran a label at the time called ‘Paradise Vendors Inc’ so when we had more songs we did a split with Pens and released it on that. Then we carried on releasing splits with other bands, and records solely by other bands and we continue to do the same thing. It’s all archived at myspace.com/paradisevendorsinc TIM MOORE: What’s the right size venue that you’d want to play in? ROBIN CHRISTIAN: We’re not fussy; we have had good shows in small venues and big ones. TIM MOORE: I was reading a review of Mtymx, (which I know you performed at), and it reminded me that even though I’m spoiled with

a lot of good music, there’s still much out there that never gets heard in the States. Any music in England that we’re missing out on over here? ROBIN CHRISTIAN: I can recommend Veronica Falls, Let’s Wrestle, Spectrals, Mazes, Cold Pumas, The Human Race, Trash Kit, La La Vasquez, Fair Ohs, Plug, Teen Sheikhs, Hype Williams, Please, Pens. There are loads of great bands in the UK right now. TIM MOORE: You gotten to tour a great deal of America lately how has that been? Are you homesick or fully converted? ROBIN CHRISTIAN: Neither, but we’re having a lot of fun. The only bad thing is when you get to a gas station and they don’t sell bananas, also all the high fructose corn syrup. Everything else has been great, we love it here and some of our best friends are here too. TIM MOORE: The speed of the music seems like it’s important to the band. ROBIN CHRISTIAN: Actually it’s not, we never said, “let’s do a fast band”. We did have a big chat about Johnny Ramone in the car yesterday. Our friend Mark thinks that maybe he was just fucking with people. TIM MOORE: Your music has so much energy to it, are you guys true to your music or are you all quiet and introverted when not working? ROBIN CHRISTIAN: We’re always working. TIM MOORE: I know that at one point you all used to live together as well, is that still the case, and how do you stay so close without wanting to kill each other after awhile? ROBIN CHRISTIAN: We made up our own language, and we still live together and somehow we still look after each other. It works and it makes things easier logistically. Like I don’t feel bad about the drum kit on the landing, we all deal with it, and if I don’t mow the lawn for all of summer then we just take the tension to band practice and ride it out. We don’t cook

together or anything, but me and Kevin sometimes share a bowl of Shreddies.

TIM MOORE: Thank you for your time and good luck with the rest of the tour. ROBIN CHRISTIAN: Thank you.

TIM MOORE: Now for some personal details, hypothetically, could I ever get you to go to an American Idol viewing party?

TIM MOORE: Is the tour covering a lot of the material that will be on Nothing Hurts? ROBIN CHRISTIAN: Yeah, we play most the record and a few new songs too. We’re always changing it around and when we practice we just play everything we know including all the covers

TIM MOORE: Any State so far that you were happy to get the hell out of? ROBIN CHRISTIAN: Were making a list of States we’ve visited as a band. It currently stands at 18 but we’re going to clock up some more before this tour is done. My list includes States we have driven through, and so far everywhere and everyone has been good to us, even the gas station attendant who asked us if there were vampires in London.

TIM MOORE: In the past what has your typical recording setup been like and has that changed now that you’re on Sub Pop? ROBIN CHRISTIAN: It hasn’t really changed, we have always been keen to get things done quickly, and were into mistakes if they occur as sometimes those are the best bits. We recently recorded a session for Daytrotter in an old school by the Mississippi river. We ended up doing it all acoustically and without the need to get any of our equipment out of the van as there were so many exciting things in the room! I think it came out good because of that. For our LP we went to New York, and our split with Dum Dum Girls was done at our practice space onto a Mini Disc player and finished and ‘mixed’ in John’s bedroom. We have always recorded in a bunch of ways and mix it up; there are no rules.

TIM MOORE: What about movies? Are you more arthouse, action, or romantic comedy? ROBIN CHRISTIAN: Romantic comedy.

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TIM MOORE: I still listen to all the punk greats and while the sound and the culture are still very much alive in places like the DIY culture I don’t really hear anyone use the term punk anymore. Do think that it’s a dated term or is it still relevant? Do you consider yourselves a punk band? ROBIN CHRISTIAN: Really? I hear people say punk all the time! For me it means a variety of things. I think we’re a pop band.

ROBIN CHRISTIAN: Sure, we do that anyway

20 60 LETTERTOJANE.COM J ACKET: HA I DER ACKERM AN B E AD ED TO P: PRA DA

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SILK JACKET: HAIDER ACKERMAN ONE-PIECE: DOLCE AND GABBANA SHOES: DOLCE AND GABBANA

22 60 LETTERTOJANE.COM COTTON GABARDINE KNOTTED EPAULETTE JACKET IN HONEY: BURBERRY

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SILK JACKET: HAIDER ACKERMAN ONE PIECE: DOLCE AND GABBANA

24 60 LETTERTOJANE.COM LEATHER OVERALLS: CHLOE MESH LEOTARD: AMERICAN APPAREL WOOD AND RUBBER BRACELET: VICTORIA SIMES NECKLACES: IRENE NEUWIRTH

25 60 LETTERTOJANE.COM KRIS ZERO ROBERT SIGLER

CAPE: CHLOE ONE-PIECE: DOLCE AND GABBANA SHOES: CHLOE

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S O P H O HOUSE O - WE NEVER TALK ON THE PHONE, WRITE LETTERS TO ONE ANOTHER, OR SHARE BOOKS ANYMORE. - BUT WE SHARE PHOTOS, MUSIC, GO TO CONCERTS, AND GIVE EACH OTHER OUR FAVORITE FILMS.

CHAPTER 8: I WAS NORMAL...BUT I NEVER WAS

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O M O R E OF WARIS - “IT WAS CLEAR THAT WE WERE LETTING GO OF THE LANGUAGE WE WERE TAUGHT IN SCHOOL.” - “BUT WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING WE BOTH FADED INTO AN EMOTIONAL ADDICTION OF SYMBOLISM.”

CHRISSIE MILLER

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TIM MOORE: Right away I wanted to bring up your lookbook for Spring 2010 because I really do love this film, I would have paid money to see it. CHRISSIE MILLER: Aww thanks so much.

CHRISSIE MILLER:S [laughs] I’ll just say I wasn’t too good during my high school years. I wasn’t a good teenager, but once I got to college I really got into it and got good grades and really turned it around.

TIM MOORE: How do you avoid the usual clichés that most fashion videos suffer from? I think most companies still think it’s cool to have two star crossed lovers magically find each other while they’re spending millions across Europe? CHRISSIE MILLER: You know what I think it is? It’s that the clothes are secondary. It’s more about making something artistic and being creative; that’s more important to me than just showing the clothes and trying to sell to somebody. I’m not trying to do that, it’s more about creative expression. We make t-shirts so we don’t take ourselves too seriously and if people like the clothes they’ll buy them. I mean I really liked the thing Levi’s did, but it was so much about the jeans that it ruined it. Everybody wants Levi’s or buys Levi’s already; you don’t need to show them.

TIM MOORE: You went to art school right? CHRISSIE MILLER: Ya I went to SUNY Purchase.

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TIM MOORE: Now the film is comprised of interviews of people telling stories of how they got in trouble in high school, first loves, etc. Was the dialogue taken from your own lives or were they actually the characters own words? CHRISSIE MILLER: Well originally we thought it was going to be more planned since a lot of the people in the film are actual actors, but what the editors mostly wound up using were their real stories. I mean obviously those two girls aren’t twins and there’s some other funny stuff, but ya those moments are real. TIM MOORE: Any stories of your own match the ones in the film? CHRISSIE MILLER: [laughs] Oh my God, how much time do you have? TIM MOORE: If the story is good I have all day…

TIM MOORE: What were some of your heroes to study? CHRISSIE MILLER: Well I studied film when I was in school and they were really geared towards independent filmmaking there so we were watching Hal Hartley and stuff like that, but oh man it’s hard to remember all of them. To be honest, I mostly just watch rom-coms these days [laughs]. Once you get out of film school you just don’t want to watch films like that anymore. I studied you know Godard, Mike Nichols, stuff like that. TIM MOORE: I know what you mean I used to TA film classes in college and now the only thing I watch is sitcoms, which is kind of embarrassing since I named this magazine after a Godard film. CHRISSIE MILLER: Oh really? I don’t remember that one. TIM MOORE: Ya not too many do, I don’t think it was supposed to be remembered but I loved the name and it just stuck with me. CHRISSIE MILLER: That’s cool. TIM MOORE: As I was preparing for this interview I noticed you’re a big Bowie fan, what’s your favorite? CHRISSIE MILLER: Hunk Dory for sure, that’s my favorite. TIM MOORE: I think what Bowie album a person likes says a lot about them as a person. CHRISSIE MILLER: So what does that say about me?

TIM MOORE: Early Ziggy means you’re a pretty fun and outgoing person, but if you said something like Low I would be led to believe you’re a bit of a shut in. CHRISSIE MILLER: Ha, well good then, I think it’s more to do with I just didn’t find those albums till a lot later.

TIM MOORE: Well it’s a great partnership. What I love about Sophomore is how everything can be so simple but it has that little twist to it, that little something extra. CHRISSIE MILLER: Ya that’s totally her, if it were me alone it would look more basic. She had much more of a fashion background so she would say things like, “we have to make these

TIM MOORE: I read one bio that mentioned there were a lot of obstacles to overcome with creating Sophomore. Is that true? What were some of those struggles? CHRISSIE MILLER: Well yes and no. I started really early in 2002 and everything just happened very organically. I would make some shirts, they’d make some money, so I would make more shirts which would make some more money. So things were going really smoothly, but owning your own business is really difficult which is why I realize not a lot of people do it. There were times where I would be wondering how I was going to pay for my office or my rent, and I really didn’t have the time or the energy to get another job while I was doing it so just financially it was hard. But the great thing is that the stuff has always sold well and

TIM MOORE: And when you teamed up with Madeleine to extend the line, what clicked with her, what made her the perfect partner? CHRISSIE MILLER: That’s a good question. It’s funny, sometimes you meet someone in life and you just know right away. It was a total instinct thing, I didn’t really see a lot of her work, but when I met her she looked like the person I was thinking about, it was really strange. It’s like when you’re looking for an apartment and you just know you’re going to live there. Her interview was just her bringing over clothes she really liked and that was it. It wasn’t that I was so blown away with what she brought, it was just her, I really liked her. She is really talented, I’m really lucky to have found her because she was a designer for Proenza before. She had this amazing job already but with this she has a lot more freedom.

TIM MOORE: Well why don’t I actually ask a question off my list here… what’s the one thing you hope to find when you go into a vintage store? CHRISSIE MILLER: You know it’s funny, I just went to LA and went vintage shopping, and I realized that what I do is look for things that I already own, which is so stupid [laughs]. I’ll always go straight to the jean jacket section and it’s like “How many more jean jackets do I need?” I feel like your brain kind of does that, you go with what is familiar to you. So my goal next time is to get something I don’t have. I also just moved into a smaller apartment so I’m trying to be more selective with what I buy.

TIM MOORE: How many people are involved in the day-to-day operations of the company? CHRISSIE MILLER: There’s only three of us. I design together with Madeleine Von Froomer. She’s a technical designer but the collection is a lot of her vision. Then there’s Leah Dell who runs the office for us and she’s actually in the film, the girl with dark hair who says the line like, “because you’re my brother’s friend…” It was actually her idea for the movie. She grew up in Wildwood New Jersey and we saw this documentary about it and took a lot of ideas from that.

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TIM MOORE: Do you play any instruments? CHRISSIE MILLER: No, no I wish I did.

we always get good feedback so that’s kept me going.

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things have little details,” she’s always been really attentive to the little things.

designers do that. If we did one I’d want it to be special; I don’t want to do it just to do it.

TIM MOORE: Going with that, it seems like with every new season you implement some new element into the collection. CHRISSIE MILLER: Ya that’s absolutely right we do a different fabric group every season. We do t-shirts in jersey, ah I hate that word, then a French terry, and then we add in a different group. So we did leather that one season, then we did oxford for spring. For fall we’re using this material called ponte. We actually did a lot of new stuff for fall, there’s a few different fabrics. It’s fun to do something special ya know?

TIM MOORE: If I could say something about the swim suits. If you make one keep in mind that it’s impossible to find a suit that doesn’t make you look like an old man or like you’re flaunting something, both scenarios that do not work well on someone like me. CHRISSIE MILLER: Ya like in the 70’s they made really nice ones that just looked like shorts that you could just wear, they didn’t look like a bathing suit at all.

TIM MOORE: Speaking of fall, fashion week is pretty much here, what are you looking forward to? CHRISSIE MILLER: We usually don’t do anything for New York fashion week, but this year we’re doing Gen Art, so I’m excited about that,. We threw a party in Paris a few times. This year we’re throwing a party in London. I’m excited; I haven’t been to London since I was a kid.

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TIM MOORE: Sophomore is dedicated to basics and sportswear, but are there other places you’d like to expand, maybe some collaborations? it doesn’t have to be clothes, would you like to extend Sophomore into film, music? CHRISSIE MILLER: Ya I really enjoyed doing the film, I would like to do more of that. I guess I don’t necessarily consider myself a fashion person. I’ve gone into it more recently, but I think that’s just sort of what comes through. It’s just clothes, it’s just simple stuff that I felt like I couldn’t find. I want to do more things soon like bathing suits, especially for men. It’s really hard for men to find good bathing suits. TIM MOORE: Yes that’s completely true. CHRISSIE MILLER: Right? They’re all really sporty or really long so that’s something I’d like to design. As for collaborations, I feel that so many

TIM MOORE: Ya know there is always a lot of talk about a sort of New York 70’s vibe around Sophomore. Are there any specific scenes or eras from New York’s past that you love? CHRISSIE MILLER: I think designers come back to the 70’s often because it’s such a flattering silhouette; it just looks good on people. I think that classic look with the higher waist jeans, a t-shirt, and a jacket is just more flattering. The bodies look so disproportionate in the 80’s and 90’s. In the 70’s everyone looked so long and lean. TIM MOORE: I was just thinking the same thing the other day when I was watching some of the early episodes of Saturday Night Live and everything just seemed more natural, I was a bit jealous. CHRISSIE MILLER: That’s funny I recently watched some of those too; ya the clothes are really good. Did you notice their old logo? We were going to make that into a t-shirt but I think originally the show was just called Saturday Night. So for fall I just made a t-shirt that says Saturday Nights. TIM MOORE: What would you say inspire your t-shirt designs more: your day-to-day life or things you see such as books, movies, tv? CHRISSIE MILLER: I feel like the key for me is to not look too much at what other designers are

TIM MOORE: I was thinking your “Girls Girls Girls” t-shirt kind of looks like a New York Dolls album cover. CHRISSIE MILLER: That one came from an old Motley Crew t-shirt I had.

TIM MOORE: You’ve developed this close circle of friends around Sophomore that you work with. Are you socially outgoing or do you just like to stay within that social circle? CHRISSIE MILLER: Ya I’ve always been a social person I think and it’s always been important to be around my friends, it’s my inspiration too. That’s just a priority for me.

TIM MOORE: Do you like to take vacations or is it pretty much work all the time? CHRISSIE MILLER: I have a boyfriend so I like going away with him. We went away to Miami for new years and that was nice. I wish I could go on vacations more for sure. TIM MOORE: Miami, nice your’s was a lot better than mine, I got stuck in the Portland airport for mine. Hey this is random, but what is your favorite Woody Allen film?

TIM MOORE: That’s good, I have a real problem with staying in touch some times. CHRISSIE MILLER: We’re all working harder and harder when we get older but I try my best.

TIM MOORE: No I can understand, you don’t want it to come off as a Hot Topics shirt. You got to find that perfect touch that makes it unique. CHRISSIE MILLER: Ya it’s like this weird thing where it has to have mass appeal, but with a little bit of an inside reference to it. What you were saying earlier about vintage shopping, I always go through the t-shirt section so a lot of the stuff comes from that. There are some shirts that I’ve just scanned and redone, like old random graphics. Remember the one from spring that has a yin yang thing on it? That was a Yoko Ono t-shirt. We changed a few little things so we wouldn’t get sued but that’s really just Yoko Ono. I really love graphics; I started with graphics so I’m always on the hunt, but there will be months where I don’t feel like wearing a graphic t-shirt. But I think guys really like graphics. Every guy I know has a graphic tee in their rotation so I feel like it will always be popular for them.

TIM MOORE: Thank goodness someone is honest about this. I get asked all the time why I do this and I tell them it’s because I it’s what I love to do, I just wished it made money so I never have to work in another office. CHRISSIE MILLER: Ya I know it’s true, a real motivator for me was that I couldn’t imagine working for someone else.

TIM MOORE: Ah yes of course, the old stripper anthem. CHRISSIE MILLER: The hardest part to me is designing the graphics. It’s weird you’d think the other stuff would be harder. I have a really hard time doing the graphics, but they sell really well.

TIM MOORE: Is there anyone in the industry that you’re jealous of? CHRISSIE MILLER: That’s a good question; I guess I get jealous of people that are making money because we’re not making a lot of [laughs] if I can be totally honest. I look at someone and go, “those guys got a Target deal? They’re so rich!” Not that I want to be rich, but it would be very nice to not have to stress about money.

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doing. I don’t mind to look after we’re done and I have my antennae out there to think about what is coming next. Also living in New York is a big inspiration almost to a fault; I feel like that antennae goes off in other places. It’s really hard for me to get inspired unless I’m in New York because I want to get my inspiration from the people around me. I don’t want to guess what is going to be hip.

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CHRISSIE MILLER: When I was in school I took a whole class on Woody Allen so I’ve seen them all. My favorite? That’s so hard. This is random but I love Deconstructing Harry. You know one of the newer ones?

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TIM MOORE: Oh ya, it’s been a while since I saw that that, but he’s great in that one, he’s just so angry. CHRISSIE MILLER: Ya and that thing about the out of focus is so genius. TIM MOORE: People usually say Annie Hall but there’s really nothing wrong with that. CHRISSIE MILLER: Stardust Memories is another one I like. I just don’t think there’s one that you can’t like. Interiors is the one that people give him a lot of shit for, but I think they’re all good, I love him.

TIM MOORE: I haven’t seen the last one with Larry David yet, have you? CHRISSIE MILLER: Ya I did, it was good but it was a little like Larry David trying to be him, and I would rather it just be Woody Allen.

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TIM MOORE: Ok last question. You seem to have the insider’s connection to The Virgins. Have you heard of any new music coming our way? CHRISSIE MILLER: Yes they are recording new music at home right now. I used to live with them, and I grew up with Nick. I love them they’re the best guys ever. They’re really three of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet.

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WARIS AHLUWALIA

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TIM MOORE: Always a good question to start with: what are you working on now? WARIS AHLUWALIA: I’m watching a duck swim upstream on a creek in Connecticut, waiting for Sandro to get off the phone so we can begin our 11th portrait. This one will take about seven hours. The creek and the little waterfall is setting me at ease. However I don’t know if by your question you meant this very minute. TIM MOORE: Jewelry design is unique to me because most don’t think of it as fashion design and some don’t think of it as an art piece, but it really covers all that ground uniquely. What is it about jewelry that you find inspiring? WARIS AHLUWALIA: It’s jewelry and pottery that archeologists find on their digs. It’s working in forever that i like. Working with objects of beauty that become an intimate part of someone’s life. I work with elements that have high value before i even touch them. From the earth and back to the earth. Magic. Desire. Romance.

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TIM MOORE: Jewelry obviously has a long tradition tied to it, how do you approach that tradition? I think that a big part of jewelry is the choice of materials for each piece, what goes into that decision process? WARIS AHLUWALIA: I have spent the last six years searching the world for the best craftsmen. They make it possible. The generations of skill in their hands. My journey started in Rome where i found my first workshop. Then onto India where the family has been working in jewelry for centuries. They have a love and an innate understanding of the materials. Once again, it’s magic. From there onto Bangkok and then somehow found my way home to work with a hand engraver in New York. I work with gold that holds history, diamonds that see the future, and rubies that long for love. There’s a story in each stone- I’ll leave it for you to find them on your own. TIM MOORE: What do you think attracts peo-

ple to House of Waris, the object itself or the story behind it? WARIS AHLUWALIA: I create objects that must stand alone. The object is one of beauty regardless of story. From the jewelry to the hand drawn linen bound look books to the hand made wooden boxes. They’re each an act of devotion by its creator. Maybe people sense that. The authenticity in the work. Or maybe people like shiny things. TIM MOORE: There are so many different choices in deciding on jewelry, when a person gives a piece of your jewelry to another, what do you think that person might be expressing? WARIS AHLUWALIA: You should ask that person. TIM MOORE: Do you have any plans of extending the line or are you happy with how things are at the moment? WARIS AHLUWALIA: The best laid schemes of Mice and Men Oft go awry, And leave us nothing but grief and pain, For promised joy! TIM MOORE: You’re one of a lucky few that is well connected throughout different creative fields. With that in mind are there any unrealized projects you’d like start? WARIS AHLUWALIA: Time will tell… TIM MOORE: If I may ask, how did you become so well connected, was it work to you or was it did it just organically happen? WARIS AHLUWALIA: It’s all been an organic process. I go where my heart leads me. I do things that I enjoy and fulfill me. I surround myself with other people who want to create. To build. To grow. I’m very fortunate. Blessed and I don’t take it for granted.

TIM MOORE: What are some of your favorite places in New York, LA? WARIS AHLUWALIA: Places that have great food are always my favorite: Omen, Bar Pitti, St. Ambroeus, Me Kong, Sushi Yasuda, my mother’s kitchen Three Lives Book Company

The Chateau Quiet unamed secret places St. Marks Bookstore TIM MOORE: Any wishes of being the settled down family man type? WARIS AHLUWALIA: Everyday. Oh my, where is she?

TIM MOORE: Glamour and luxury are rare terms where the meaning stays close to the same but they are attached to different things

TIM MOORE: Any slideshow of an exclusive fashion show party has a picture of you at it; you are synonymous with style. What were some style icons of yours growing up and do you have any now? WARIS AHLUWALIA: Kris Kristoferson in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and David Niven in Around the World in 80 Days.

TIM MOORE: Throughout the years you have been expanding your acting career, where would you like to take that aspect of your career? Would you like to be looked at as more of a lead role? WARIS AHLUWALIA: I’ll let it take me where ever it wants. I’ve been lucky to work with some incredible people. And if the right part comes along, well, then, we’ll cross that bridge when it gets built.

TIM MOORE: Somewhat recently you put out the book To India with Love. How has the response been and do you plan to release more books? WARIS AHLUWALIA: We’re all here for what is a spark of a moment. If I can bring some beauty, hope and joy to the world around me in my little time here I shall have served my purpose. It sold out almost everywhere which is fantastic as all our proceeds go to the Taj Memorial Public Service Welfare Trust- which is aiding victims and families that suffered through the Mumbai attacks in 2008. People removed the light from a little corner in the world- we’re just trying to replace it. Balance. I would love to do more books and more everything. It is in my nature to create. I can’t fight it.

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Driving up Laurel Canyon in a convertible

throughout time. In 2010 what do you find to be glamorous? WARIS AHLUWALIA: Luxury is a word that has come to be overused in the last few years. I once counted the appearance of that word 5 times in one car ad. Glamour never changes. It may have gotten a little dirtier but it essentially stays the same.

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N A B I L E T H R E E A

- HOW CAN I BE SURE THAT IF I CHANGE MY SPEECH MY WORDS WON’T BETRAY ME? - FIRST THERE IS THEORY, THEN PRACTICE. SILENCE, THEN SPEAKING, THEN SILENCE AGAIN.

CHAPTER 9: THE JOY OF LEARNING

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L D E R K I N A S F O U R

- “SHE TOLD ME I NEEDED TO LOOK AT LIFE WITH SOME DETACHMENT.” - “IT WAS HER SUGGESTION THAT I GO AWAY AND WE TRY TO GO BACK TO ZERO.”

NABIL ELDERKIN

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TIM MOORE: How did you get into photography and what keeps you interested in pursuing it? NABIL ELDERKIN: I got into photography by watching some of my friends who were surf photographers when i was young in Australia. I loved the angles and colors they captured, it was very exciting to see the moment in a wave captured on a slide. TIM MOORE: You’ve moved into directing videos as well. Is video a career transition for you or an addition to your work? NABIL ELDERKIN: An addition for sure. It doesn’t pay the bills, but just furthers my development and experience in film making with the end goal to be making features, but always doing photography also.

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TIM MOORE: Photography is much more of an immediate process than video. This might be just me, but I can imagine it might be frustrating to not be able to see the entire project right away. NABIL ELDERKIN: I really appreciate the process of film though, so many things can change and be created in the along the way… from the edit, to color correction.

TIM MOORE: I think your video for Kanye West’s Paranoid is probably my favorite of yours. I think so many other people out there would have taken a much different direction with that song and it would have been very cliche probably. How did you decide to go with the classic horror movie theme? NABIL ELDERKIN: Well it just came into my head really. When I write the treatments I basically sit there with headphones on and the song on repeat. I write down rough ideas and thoughts, sometimes making little sense, then after I go through the song by timecode and flush it all out. I basically just thought it fit the song about paranoia, as such in a David Lynch film.

TIM MOORE: Besides Rihanna being gorgeous, her image just fit that video perfectly, was she the person you saw that role from the beginning or were their other choices? NABIL ELDERKIN: It was actually Kanye’s choice, and to be very honest, my answer to the suggestion was “fuck yeah.” TIM MOORE: Technology has changed the ways in which both photo and video is delivered to people. Where do you see the trend going, and as a professional how would you like to see future technology move your industry? NABIL ELDERKIN: I mean the web is everything! and recently the quality is really getting to a good point. I am happy about that, nothing worse than seeing bad compression on a video you work so hard on. I have been experimenting in my work, and technology, I feel it is just part of the learning experience, I still love pure simple beautiful cinematography. TIM MOORE: This questions isn’t necessarily about egos, but you work with a lot of artist who hold very strong views about how they want to be presented in public. Do you find it more challenging or more stressful when you’re photographing a public figure because of their persona? NABIL ELDERKIN: It’s all relative, It’s partly about how you treat who you are shooting. It can be more challenging in aspects, but also they have much more experience in front of the camera so they feel more comfortable, it’s all about comfort. TIM MOORE: I want to focus a bit on your new book that document’s not just Kanye West’s Glow in the Dark tour, but also gives a great insight into the behind the scenes of what might go down as one of the best concert series ever. What kind of planning took place to get this project off the ground? NABIL ELDERKIN: No planning.. just me on the

road shooting.

TIM MOORE: Moving on, where would you like to see your career go, is feature films in the fu-

TIM MOORE: If you go to Kanye West’s blog it’s pretty easy to tell that the man is more than just an average fan of large breasts. Since I don’t have access to him personally and you two have worked together I was wondering is he vocal about this body type being part of his artistic aesthetic (just as a fashion designer might), or is it just the nature of music videos? NABIL ELDERKIN: He loves curves..

NABIL ELDERKIN: Thanks for this Tim.

TIM MOORE: Anything you had to cut that you wish would have made it in? NABIL ELDERKIN: LOTS!!!!! some of my favorite stuff to be honest.

TIM MOORE: Well I just want to thank you for doing this, I’m a big fan of your work and I wish you the best of luck in the future.

TIM MOORE: So after the the photography part was done, how massive was the process of editing it down into a book? NABIL ELDERKIN: It was a nightmare! There are hundreds of great shots that had to get cut, lot’s of legal issues, and clearance problems when you are working with a high profile person like Kanye.

TIM MOORE: The photo essay you did about The Republic of Congo is well done and powerful. What did you go into that project wanting to capture and did you come out of with what you wanted or something different? NABIL ELDERKIN: That was my first heavy project in a war affected region, i had no clue what i was going to get, it was very very last minute and low key. I definitely got what i wanted, which was images that conveyed the horrific situation, and still captured the beauty and strength of the people. they are stronger people that anyone i have ever met in my life. And i hope these images can raise questions, thats all i can hope. It is a very complex region where a genocide has been happening for over 10 years, with over 6 million deaths! crazy……. lot’s of the minerals coming out of the region are in our everyday products, including iPhones…

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TIM MOORE: The images of the performances themselves are pretty stunning. How do you cover an event that’s on such a large scale? What amount of equipment and staff does it take? NABIL ELDERKIN: Not a whole lot of equipment, 2 cameras and 3 lenses.. thats it.. and a few memory cards. I definitely do a LOT of running around! I appreciate the compliment, I am very unhappy with the printing and colors of the book to be honest, they didnt translate the color that were captured in the final output, or get close to my match prints, but it is what it is. I really didn’t have the printing control was more in the publishers hands which wont happen again when I do my next book.

ture? NABIL ELDERKIN: Yes to features, but anything that I can do and be creative, and most importantly i just want to be able to keep traveling.

ADI GIL ANGELA DONHAUSER AND GABRIEL ASFOUR

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TIM MOORE: I want to start with the latest collection where you collaborated with Yoko Ono and brought back her performance work “Cut Piece”. So take me through the process of coming up with an idea, and how the clothes come out of that, and then the performance piece that was done for the runway show? THREEASFOUR: First, we’d like to say that we love Yoko Ono as an artist, musician, performer, and humanitarian. She is very inspiring as a woman who still keeps her love and enthusiasm for life. As she said in her latest birthday on stage at BAM (She just turned 77), to all women around the age of 40, your life is only in its midway and hope for plenty of surprises for the second half! The three of us have been close friends of Sean Lennon for years now, and he came up with the idea of us using his mother’s rarely seen series of drawings. Sean proposed to do threeASFOUR prints and we felt the idea was very appropriate. We subsequently started developing a collection in close back and fourth with Yoko for a few months. She loved everything we developed in terms of the dot drawing prints and later continued to love the styles we created, and so on it was a surprisingly natural interaction and a very fluid process.

great pleasure to have everything we make with the best price, quality, and creativity.

TIM MOORE: threeASFOUR is definitely not just a commercial line. Is there any struggle keeping true to your vision and pleasing buyers? THREEASFOUR: We feel we have developed pieces through the years that appeal to a wider audience and have kept us in business while not diminishing our design integrity. This has resulted into a variety of signature threeASFOUR pieces that have been evolving through our experience in clothing construction. We learned that we are very considerate to what our customers propose and what our buyers suggest. We love what we do and we like that same passion to translate in our product without compromise. It is actually VERY challenging to achieve that, and we welcome the task with

TIM MOORE: Do you remember the first person you met that embodied your ideals of fashion should be? THREEASFOUR: There are so many on such different levels mom? dad? the doctor?

TIM MOORE: How did threeASFOUR get started and what were you all doing before? THREEASFOUR: threeASFOUR started with As FOUR, where we had an extensive experimentation with fashion,art, and performance. threeASFOUR finds its passion in a specialized product that brings a balance of those fields. TIM MOORE: threeASFOUR is considered more of an artist’s collective than just a fashion house, so what is alluring to you about fashion? THREEASFOUR: Fashion is about motion, evolution It is about change: a challenge of staying fresh and passionate and we love that the moment you give birth to one collection you are upfront with the task of the next one a face to face with the ups and downs that enables us to face our self. TIM MOORE: Who is your biggest style icon? THREEASFOUR: Hard to say. It is so general how we feel Human history has had many beautiful people who were able to shine style icons from races and places and periods in time but in general everyone is beautiful and all things.

TIM MOORE: So who is at your fantasy dinner party of past and present figures? THREEASFOUR: Anyone who genuinely appreciates the food the wine and the company. TIM MOORE: Are you concerned with making a statement with your work? THREEASFOUR: We are learning as we go and our intention is to be able to express ourselves truly and clearly.

TIM MOORE: What’s your take the current state of fashion? THREEASFOUR: It is a market of an ever increasing and ever varying product the rising interest in fashion is very inspiring.

TIM MOORE: Do you have a favorite era? THREEASFOUR: The NOW: Now is a wonderful time. TIM MOORE: Any secret interests, like civil war buff or something? THREEASFOUR: Peace, because war is over if you want it and peace is never out of fashion.

TIM MOORE: Most people don’t like the labels that people give them whether they are positive or negative, do you like the term avantgarde? Does that term mean anything to you? THREEASFOUR: We have come to learn that

TIM MOORE: Who do you design for? THREEASFOUR: Humans.

TIM MOORE: Would you like to move into creating for any other mediums? if the opportunity arise THREEASFOUR: Sure, why not?

TIM MOORE: What is a fashion trend that you see on the street that you hope would just die already? THREEASFOUR: We welcome trends as awarenesses of moments that reflect events in time and since time passes eventually they fade out naturally.

TIM MOORE: What do you think are the differences between fashion and art, or is there any separation? THREEASFOUR: In both there is a process of creation and a subsequence of imitation our life is full of both and they are equally as necessary to one other.

TIM MOORE: Is location important to the creative process? Could you do this outside of New York? THREEASFOUR: No, No, No! We loooooove New York City!

TIM MOORE: Do you read the reviews? THREEASFOUR: It is so fascinating how much you can find out about the writer through the review.

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TIM MOORE: Do you think threeASFOUR could exist in another era? 70’s 20’s, etc? THREEASFOUR: We are so happy and grateful to be alive in the present era but if we would have happen to meet in past or future life we would still do what we do since we consider ourself timeless!

public opinion is very valuable whether positive or negative it usually applies from the angle it is coming from our challenge is how to use that information constructively avant-garde is a term used frequently to describe what we are doing it is welcome.

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LETTERTOJANE.COM ALEX BATISTA

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B E S T V I V I A N

- SO WHAT DO YOU SEE NOW? - I SEE BLUE. RED. THE OCEAN. I AM HERE. YOU ARE HERE.

CHAPTER 13: OUR LIFE TO LIVE

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C O A S T N G I R L S

- “IN AN EFFORT TO BE WITH HER I HAD TO STOP TRYING DEFINE WHAT I THOUGHT.” - “NOTHING ABOUT HER WAS BLACK AND WHITE, BUT RATHER A BLUR.”

BETHANY COSENTINO AND BOBB BRUNO

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TIM MOORE: Hi, so how are you guys liking Oregon? BOBB BRUNO: I love it here, I’ve been to Portland before. BETHANY COSENTINO: Ya we just got here so can’t really say yet. I’m bummed it raining but that’s okay. BOBB BRUNO: That’s pretty usual, here though. TIM MOORE: Ya rain and beer is about the only thing you can depend on in Oregon, so how’s the tour been? BETHANY COSENTINO: It’s going really well. BOBB BRUNO: It’s been super fun. BETHANY COSENTINO: Ya it’s been a lot of fun, played a lot of great shows, met some really nice people… TIM MOORE: I wish there was more of your music out. I started playing guitar again because of your music recently so I have you guys to thank. BETHANY COSENTINO: Awesome! BOBB BRUNO: Ya that’s really cool. TIM MOORE: So you’re all finished recording the album right? BETHANY COSENTINO: Ya we recorded it in the first two weeks of January, and we basically spent a week tracking and that was it. Then when we get back from this tour we’ll start mixing, but the whole thing was pretty quick. TIM MOORE: Do you have a release date? BETHANY COSENTINO: We don’t know yet maybe in May or summer. (Note: Crazy for You is out July 27th) TIM MOORE: And did I hear right that Lewis Pesacov produced it? BETHANY COSENTINO: Ya he produced and recorded the When I’m With You 7” too. We had a lot of fun recording there, so we went back to do the record. TIM MOORE: Does the album sound similar to When I’m With You? BETHANY COSENTINO: It’s similar but it’s not exactly the same. Since it’s in the same studio and with Lewis it will definitely have the same vibe.

BOBB BRUNO: Ya I mean this time after working with them before we kind of knew what it was going to be like, and we’ve had a little more time to discuss what we wanted. TIM MOORE: How is it like working with Lewis? I had the chance to interview him once, and he talked about how much he loved playing with like three other guitarists and having a twenty member band, and then with Best Coast it’s just the two of you. Did any of that vibe rub off on you guys, are you having dreams about a 10 piece band now? BETHANY COSENTINO: He’s awesome, he’s really fun and has a lot of great ideas. I think we work well together. He understands the aesthetic of the band and he’s not too pushy as a producer and it’s pretty easy to find a compromise. TIM MOORE: Ya he is one person I know that has his hand in every genre I think. BETHANY COSENTINO: Ya definitely. TIM MOORE: In five minutes of reading about Best Coast anyone can figure out that you love California and cats, so which of the two would you rather be known for? BETHANY COSENTINO: [laughs] That’s my fault. BOBB BRUNO: I would say it’s about equal. TIM MOORE: Are you happy that L.A. is being recognized for great art and culture again instead of just as an industry city? BOBB BRUNO: I feel that it’s always been that way it’s just getting more publicized now. All that cool stuff has always been there, it just wasn’t getting any attention. There’s always been a cool scene but the media focus in the last two or three years has kind of shifted towards that scene. TIM MOORE: I want to get into Best Coast’s music without generalizing you to some musical references so I was wondering if you could describe you sound in your own words. BETHANY COSENTINO: Well I think for me as a songwriter I’m mostly inspired by 50’s 60’s era stuff, but I also listen to a lot of Ramones and

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episodes together because Bob has HBO and I don’t so I’ll just go over to his house and we’ll watch it. I just think Larry David is the best guy in the world. BOBB BRUNO: Total genius. TIM MOORE: I had no real reason to bring up that other than I wanted someone else to nerd out about that show, I think the last two season have been the funniest thing ever. BETHANY COSENTINO: Ya the last one was really good. TIM MOORE: I know I’m being a bit random, but I’m trying to avoid all the usual questions you get in your interviews. BETHANY COSENTINO: You can ask anything, I don’t care, I answer the same five questions every day and I’m find with it. If there’s anything you want to know just ask. TIM MOORE: So are you guys always such good friends? Does the music thing ever sour the relationship? BETHANY COSENTINO: No, we’ve known each other for a really long time and basically when I started the band, or when I was thinking about writing the songs I was thinking ok I could do this by myself and it could be limited because I did it alone, or I could ask someone and he was the only person I thought of to ask. Our relationship together has always just been very relaxed. We don’t really talk about stuff, it just happens. It just works out so well. We’ve never really been in a fight, we’ll see what happens when we start spending months at a time together but at this point we’re good. Also if we’re ever at a point where I’m bothering him, or he’s bothering me we can tell each other that and it’s cool. There’s doesn’t need to be a lot of drama. BOBB BRUNO: Nothing is ever a big deal to us, with anything. So it makes it easy for us. BETHANY COSENTINO: Chill Coast [laughs]… BOB BRUNO: Ya exactly, we’re just like whatever. TIM MOORE: I’m just jealous now, because whenever I work with somebody it usually ends in us fighting over the dumbest things.

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shoegaze music. I don’t know if it’s something that you can hear in the music. It’s not really something I try to do it’s something that just happens that way. I never listen to a record and then try to copy it, the sound just comes out that way. BOBB BRUNO: Ya what she said. It’s not something we ever talked about. Because we like a lot of the same things, we will just consciously or sub consciously gravitate towards certain sounds, and it just becomes a mix of the things we’re into. TIM MOORE: That’s interesting because I wasn’t sure if you guys worked good together because you were so similar or because you were so different. BOBB BRUNO: We’re pretty similar with things that pertain to this band especially. Wouldn’t you say? BETHANY COSENTINO: Yes. TIM MOORE: Singing about California means you’ll never escape Beach Boys references, do either of you have a favorite song? BETHANY COSENTINO: Well I think God Only Knows and Warmth of the Sun are two of the greatest songs in history. Pretty much all of Pet Sounds is great. BOBB BRUNO: It’s kind of an annual thing as to what is my favorite Beach Boys song. Over the last year it’s been I Bet He’s Nice, it’s on I Love You and Dennis sings it. It’s kind of an electronic song but the melodies are great. TIM MOORE: Wow there’s so many to choose from I am surprised you were able to answer that so quickly. BETHANY COSENTINO: Every song is good, I think there’s probably only two Beach Boys songs that I’m not into, but other then that I would say I’m into everything. TIM MOORE: So apart from California, cats, and Beach Boys, it’s also pretty well known that you love Seinfeld as well, can the same be said for Curb Your Enthusiasm? BETHANY COSENTINO: Ya! We’re both big Curb Your Enthusiasm fans. We watch a lot of

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BETHANY COSENTINO: Ya I think you’ve just got to be honest with people and know that sometimes you’re going to get your feelings hurt, or that you might hurt someone else’s feelings but as long as your honest that’s the best policy.

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CASSIE RAMONE

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TIM MOORE: So when I was researching for this interview I read over all the old interviews I could find, and it seemed that over half the questions were nothing about your music and more about asking you to dispel some kind of drama that was never there. Do you think the press are finally over that in 2010? CASSIE RAMONE: Oh ya! Definitely. I feel for pretty much our entire career whatever kind of publicity we’ve had as a band that we’ve been pretty misunderstood. In pretty much every direction imaginable we’ve been misunderstood, but I think now people are starting to understand what we are as a band more clearly.

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TIM MOORE: I’m not sure if you find this as a source of pride or an annoyance but it seemed that from the get go, journalists, (which were probably all male), tried to put a feminist spin to your music and I never could understand the logic that just because you’re women that you had to have some kind of political agenda. CASSIE RAMONE: Well that’s actually an interesting thing because I was talking about this the other night with Kate Hall from Mika Miko, and Jess from Brilliant Colors, and we went and got tacos in LA and talked about this for a long time. We were all kind of in the same situation where we all started bands with our friends and it happened to be all or mostly women, and we just did it for fun without any sort of political idea behind it. But from being in these bands it has made us all more interested in feminism. If you’d ask me three years ago when we started if there was any kind of statement we were trying to make I would say no, men and women are the same in music, but now I feel like it is really cool that we’re a band of all girls. Even though our music isn’t really political at all I’m proud to be in a band of all women. TIM MOORE: That’s cool! I brought that up because as I was preparing for this I was thinking yesterday that women punk rock groups have been around for almost forty years now, and yet the press still is convinced a women rock

band is something non traditional. CASSIE RAMONE: Ya the points of reference are so outdated. People compare us to Bikini Kill, and I think Bikini Kill is an amazing band but they’re not our influence. We’re not a riot girl band. When we first started getting media attention every band we’d get compared to were bands with female lead singers and bands of all women, and we’d wonder why we weren’t compared to more bands of men. People just hear a voice and that’s what they assume we only get our influence from. TIM MOORE: So have you finished recording the new album yet? CASSIE RAMONE: No, we’re still working on it. We’ve already done a bunch of recordings, but it’s a work in process, it’s going to take a while to finish it. TIM MOORE: And it’s safe to assume the new singles are where the album is headed right? CASSIE RAMONE: Yes definitely, we’re going in a real vocal heavy direction this time. A lot of our influences are choir music, this band from the 50’s, Patience and Prudence, Steely Dan, Neil Young and Crazy Horse is a big influence on us right now. It’s kind of this weird thing where we really want to go in this vocal heavy direction because I’m sick of having our vocals be buried in the mix. I think it’s good that it was like that for the first two albums, but I feel that now we’re getting very serious about singing so we want our next album to be very choral. TIM MOORE: Does that mean this is going to be a departure from a lo-fi aesthetic? CASSIE RAMONE: Well the thing is we never considered us lo-fi to begin with so we can’t move away from something that we never were in the first place. We definitely have a recording aesthetic, we don’t want our records to sound like the 90’s. I think the best records were made in the 50’s and 60’s and all those recordings were made live or on one mic usually. So

TIM MOORE: So is there still a garage rock sound to it? CASSIE RAMONE: Which one? TIM MOORE: [laughs] Well let’s say the solo project. CASSIE RAMONE: My solo stuff is hard to describe, I haven’t been too active about it because I’m really shy, and it’s hard for me open up. With Vivian Girls Katy is not shy, she’s really good at saying, “Listen to my band, come and see my show!” Which I think is awesome, and is one of the reason we were able to do so well because she’s so enthusiastic about everything she does, but I’m not like that, I’m more introverted with my artistic endeavors. My stuff that’s not Vivian girls is more folksy I would say. I have some keyboard organ songs, it’s all over the place really, but I think I’m going to try to record an album over the summer, if I can get it together enough. TIM MOORE: I struggle with being introverted about my work as well. I can never show my work to anyone till it’s completely finished. CASSIE RAMONE: Ya because if someone doesn’t like it my spirit will be completely crushed, and I start wondering why I’m even

TIM MOORE: Speaking of longevity, do you think that since Vivian Girls have been so tested early on that you guys can last longer than most?

TIM MOORE: I forgot to ask you this earlier but you mentioned Kate Hall. Mika Miko was one of my favorite bands and I never really heard the reason why they split. CASSIE RAMONE: I think just because they’ve been doing it for so long they wanted to focus on new projects. I mean they’ve been together for seven years so that’s kind of a long time. I think they’re an amazing band, but I guess if you’re doing something for so long you just want to try new things.

TIM MOORE: You have some side projects of your own going on now right? CASSIE RAMONE: Ya, I have The Babies with my friends Kevin, Justin, and Nate, and we’re actually going to be touring the west coast soon. I’m also working on my solo stuff, and then I’ve been playing with a few other people for fun.

TIM MOORE: Especially with rock you can tell when it’s been pieced together. CASSIE RAMONE: Ya I was recently reading Neil Young’s biography, Phil Spector’s biography, and this book about girl groups, and from reading all those books at the same time I came to realization that even though Neil Young and Phil Spector’s sound was very different, the thing they had in common was that everything was recorded at once. And we probably won’t record everything at once but we’re working hard to get to that point.

CASSIE RAMONE: Definitely, we’re not in it for anything else other than the fact that we love music, we love touring, and we love each other so I don’t really see a reason why we’d break up. I can see us going on an extended hiatus to focus on other things for a bit, but I think we all know we such a good thing going that we don’t’ foresee any major break ups happening.

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I feel that we’re trying to get closer to that type of recording sensibility than we have been. For instance our first record was recorded digitally, our second record was recorded on a 16 track tape machine, but I think for the third record we’re going to try to stay exclusively with 8 tracks and 4 tracks of either cassette tapes or reel-to-reel, and try to get away from multitracking as much as possible. I want to do this because basically I feel that it is more pure that way when music is all made at the same time. I think that you can tell when the music is recorded over a stretch of time. When one song is recorded over the course of 4 weeks I think that’s just insane, at least for our band.

doing this. I’m getting better at that, I’m getting better at being more confident in my abilities.

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TIM MOORE: So then do you ever go back and read interviews like this or is it too much? CASSIE RAMONE: It’s too much, I usually don’t read interviews because I think I sound stupid in interviews; I don’t think I’m good at talking. Sometimes I read them and don’t like it but sometimes they can be good if they’re edited right and take out all the blabbering [laughs]. Ya and you have to be so careful about jokes. I remember I was interviewed one time and I talked with this guy for about 45 minutes and he edited it down to five quotes that were mostly all jokes I was making just for him at my expense. CASSIE RAMONE: I know! They’re always the worst quotes right? I remember when people started interviewing us, we would use the word “like” a lot in interviews, and they would just leave that in the quote which of course made us sound really stupid, but it is just something that people of my generation say.

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TIM MOORE: Humor doesn’t translate too well either. CASSIE RAMONE: Ya you just can’t joke in interviews because if it’s in print people don’t really get it. TIM MOORE: Vivian Girls are always touring it seems and just the other day half the group got food poisoning, and yet you still all pushed through the tour. Is this the point where it starts to feel like a job? CASSIE RAMONE: Uh I guess so but not that much, there are definitely moment where I wish I was home and I could just climb in bed, but for the most part it’s just a lot of fun. I think it would hard to do anything and not get sick of it once in a while, but I’d say it’s about 90% fun and 10% work, which is amazing. TIM MOORE: So when I was talking to Dean

Spunt last he was telling me how he was going to take a break and focus on recording the new album, but then I look and it seems like he’s still doing a show every two weeks. Since it’s so much fun is it hard to take breaks? CASSIE RAMONE: Well in December we took a break for a month, we didn’t see each other and we all went on vacation. We didn’t play any shows or practice, and it was the longest we’d ever gone without doing band stuff since we started, it was a weird time. I was actually kind of depressed about how little I was doing so I think the band is a good source of energy for all of us. It’s just something we all love to do. TIM MOORE: Are you a closed person when it comes to writing songs or is it pretty easy for the band to collaborate together? CASSIE RAMONE: It was pretty difficult at first but now we have a system nailed down where it’s pretty easy and fun. TIM MOORE: Since you came out of a subculture and then became popular you of course had to deal with a backlash from people who called you a sellout or whatever, which in 2010 could be the dumbest accusation a person can come up with because Vivian Girls for instance were just in the New York Times but you are still a DIY band, I mean I helped you unload your equipment, I don’t really see where you sold out. CASSIE RAMONE: Ya that’s not too important, I think that everyone who was a fan of us in the first year, which wasn’t that many are still with us. I think the people who knew us in the first year don’t think of us as sellouts at all. TIM MOORE: Ya I’m really happy to see the conversation shift now, like the other day I was reading about your Chantel’s cover and it was all about how the music. It’s really nice to see music journalist actually get back to the music. CASSIE RAMONE: Ya thank god! I never wanted to be this controversial media sensation in my

life. I want to make music for a good purpose in this world. I want to make music to heal myself and make other people feel good so having so much negative attention drawn to the band was a real point of contention for me. It made me feel real terrible, but it’s getting a lot better now.

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TIM MOORE: I know, if someone read an article about you last year they’d think someone like Pete Dougherty was in your band. CASSIE RAMONE: [laughs] I think we’re all really good people, and I don’t like the whole controversial aspect of being in our band. We’re just trying to make good music and have fun with each other and our friends.

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