Upon meeting Clare Muldaur in the City Bakery, we spend a good five minutes extolling the virtues of their hot chocolate, their salad bar, and their food in general before getting down to business. Clare lives and creates her music in Brooklyn, and it suits her; Clare and the Reasons have a sound all their own. I talk with Clare about literature, how much things probably suck for Pluto right now, and why it always pays to have a student ID handy.How did Clare and the Reasons start?
It started about two years ago in this formation. It was just an attempt to pull together a sound that I had had in my head for a long time, sort of doing the full arrangements live, and not just doing them on the record and then playing everything stripped down live. It makes it a lot more difficult because you're coordinating with so many people, but it's well worth it. I like the process, from the beginning when you write the song to the finished arrangement. It's a long process, but…
So this is different when you've done music with other groups of people, and by yourself.
Yeah, exactly. I did a bunch of duet stuff, and touring with my husband Olivier, and solo stuff, and pick-up band stuff where people just learn the song for the gig, but that really doesn't excite me very much. I'd like to get to a new place from just playing the songs, but I also get really bored when I do solo stuff. Very bored. I want to interact with people, musically and on stage.
Where are you based?
We're in Ditmas Park. We love it. It's a huge musical community. It's kind of like the country and the city, with all the Victorian homes.
Yeah. Brooklyn's got a very different atmosphere from Manhattan.
Yeah. I don't think it's similar at all! I lived in the city, though, so I know both worlds.
Do you think living is Brooklyn is more conductive to the type of music you write?
Definitely. I think so. I've been living in Brooklyn for two years, so it's a pretty clear representation, I guess. I don't know, Manhattan is just… not real. I don't know, it's a really strange bubble of a universe, which is great to enter into, but I like my neighborhood especially because—I don't know, on my block there's mostly people from west Africa, Jamaica, eastern Europe… it's so cool. It's so cool. It's so diverse, and it just keeps it all in perspective.
Yeah, I've always thought Brooklyn is a lot more laid back than Manhattan—and it has so much more of a sense of community, don't you think?
Absolutely. Where do you live?
Well, I used to live in Park Slope—I still spend a lot of time there.
Have you ever been to Barbès?
No, where is that?
It's the best venue in Brooklyn. It's very cool. It's on 9th Street and 6th Avenue, and you must go! It's a special place!
I will. I'll make sure to go! So when I mentioned Brooklyn's sense of community, I was referring not just to the community in general but also the artistic community. Would you say that Brooklyn artists interact more?
Yeah, although I'm sure you could find somebody who could make a pretty good argument to say things about Manhattan to rival that. I don't know, maybe because Brooklyn's spread out, you are more likely to make a plan to interact with somebody, and in Manhattan it's all very condensed…
Really? I always find it to be the other way around—running into people I know in Brooklyn.
Really? I run into everybody here in Manhattan, all the time, even when you don't want to.
I never run into anybody in Manhattan!
Really!?
No, never!
Well, I run into people I haven't seen in forever—since we were kids.
Well, that happens to me in Manhattan. Wait, no, that happens to me in Brooklyn, too! I feel like when you're in Brooklyn you spend a lot more of your time in one particular area whereas in Manhattan you're just jumping all over the place since it's so condensed anyway and every block is like a completely different city, whereas Brooklyn has more of its own thing.
Yeah, definitely. I mean I spend a lot of time in Park Slope, and I definitely go to Williamsburg. I walk around—at Barbès, because that's a place that I go a lot, and also the café next to Barbès, there's like a big coagulation of characters I know.
So how has living in Brooklyn influenced your music in any particular way?
I don't really know. Part of it might just be timing and the evolution of music that I make and am interested in. I love Prospect Park; I don't know, Brooklyn's very old-fashioned, and… I don't know specifically, except for that I'm sure it does since I live there. I think it's hard to pinpoint one specific event or…
Your music has a very dreamy sort of quality. Is there any other music in particular that influences you?
Well, I'm definitely influenced by the Beach Boys… I definitely love Harry Nilsson… But I'm not the sort of artist that emulates other musicians. My favorite artist is Bessie Smith. I don't sound anything like Bessie Smith; why would I try to sound like Bessie Smith? So I approach the music that I love with the thought that I find it sacred, and that's the opposite thing I would do to trying to emulate it. But let me think. Sam Cooke makes me cry every time I listen to him. A lot of dead people. I listen to a lot of dead people. New stuff, I really love Grizzly Bear—I saw them live and they won me over big time—but, yeah, a big variety. I've been listening to a lot of Lotte Lenya, Kurt Weill's wife. I love her craziness.
There was recently a musical based off of them.
About their relationship?
Yeah! It was based off them and it used all Kurt Weill music. It was called LoveMusik, and Michael Cerveris played Kurt Weill and Donna Murphy played Lotte Lenya.
I'm sorry that I missed that!
I actually heard mixed things about it, but I do regret not seeing it—the concept seems fascinating.
Yeah, definitely. See, that's the thing about living in New York; there are all these amazing things going on but you can't go to all of them.
Right. Just as easy as it is to find something you would never have imagined going on, it's just as easy to miss something you would have loved to be a part of.
Absolutely. Happens to me every day. It's probably happening to us right now.
Of course! I'm sure there's a big Clare and the Reasons party uptown!
Totally. That's definitely happening. But it's exciting too, because when you're ready to take stuff in, you just go out and take stuff in.
As I said, your music is very dreamy. Your music feels very literary—about other characters and people, rather than about one's own emotions and feelings.
Yeah. I got very into not writing about me! There are a few things on the record that are older material, so they might be a little more autobiographical, but I figure you can come up with a fictional thing that people can relate to just as much as something that happened to yourself, and for me that's a fun challenge and it's also a fun notion to not have to be you.
And songwriting's also a very effective way to tell a story.
Definitely. It's also the hardest part of songwriting, I think, because there's that whole thing of trying not to say things that have been said a million times but also keeping it relatable, or saying the same thing in a different light; there's such a balance. Or, say, it's something totally new, but I would never be able to do that. There's so much that's already been said that I couldn't claim to—I guess it's possible, but it's probably not something I would choose.
Are there any other sources that inspire you? Books? Cinema?
Truffaut films, for sure. Have you seen Stolen Kisses?
I have not.
You must. It's the best movie ever made. Um, I would say visual art and a passage I'd read in a book, and anything could inspire me. I actually think that specifically lyrical songs inspire me the least, because it's not like you're going to hear a song and go "Oh my god, I'm going to write a song about exactly the subject they're writing about!"
It seems like when musicians are inspired by other musicians it's more about sound.
Yeah, yeah. So for me, it doesn't even have to have a singer… Ravel is one of the most inspiring, beautiful writers you could ever listen to. But what was the original question? Inspiration? Yeah, I just like weird characters and things that strike me. There's this other Truffaut film called The Man Who Loved Women, and it's about this sort of chauvinistic—well, I don't know if he's chauvinistic, but he loves women and he's very much a serial womanizer. And eventually it's what kills him, because he's looking at a woman as he crosses the street and gets hit by a car! It's a really great ending, actually. I don't know what made me thought of that, but just characters like that, extreme ridiculous characters are what I'm drawn to.
Are there any books you're reading right now?
I'm reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. It's great. I want to read Everything Is Illuminated; I've heard it's great. Beautiful, beautiful writing. The main character's very endearing. And… what's the author who wrote Girl with a Pearl Earring? I like all her books. I got into a phase of hers... she wrote a bunch of books; I can't remember her name. Paul Auster… Brooklyn writers, of course. It's good, because you can relate so much to the characters and the visuals.
There was actually a book published recently of essays by Brooklyn writers about Brooklyn called Brooklyn Was Mine.
"Brooklyn Was Mine"?
Yeah. I forget how many different authors have essays in there. I know Jonathan Lethem is one of them.
Nice. Yeah, there's a whole scene… I just did a podcast with a famous Brooklyn writer; I'm blanking on his name… He's a very lovely guy. Ugh… Can't remember… Story of my brain!
Are there any particular characters that you've created through your songs to whom you're particularly attached?
I guess "Science Fiction Man" was pretty good. A lot of people think it's a love song, but it's not—I mean, it's a love song of sorts, but it's really about a guy who starts out as a child being really obsessed with this character, this sort of comic book character named Science Fiction Man, and the exact thing that the comic books say will happen to the word, happens—
Oh, like one of those magic typewriters where what you type comes true!
Yeah, yeah! What's that French film where that happens? It's so good! Do you know it?
No, I've just seen that everywhere, that whole magic typewriter thing. I think the first time I encountered it was in Archie Comics!
There's this old French film from the fifties that he's writing the story as it happens and it's really amazingly good. I can never remember—anyway, yes, then that very thing happens and it winds up being Science Fiction Man who saves him. Um… what else? I'm into my perspective with "Pluto", I guess. Personifying Pluto.
I'm sure Pluto has a lot to say!
Pluto… there was such an uproar!
I feel terrible for Pluto; I think it deserves to be a planet!
I think so too. I feel like it was some sort of scam, like somebody went out of the way to—who cares? Why did they do that? I guess they're trying to be scientific or something, but god!
I swear, in five years I'll feel so old—I'll be able to look at kids ten years younger than me and say, "When I was your age, Pluto was a planet!"
Exactly, and they'll be like, "What's Pluto?" Well, they've had to redo all the maps, all the textbooks, everything… such an expensive decision, I bet.
And what happened to "My Very Excellent Mother Just Baked Us Nine Pies"?
Very true… "Just Baked Us Noodles"!
Do people bake noodles?
Well, you can. Hmm… "Brought Us Noodles"!
There we go! "My Very Excellent Mother Just Brought Us Noodles"! Coined by you and me!
Copyright 2008!
So what's coming up for Clare and the Reasons?
Well, we're going back to the U.K. in April. That'll be fun. And we're going to France too; that doesn't stink!
Well, that'll be fun! Going to see a lot of French films?
I never really see French films in France because we're always so busy! I'm married to a French man, Olivier, so when we go there it's like six-hour dinners… seeing the family, seeing the friends… go to sleep, wake up, six-hour meal. It's like that every day. And playing shows. It's fun to play there.
What part of France?
Well, my husband's from Chantilly, which is about half an hour north of Paris, and we also stay in Paris when we're there.
Yeah, Paris is a really good city.
Just taking everything in… it's amazing, I never really get to just get lost there. I wish I would have that opportunity, just be there on my own a little bit. It's everything they say!
How are you generally received by audiences abroad?
They hate us! They throw stuff at us! They throw cheese wedges… No, it's good. I like it better! I like being the outsider; I like visiting; I like not knowing where I am. It's exciting to travel because you're making music, having that be the reason that you get to go somewhere. It's great.
What's your favorite place you've been for your music?
Japan. It was amazing. It was surreal—I think partly because of the jet lag and mostly because of the people. You know, these people didn't speak a word of English but they knew every word of every song. It was just amazing! And they were so soulful, so appreciative to have you there, and it's just such a nice exchange of gratitude for us the artists. I think it's the best place to tour, that's what I would say. And I loved playing in Berlin; that was fabulous. But I haven't been to nearly as many places as I hope to go. Paris is great; I love playing in Paris.
Do you speak French?
I make a lot of mistakes, but yes. Olivier never corrects me because he thinks it's cute, but my French girlfriends correct me. I mean, I get by in French. His family doesn't speak a word of English. But yeah, it's nice to have that other family there.
Have you ever written a song in French?
Yes. Well, not all of it's in French. And I have another song called "Ce N'est Pas De Ma Faute", or "It's Not My Fault". I'd like to write more in French. I like it. It either works or it doesn't.
Well, sometimes it works without planning. For example, there's a Blondie song where Debbie Harry started singing in French out of nowhere…
I think I read that somewhere, yeah. And it became the song. Yeah, I've done that a lot, having a chorus in French and the verses in English. I also really like Portuguese. It's a beautiful language.
Do you speak Portuguese?
No. But Caetano Veloso is one of my all-time favorite singers. He's like the Bob Dylan of Brazil, but he's huge worldwide. No, he's not the Bob Dylan, because he's so diverse musically. He's the somebody very big! Maybe he's the Elvis Costello of Brazil. Stunning. And live, his is probably the best concert I've ever seen.
Let's talk about the band.
They are the sunshines of my life. Multiple sunshines. Allen Hampton's the bass player; he's from Houston, and he makes us laugh all the time. He's the funniest person I know. And now we've done co-writing together, which is really fun. I think we'll have a couple of songs on the next record together.
And Chris Hoffman's on cello and he's really wonderful because he has a classical background and an improvisational background, so he sort of has a different edge than most string players. You can through different things at him; he has a great feel. And he dresses really cool. He's a cool guy.
And then there's Bob Hart, who actually isn't on the record, but he's in the live band and will be on every record from here to the end of time, and he's like a superhuman because he can play anything and do anything. He's pretty amazing. The first time we played together he came over to our house because—I mean, he wasn't trying out, but I guess it was the closest thing to that; I didn't really know him, and I heard that he was great, and I was looking for another leg of the band, and he came over and he knew every note on the record! He was crazy. So he plays piano, keyboards, sings, and plays guitars. And he's a base player; that's what he really does. He's amazing. Perfect pitch… the whole nine yards.
Then there's [my husband] Olivier Manchon! I write most of the songs, and then he'll sneer at me, or smile, or a lot of times he says a song is really bad and the next day he'll be like, "Actually, I wanted to tell you the song was very good…" We have a very healthy creative relationship in that we just say to each other exactly how it is. He has a chamber group, and I'll be like, "The end of that verse is just stupid!" And he'll go "Really? Really?" And I'll be like, "Nah…" We'll have these sort of tongue-in-cheek kind of arguments, but we really respect each other. If he were sitting here he'd be like, "I don't respect her," and I'd be like, "I don't respect him," but we really do.
Am I supposed to not tell him you said that?
[laughs] You can say anything you want! So I write the songs, and then we conceptualize the arrangements together, and then he, like, sprinkles magic over it when he does the arrangement's. He's really amazing.
And then there's Greg Ritchie, and he's the drummer. And he's Canadian, which means he's super nice. He's very sweet.
I don't think I've ever met a mean Canadian. Ever.
No! No, even when you go to Border Control, they're nice. They're polite! There's something in the water up there. Or something in the government. I'm not sure.
But he's fabulous. I feel like I've been searching for a great drummer for years. I think it's the hardest thing to find in a band, because it makes or breaks it. It doesn't really go down the middle. It's really challenging, but I feel like I'm so lucky to have him, honestly.
And then there's Beth Meyers. Beth Meyers has been traveling like crazy with her other groups, so we sort of have a rotating cast of strings players. So there's Hiroko Taguchi, who does Spring Awakening with Olivier. She's an amazing violist.
They do Spring Awakening?
Yes! Did you see it?
I saw it, I saw it! Twice. It's fantastic.
It's a smash hit, as they say. Olivier just got his schedule through… I think September? It's crazy how it keeps going. So, anyway, he does that when he's not doing something else.
Have you seen Rent? A lot of people have compared Spring Awakening to Rent.
Would you compare it? They're both risqué, right?
Well, they're both risqué, they're both modern music, they're both about relatively young people, and they're both very rock-ish. There's also this new musical called In The Heights...
I know that. I don't know anything about Broadway, but for some reason I've heard of that.
It's phenomenal. It's conceived and composed and starred in by this 28-year-old man Lin-Manuel Miranda. It's set in Washington Heights, centered around one particular stoop, and it's very much an ensemble piece. It's brilliant.
Wow. It's good to know it. I think Broadway can be very frustrating sometimes… but Singin' in the Rain is my favorite movie!
Oh, me too. That's a classic.
Huge! Gene Kelly's my guy. The music was so good. The music, for me, is what's really gone down the crapper on a lot of them. My cheesy alarm goes off a lot. I mean, the whole notion of "We're through! Pack up!" still exists on Broadway. A friend who engineered the recording of—wasn't there a Bob Dylan musical?
The Times They Are A-Changin'. I heard that was terrible.
Yeah, so they did the original cast recording, previews opened, it got scathing reviews, and they immediately shut it. Immediately.
Well, I heard there were dancers in dog suits, so I wouldn't be so quick to contradict that decision!
No, I'm sure it was terrible! I mean, Dylan would never work on Broadway. I think it's a ridiculous notion. But it's funny how it's like, "Sad review? You're done."
I think that's true about a lot of media these days.
TV shows, absolutely. But movies can get bad reviews and they still hang out for a little while.
Yeah, and sometimes bad reviews even help a movie.
Snakes on a Plane!
Well, I think the only thing people cared about was the fact that it was called Snakes on a Plane. Even Samuel L. Jackson signed on as soon as he heard the title!
He said it was a comedy! I know, I saw an interview with him and he said, "People don't get that it was a comedy!" Or something.
Well, I think that's because it was supposed to be so bad but seeing it was all about hissing and chanting that main line all together…
Wow. I missed that cultural phenomenon… Yeah, it's hard to find the time. To do anything.
And movies are so expensive now, too.
I know there's only a few theatres here who do student tickets, even.
Are there any theatres that do student tickets? I didn't know that!
BAM, during the day…
Oh, well, that's of no help to students!
You're supposed to cut class and go! And over by 2nd Avenue and 12th, I think. I still have my Berklee College of Music ID, and what was very kind of Berklee was they didn't put a date. So I use it all the time, and you know what? I don't feel bad about it. I paid for that ID! I'm a student in my heart.
Wait, you went to Berkeley?
In Boston. Berklee College of Music in Boston. The other spelling! There were just music geeks, and—it was great. I loved it. A lot of people don't like it, and it's one of those places where you just take what you like, leave the rest, and you get out of it what you put into it. I met a lot of my best musical friends there. I met Olivier there. It was good. I'm glad I went.
And it's always good to have a student ID handy.
And I got the ID! Exactly. It's like a little piece of gold. Are you going to go to South by Southwest?
Um… I don't know what…
You're not! If you have that reaction, you're not. It's a music festival in Austin in March. We're going to head to South by Southwest. Something like 1,000 bands play a day, or something that's not right. It'll be fun. We won't sleep or eat, but we'll play, and it'll be good. Wait, what time is it?
It's 4:29.
I'm meeting with a photographer. Our record is being released by a label in France, and we're trying to not have to do another photo shoot, so I'm gathering photo shoots from the last year or so to see if they can just use that… so voila. Regular day!
Well, we're going back to the U.K. in April. That'll be fun. And we're going to France too; that doesn't stink!
Well, that'll be fun! Going to see a lot of French films?
I never really see French films in France because we're always so busy! I'm married to a French man, Olivier, so when we go there it's like six-hour dinners… seeing the family, seeing the friends… go to sleep, wake up, six-hour meal. It's like that every day. And playing shows. It's fun to play there.
What part of France?
Well, my husband's from Chantilly, which is about half an hour north of Paris, and we also stay in Paris when we're there.
Yeah, Paris is a really good city.
Just taking everything in… it's amazing, I never really get to just get lost there. I wish I would have that opportunity, just be there on my own a little bit. It's everything they say!
How are you generally received by audiences abroad?
They hate us! They throw stuff at us! They throw cheese wedges… No, it's good. I like it better! I like being the outsider; I like visiting; I like not knowing where I am. It's exciting to travel because you're making music, having that be the reason that you get to go somewhere. It's great.
What's your favorite place you've been for your music?
Japan. It was amazing. It was surreal—I think partly because of the jet lag and mostly because of the people. You know, these people didn't speak a word of English but they knew every word of every song. It was just amazing! And they were so soulful, so appreciative to have you there, and it's just such a nice exchange of gratitude for us the artists. I think it's the best place to tour, that's what I would say. And I loved playing in Berlin; that was fabulous. But I haven't been to nearly as many places as I hope to go. Paris is great; I love playing in Paris.
Do you speak French?
I make a lot of mistakes, but yes. Olivier never corrects me because he thinks it's cute, but my French girlfriends correct me. I mean, I get by in French. His family doesn't speak a word of English. But yeah, it's nice to have that other family there.
Have you ever written a song in French?
Yes. Well, not all of it's in French. And I have another song called "Ce N'est Pas De Ma Faute", or "It's Not My Fault". I'd like to write more in French. I like it. It either works or it doesn't.
Well, sometimes it works without planning. For example, there's a Blondie song where Debbie Harry started singing in French out of nowhere…
I think I read that somewhere, yeah. And it became the song. Yeah, I've done that a lot, having a chorus in French and the verses in English. I also really like Portuguese. It's a beautiful language.
Do you speak Portuguese?
No. But Caetano Veloso is one of my all-time favorite singers. He's like the Bob Dylan of Brazil, but he's huge worldwide. No, he's not the Bob Dylan, because he's so diverse musically. He's the somebody very big! Maybe he's the Elvis Costello of Brazil. Stunning. And live, his is probably the best concert I've ever seen.
Let's talk about the band.
They are the sunshines of my life. Multiple sunshines. Allen Hampton's the bass player; he's from Houston, and he makes us laugh all the time. He's the funniest person I know. And now we've done co-writing together, which is really fun. I think we'll have a couple of songs on the next record together.
And Chris Hoffman's on cello and he's really wonderful because he has a classical background and an improvisational background, so he sort of has a different edge than most string players. You can through different things at him; he has a great feel. And he dresses really cool. He's a cool guy.
And then there's Bob Hart, who actually isn't on the record, but he's in the live band and will be on every record from here to the end of time, and he's like a superhuman because he can play anything and do anything. He's pretty amazing. The first time we played together he came over to our house because—I mean, he wasn't trying out, but I guess it was the closest thing to that; I didn't really know him, and I heard that he was great, and I was looking for another leg of the band, and he came over and he knew every note on the record! He was crazy. So he plays piano, keyboards, sings, and plays guitars. And he's a base player; that's what he really does. He's amazing. Perfect pitch… the whole nine yards.
Then there's [my husband] Olivier Manchon! I write most of the songs, and then he'll sneer at me, or smile, or a lot of times he says a song is really bad and the next day he'll be like, "Actually, I wanted to tell you the song was very good…" We have a very healthy creative relationship in that we just say to each other exactly how it is. He has a chamber group, and I'll be like, "The end of that verse is just stupid!" And he'll go "Really? Really?" And I'll be like, "Nah…" We'll have these sort of tongue-in-cheek kind of arguments, but we really respect each other. If he were sitting here he'd be like, "I don't respect her," and I'd be like, "I don't respect him," but we really do.
Am I supposed to not tell him you said that?
[laughs] You can say anything you want! So I write the songs, and then we conceptualize the arrangements together, and then he, like, sprinkles magic over it when he does the arrangement's. He's really amazing.
And then there's Greg Ritchie, and he's the drummer. And he's Canadian, which means he's super nice. He's very sweet.
I don't think I've ever met a mean Canadian. Ever.
No! No, even when you go to Border Control, they're nice. They're polite! There's something in the water up there. Or something in the government. I'm not sure.
But he's fabulous. I feel like I've been searching for a great drummer for years. I think it's the hardest thing to find in a band, because it makes or breaks it. It doesn't really go down the middle. It's really challenging, but I feel like I'm so lucky to have him, honestly.
And then there's Beth Meyers. Beth Meyers has been traveling like crazy with her other groups, so we sort of have a rotating cast of strings players. So there's Hiroko Taguchi, who does Spring Awakening with Olivier. She's an amazing violist.
They do Spring Awakening?
Yes! Did you see it?
I saw it, I saw it! Twice. It's fantastic.
It's a smash hit, as they say. Olivier just got his schedule through… I think September? It's crazy how it keeps going. So, anyway, he does that when he's not doing something else.
Have you seen Rent? A lot of people have compared Spring Awakening to Rent.
Would you compare it? They're both risqué, right?
Well, they're both risqué, they're both modern music, they're both about relatively young people, and they're both very rock-ish. There's also this new musical called In The Heights...
I know that. I don't know anything about Broadway, but for some reason I've heard of that.
It's phenomenal. It's conceived and composed and starred in by this 28-year-old man Lin-Manuel Miranda. It's set in Washington Heights, centered around one particular stoop, and it's very much an ensemble piece. It's brilliant.
Wow. It's good to know it. I think Broadway can be very frustrating sometimes… but Singin' in the Rain is my favorite movie!
Oh, me too. That's a classic.
Huge! Gene Kelly's my guy. The music was so good. The music, for me, is what's really gone down the crapper on a lot of them. My cheesy alarm goes off a lot. I mean, the whole notion of "We're through! Pack up!" still exists on Broadway. A friend who engineered the recording of—wasn't there a Bob Dylan musical?
The Times They Are A-Changin'. I heard that was terrible.
Yeah, so they did the original cast recording, previews opened, it got scathing reviews, and they immediately shut it. Immediately.
Well, I heard there were dancers in dog suits, so I wouldn't be so quick to contradict that decision!
No, I'm sure it was terrible! I mean, Dylan would never work on Broadway. I think it's a ridiculous notion. But it's funny how it's like, "Sad review? You're done."
I think that's true about a lot of media these days.
TV shows, absolutely. But movies can get bad reviews and they still hang out for a little while.
Yeah, and sometimes bad reviews even help a movie.
Snakes on a Plane!
Well, I think the only thing people cared about was the fact that it was called Snakes on a Plane. Even Samuel L. Jackson signed on as soon as he heard the title!
He said it was a comedy! I know, I saw an interview with him and he said, "People don't get that it was a comedy!" Or something.
Well, I think that's because it was supposed to be so bad but seeing it was all about hissing and chanting that main line all together…
Wow. I missed that cultural phenomenon… Yeah, it's hard to find the time. To do anything.
And movies are so expensive now, too.
I know there's only a few theatres here who do student tickets, even.
Are there any theatres that do student tickets? I didn't know that!
BAM, during the day…
Oh, well, that's of no help to students!
You're supposed to cut class and go! And over by 2nd Avenue and 12th, I think. I still have my Berklee College of Music ID, and what was very kind of Berklee was they didn't put a date. So I use it all the time, and you know what? I don't feel bad about it. I paid for that ID! I'm a student in my heart.
Wait, you went to Berkeley?
In Boston. Berklee College of Music in Boston. The other spelling! There were just music geeks, and—it was great. I loved it. A lot of people don't like it, and it's one of those places where you just take what you like, leave the rest, and you get out of it what you put into it. I met a lot of my best musical friends there. I met Olivier there. It was good. I'm glad I went.
And it's always good to have a student ID handy.
And I got the ID! Exactly. It's like a little piece of gold. Are you going to go to South by Southwest?
Um… I don't know what…
You're not! If you have that reaction, you're not. It's a music festival in Austin in March. We're going to head to South by Southwest. Something like 1,000 bands play a day, or something that's not right. It'll be fun. We won't sleep or eat, but we'll play, and it'll be good. Wait, what time is it?
It's 4:29.
I'm meeting with a photographer. Our record is being released by a label in France, and we're trying to not have to do another photo shoot, so I'm gathering photo shoots from the last year or so to see if they can just use that… so voila. Regular day!
For music and more information, check out Clare and the Reasons' MySpace... and if you have the time, hey, why not mourn for Pluto a little?
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