Former Idolator honcho Maura Johnston interviews one of my heroes, Mark Robinson (of Teenbeat, Unrest, and Cotton Candy fame), in a cool, informative, and laid back Q&A session over at eMusic. In it Robinson discusses the nostalgic personal touch of home-dubbing cassettes, Unrest’s reunion tour, his proclivity for patterns in numbering, and his favorite designers. [...]

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I doubt it’s news to anyone that Sting is an insufferable twat, but Dave Itzkoff of the New York Times had the point hammered home in a recent interview that The Guardian has snarkily whittled down to its most abhorrently pretentious bits, which I am more than happy to share with you now:
“Ask Sting about [...]

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Vice has a really good interview with Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh, wherein he talks about de-evolution (naturally), technology, and the future of our planet. He’s a smart, witty, and insightful guy. My favorite bit:
“I think the internet is the most positive thing that’s happened in your lifetime. It’s the closest thing to democracy that’s ever existed [...]

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Refused’s The Shape of Punk to Come sounds as unbelievably raucous and intense as it did 12 years ago. This climactic swansong obviously aped all of Refused’s hardcore and punk idols with practically every idea showcased, but the execution was perfect, which makes it all completely justified and, well, a moot point. The fact that [...]

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I’ve been on a Jawbreaker kick for the past week or so and just last night I stumbled on the notes to “Outpatient” (off 1994’s 24-Hour Revenge Therapy) while messing around on the bass. So, I was pretty excited to come across this current interview at Rolling Stone with Blake Schwarzenbach (guitars/vocals) and Adam Pfahler [...]

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Reading this interview between The Guardian and George Michael, one comes away with the impression that Michael is kind of a paranoid loon. And not just your typically famous, crazy-person-musician-type loon, either. This goes beyond most self-absorbed celebrities and their notoriously dysfunctional behavior. I mean, I knew Michael was a bit off, having repeatedly seen [...]

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In an interview set in Warp Records’ New York City offices, Battles multi-instrumentalist Tyondai Braxton discusses his debut solo record, Central Market, in depth with a track by track analysis. Reference points veer from Brian Eno to Ghostbusters. [via Spinner]

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To celebrate Sub Pop’s 20th anniversary re-issue of Nirvana’s Bleach, bassist Krist Novaselic has interviewed two key players in that album’s creation, drummers Dale Crover and Chad Channing. Crover is, perhaps, better known as the drummer for the Melvins, one of the bands that inspired Kurt Cobain to start Nirvana. Chad Channing’s tenure ended with [...]

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Turns out the buzz about a Jawbox reunion begins and ends with the bands appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on November 23rd. The seminal DC post-hardcore quartet will celebrate the re-release of its major label debut, For Your Own Special Sweetheart, with a one-off appearance on Fallon’s chat show, bizarrely enough. But there [...]

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In this interview with NME, Graham Coxon discusses his newest record, The Spinning Top, in his typically unsure and self-deprecating way. He also admits that Blur has no plans beyond this past summer’s run of celebratory shows, which means absolutely zilch, especially considering the way these guys danced around the whole idea of reforming FOR [...]

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Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke is putting together an odd assortment of musicians to help bring his solo album, The Eraser, to life. The band consists of a few recognizable names, including Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, and Beck sidekick Joey Waronker. To say that many Radiohead fans will be [...]

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Pretty amazing early days interview with Duran Duran. A film crew just randomly spotted the then unknown band in the midst of a photo shoot promoting its debut LP and stopped for a quick interview. The band sounds very earnest about its quest for mainstream dominance. Andy Taylor even goes so far as to proclaim [...]

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Good interview with Cursive’s Tim Kasher over at the A.V. Club. He talks about his band’s sporadic output, living in a constant state of suspended adolescence, and not being able to listen to some of his own songs. I’ve always found Kasher an enigmatic songwriter. My first impression of him was as sort of a [...]

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The Guardian chats with Blur guitarist Graham Coxon about his forthcoming solo record, The Spinning Top. He also acknowledges some of the awkwardness Blur is having at rehearsals, as the guys have trouble “looking each other in the eye” as they run through 80 old songs. Graham can be difficult in an interview setting, but [...]

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Part 3 of Filter’s interview with Peter Hook focuses on Joy Division’s enduring legacy. Hook seems remarkably grounded, especially considering his former band’s utter ubiquity as of late. I suppose he’s had 30 years to reconcile that whole experience, which must seem surreal now that’s it’s been immortalized on film.
Hook on how Ian Curtis’ [...]

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Of course, after his multiple Grammy wins with Alison Krauss, Robert Plant was asked about that badly beaten horse, the Led Zeppelin reunion rumors. His response was classic: "How old are you, man?" Plant responded. "Because you look older than me. You try to do ‘Communication Breakdown’ in these pants." I take that as a [...]

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Wired has posted an interview with Volker Bertleman on how he mods his piano with “tacks, tape, felt, plastic wrap and other materials to alter its sound for his compositions.” The Listening Post blog also has the full story behind his experimental piano work. Appealing to fans of both modern composition and those of a [...]

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Excerpt from an interview with Sammy Hagar on classicrockrevisited.com:
Jeb: Last one: I heard that Eddie and you got into a fight in an airplane, while in the air, and Eddie actually tried to smash out a window in the plane. Is that true?
Sammy: Yes, it is true. He tried to smash the window [...]

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Erstwhile Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor has written a book, Wild Boy: My Life in Duran Duran, about his meteoric rise to stardom and the ensuing debauchery that took place at the height of 1980’s Duran Duran pandemonium as well as his return to the fold 15 years later. His take on the action [...]

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Good Walkmen interview over at Brooklynvegan. I haven’t had a chance to absorb the band’s latest, You & Me, fully quite yet, but they’re one of my favorite bands. I’m not sure why it took me so long to order the record; I’ve just been slow to buy music this year.  But even with [...]

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