7: So were you guys excited to come out and play Coachella?

W: You know, I really didn’t know anything about it so I didn’t think much about it.  But now that I’m here.. yea, I guess I should have been.

7: Do you guys like playing venues like this?

W: Yea, I do now.  I used to dread it, but I’ve come to enjoy it a lot more than playing in a dark club at 1 in the morning which is what we do six nights a week.

7:  Well, what did you used to love about that?

W: It’s a lot more… you’re right there with the people.  It’s a lot more intimate I guess.  It’s just what I’m used to.  We only started playing these big outdoor venues two years ago.  At first it was just weird, but now I guess we’ve gotten used to it.  It’s a lot more pleasant.

7:  What do you like about this kind of venue?

W: You know, you’ve got a view.  The air is nice.  It’s a beautiful day.

7: When you guys were first starting out a lot of people kept talking about John the Fire Eater.  At what point in the bands career do you guys think you became just the Walkmen?

W: Probably like after everyone heard the first album, maybe the second or third.  Basically probably once we sold more records.  It didn’t take that long.

7: A lot of people talk about the fact that a lot of the tracks that you have, everything has it’s own unique style and a unique sound.  Do you feel like there is a single commonality to your music?

W: I do definitely.  It’s always the kind of thing you try and avoid.  When you make new songs you try and make them different from the get go.  Try to do as fucked up… try to do reggae songs, and shit that we’re not going to be able to do.  But then, at the end of the day it always ends up sounding like the Walkmen playing.

7:  So you guys set out to go for something diverse?

W: It’s the only way we can ever get excited about a song is if to us, at least, it sounds new.  It’s like, you’re playing along and everything doesn’t sound very good, and it takes months and months, and then finally you play something and you’re like, oh that sounds different.  And then you do it and you get inspired enough to finish a song like that.  And by the end of it you all have been playing it for so long that it just sounds like the Walkmen.

7: Do you ever go back and listen to any of your old albums and see how you guys have progressed?

W: Yea, you know it’s usually like when you have a new record.  You really feel like you haven’t come anywhere.  Because it’s just a gradual progression.  You never stop writing.  A record takes like a year to write so you are just writing one song after another.  So by the time you finish the first song is kind of old.  And when you’re done with that you just keep going.

7: So what’s new in your latest album?

W: Well… 12 songs

7: With such a diverse musical style where do you draw your influences from?

W: A lot of stuff.  I don’t want to say everything because there is a lot I don’t listen to but, we listen to so much.  We listen to all genres. 

7: You guys were recording out of Macada… and that just got shut down?

W: Yea, the university bought the building so…

7:  Are you going to miss recording out of there?  Was that your homebase?

W: Yea, it was.  At first it was scary because we didn’t know what the fuck we were going to do.  But we’ve got a new place and getting new recording equipment.

7:  So you’re sort of rebuilding?

W: Yea, we needed a change of pace anyways.  I’m thrilled to death right now.

7:  So when you guys were touring you write the book John’s Journey?

W: Yea, we’re not finished yet.

7: What made you want to do that?

W: Boredom

7: Is it everybody together doing it?

W: It is really who ever is bored starts.  We only do it in the van.  I dunno... Paul had this idea that it would be funny to have at our merch stand t-shirts and a novel.  So we haven’t finished it yet, but we will.  It will just take a little time.

7:  How far in are you?

W: 30 pages.

7:  Ok, so why is the seatbelt in seat number 4 nicknamed the boa constrictor?

W: Because when you sit back in it, it clamps and you just can’t move… it’s horrible.

7: And the complaint section on the webpage… you guys actually get complaints?

W: Yea… yea..

7: What kind of complaints do you guys get?

W: All sorts of shit.  It’s usually people just trying to be funny.

7: So you guys spend a lot of time in that van?

W: Yea, we spend a lot of time in it.

7: So do you like touring?

W: No, you know I used to just bitch about touring, but in the end, it’s just part of the job.

7: For the people who haven’t seen it, how would you describe your live show?

W: Well, originally it sort of was… kind of awkward.  Because we just didn’t know… we hadn’t played together.  So then it was quieter because then we wrote all these piano songs.  And then we wrote all these big rockers and turn into these… drunk and go crazy.  And now I think we’ve got better, everyone playing in unison.  A combination of really loud stuff and some mellower stuff.  I think we can finally do some very light songs.

7: Well, thanks… any parting words?

W: Uh… NO.