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Cass McCombsis what some would call a citizen of the world.
Not since the 90s.
I grew up on hip-hop Im that generation, he explains.
Weve messed around with hip-hop ideas before.
A lot of my lyrical flow comes from hip-hop artists.
The way that E-40 crams all this lyrical content into the smallest amount of space is incredible.
I dont really understand how any musician can afford to stay in one place.
We dont make enough money to afford an apartment.
I know pretty much half of the musicians in existence have a side job of some sort.
Theres nothing attractive about it.
Any particular side jobs youve had over the years?Ive done everything.
Worked in horse stables, rode a truck.
Worked at bookstores, record stores, movie theaters.
I was a projectionist.
I painted the Trump Tower one time.
Folded and licked invitation envelopes.
When did you paint the Trump Tower?It was someones apartment.
I just painted the interior.
When was that?Probably 2002 or 2003.
That was right after 9/11.
I was there, I was living downtown.
Only capitalists think art is creation.
Its not if its useful, that is.
Theyre selling a lifestyle, which is completely capitalistic.
I think theyre liars.
[Rainer Maria Rilke] talks about it a lot inLetters to a Young Poet.
Thats the fertile period, for better or worse.
Theres the city, and the activity of the city.
Being in proximity to peoples bodies.
In the sidewalk or the subway, were all sharing the same space.
You pick up on these frequencies.
Youre also fighting for your own space, but empathizing with people.
Whereas California Texas, anywhere you live in a car.
But emotions arent something you could really quantify.
Thats whats so wonderful about them.
They just pass in and out.
Whats your earliest memory?I dont know, Ive never really thought about that.
I havent engaged in that kind of therapy.
Do you currently see a therapist?Not currently, but I have a lot.
Its worthwhile, I think, depending on the person.
Eight buffalos equal a sentence.
A friend at a bar told it to me.
Bar learning its a good place to learn trivial things.
California has been the focal point of several of your times.
Growing up, I didnt really like it.
Maybe its not the same anymore, butImnot the same anymore.
Theres a lower intelligence level in California that people arent really aware of.
I dont know why.
Maybe theyre too busy kayaking or something.
They dont have time to read they have their kayaking.
Its exploited for aesthetic reasons.
We all love the 60s.
We love the Doors everybody loves that shit.
Even punk rock, whatever.
Basically my whole life, its been stale, to me.
Youve been making music for close to two decades now.
The industrys changed a lot during that time, especially regarding indie rock.
No one wants to hear my opinion about that, anyway.
But its been two decades, basically, and a lots changed.
We couldnt afford to have three-fold or four-fold CDs.
And that was common everyone did little things like that back then.
The celebrity thing is a little more … repulsive now.
Like, youre a celebrity before youre a musician.
Thats repulsive to me, but whatever.
Whats your relationship with social media these days?Its a chimera.
But Ive starved for decades.
Ive had a really hard life and career.
Its not been all good its been fucking brutal.
Ive had the finger pointed at me a million times for the reason why that might be.
Any kind of dogmatic idea can be a prison, so I like to break the cage.
Shes handling it, but its all good, and I have no problem with it.
But thats just because I basically ruined my career by being an asshole for decades.
Im not saying that anyone has to go through those same lengths.
Any specific regrets that have stayed with you?Everything.
I dont trust people who dont regret things.
Where to even get started with regret?
Its a resource an opportunity.
I like to keep those things to myself though.
People make too much of regret, though.
They exaggerate its power.
Theres nothing wrong with a little bit of regret.
Its a healthy thing.
Its a lie, of course.
Your live shows frequently feature jamming.
To all of us grew up going to Grateful Dead shows realGrateful Dead shows that word didnt exist.
Bands jammed, but it wasnt jam band music.
It hadnt been genre-fied yet.
I never really dug that term, jam band.
Any genre word just seems weak.
What are we talking about when were talking about jamming?
The same techniques of jamming can be applied to anything.
Theres improvisation in all forms of music.
In the pubs of Ireland, theyre jamming.
Even Throbbing Gristle, theres vast elements of improvisation to what theyre doing.
Because people have commodified the word, we dont think of it as jamming.
Theyve tainted the word.
What is your greatest fear?I dont know if I have one.
I have many very great fears.
I think we invent fears a little bit.
If I was like, Thats it, none of my records sold.
Its the end of my career.
I gotta grow up.
Had fun, got in a lot of trouble, its all good.
Id have fear about that, but all you would need is a different perspective.
Why do you even think you had a career in the first place?
Youre not losing anything if you never had it to begin with.
You have to go to lengths to deprogram these made-up fears.
It challenges the way we organize our minds and breaks it apart a little bit.
Its possible, is what Im saying.
[Laughs] Its not gonna sound gracious and awesome.
Of course, were all misunderstood.
IknowIm misunderstood, but Im sure you are too.
But if you question your own prejudices and I dont mean prejudice in the regular sense.
Okay, check this out: Im at a house right now, and theres children who live here.
What do you do when youre a kid in school?
They make you say, Whats your favorite color?
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Whats your favorite food?
And you have to say, Blue and yellow.
Favorite animal lion, tiger, horse.
With music, Im trying to question preconceptions both of other people, and myself.
