INTERVIEW: Greg Saunier of Deerhoof

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INTERVIEW: Greg Saunier of Deerhoof

POSTED: Thursday, October 30, 2008, 9:11 PM

Filed Under: Interview | Music

Deerhoof drummer Greg Saunier

Photo | Dianca Potts

CP's Dianca Potts covered Deerhoof's Oct. 25 show at the Starlight Ballroom. Here, she touches base with drummer Greg Saunier to talk about their current tour and their brand-new record Offend Maggie.

City Paper: What differences where there in your approach toward creating your most recent release, Offend Maggie, that varied from your earlier releases?

Greg Saunier: It's always different — we don't have this music-making thing down pat yet. All of our records are just the timid first steps of complete beginners.

CP: What sort of emotives are you trying to convey through Deerhoof's music? Have they changed as your career's progressed?

GS: I'm not sure what [vocalist/bassist] Satomi [Matsuzaki] or [guitarist] John [Dieterich] or [guitarist] Ed [Rodriguez] would say, but personally there's no emotion I'm trying to convey. There's music I'm trying to convey and it sounds very emotional to me. But that's not quite the same thing. The musical ideas that come into my head are what they are, and I'm not trying to force them into any pre-planned emotions, like "I want our album to be happy" or "I want our album to be sad." I always think that one of the wonders of music is that the same piece of music can sound happy or sad — or both at once, depending on how you feel when you listen to it.

CP: What are some major themes, images, messages that appear throughout the songs on your new album?

GS: Maybe a sort of overbearing or unhealthy masculinity runs through a lot of the lyrics and the sound of the music. One that is a bit flawed, or bruised, but that is overcome eventually. That's how I hear it, anyway.

CP: It's been awhile since you last played in Philly. How do you think your live set has evolved since then?

GS: It's funny, because actually I never get to see our live show. The best person to ask would be someone who came to our show the other day. The best I can do is talk about how our Philly audience has evolved. We had such a great time the other night, and it was all about the audience. Every time I looked up while we were playing, I saw grins and dancing, waving arms and mouths singing along. I saw people of all ages. I felt like everyone was there to listen, I mean, you could hear a pin drop in the quiet parts, and and that doesn't always happen. It may have been the best audience we've seen on the whole tour.

CP: Favorite track on the new album?

GS: Ooh, not an easy question. Keith Richards always says it's like choosing your favorite baby, but I think it's worse than that even. More like a love-hate relationship. I can't really listen to one of our songs and get a sense of what it actually sounds like unless I haven't heard [it] in a LONG time. And obviously, our new record just came out a couple weeks ago and we're playing the songs every night, so I'm in maximum confusion mode right now.

CP: Favorite things about being on tour?

GS: Being on tour is fun in all kinds of ways, but the one thing that consistently gives me a pleasant surprise is the audience while we're playing. Their enthusiasm for Deerhoof is the reason we keep going.

CP: Anything crazy happen so far?

GS: Just last night, Jamie Stewart, singer of Xiu Xiu, came onstage for our last song ("Basket Ball Get Your Groove Back") and sang along with Satomi. It sounded so amazing. But really there has been craziness/fun-ness on stage every single night. My bandmates always surprise me It has just been a wonderful tour.

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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