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What Happens When Indie Rock Grows Up?
Neutral Milk Hotel's 'J.D. Salinger of Indie Rock' Speaks

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Mac Merge
09/11/09

In reply to What Happens When Indie Rock Grows Up?
Bye everybody!
m
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mossdale
09/11/09

In reply to What Happens When Indie Rock Grows Up?
so how many vans have you burned through?
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laura_ballance
09/11/09

@mossdale: literally, only one. But I have been responsible for a Chevy Impala catching fire too. So I have burned two cars.
Band Vans: whitey, gray ghost, and maybe one other that I forgot about. Three, possibly four. I wish Jim Wilbur was here to answer this question. We maintained them very carefully, so they tended to go pretty far.
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Trainspotr
09/11/09

In reply to What Happens When Indie Rock Grows Up?
When you decide to reissue a previously out of print album, I'm guessing there a lot of legal issues to work around. Is it the sort of thing that Merge might be doing more of in the future? Cause I think probably everyone has a stack of LPs from 20 or more years ago that they'd love to see shiny new versions of (or crackle-less mp3s, as the case may be.)
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John Cook
09/11/09

In reply to What Happens When Indie Rock Grows Up?
Alright--I promised Mac and Laura this would take an hour, but you're obviously free to stick around if there are questions you didn't get to and want to answer. I'll be here too. Thanks a million to Hugo for moderating, and to everyone who showed up to ask questions.
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TriedandTrue
09/11/09

In reply to What Happens When Indie Rock Grows Up?
How has the development of iTunes changed your business model at Merge?
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cdalison
09/11/09

In reply to What Happens When Indie Rock Grows Up?
One of the things I most enjoyed about "Our Noise" was it's oral-history structure. Reading it, you very much felt as if you were sitting in a room listening to a long discussion among old friends. I'm curious to know how these stories were collected from all the participants and stritched together given how the interviews feel so easy and informal.
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John Cook
09/11/09

@cdalison: I actually found the way we did it really cool--I conducted interviews and got them transcribed, and then posted them to Google Docs. Mac and Laura would troll through and read them and respond in notes. So there are a lot of interjections and corrections and emendations from that process that worked really well in the book. The writing process worked the same way--we'd go back and forth over Google Docs, chapter by chapter.
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laura_ballance
09/11/09

@cdalison: That is one of my favorite things about the book too. The structure is awesome and really keeps it rolling. Good work John!
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John Cook
09/11/09

@laura_ballance: Thanks!
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Mac Merge
09/11/09

@cdalison: john has a way about him...jc do you want to elaborate?
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John Cook
09/11/09

@Mac Merge: Sorry I had to run off for some breaking news. In terms of how I do interviews? I mostly hem and haw and fumble and say "aw shucks" a lot. Interviewing all these southerners and North Carolinians was pretty hilarious for someone used to talking to people who don't want to be talking--the politeness and generosity in terms of time was off the charts.
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XeniaAndreus
09/11/09

In reply to What Happens When Indie Rock Grows Up?
Loved the book, loved the festival, and am looking forward to meeting you guys in Durham next week.

The thing that struck me the most throughout was how loyal you guys are to your bands, and how willing you are to make new albums happen for them regardless of prior success. While there are the examples of acts that moved on of their own volition, has there ever been a Merge act that you had to "let go" or at least were unable to give support to for whatever reason?
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Mac Merge
09/11/09

@XeniaAndreus: there have definitely been bands where it seemed like they had kind of moved on themselves....like maybe they'd make a new record but not want to tour anymore (unlike East River Pipe, who's NEVER toured) or do the work attendant to putting out a record...which is fine but it becomes hard for us to sustain at that point (even if we still want to listen to their music).
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HugoLindgren
09/11/09

In reply to What Happens When Indie Rock Grows Up?
What kind of music do you play your kids? At what age did you introduce them to Superchunk — before or after they could walk?
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laura_ballance
09/11/09

@HugoLindgren: My girl was introduced to Superchunk before she was born! She definitely was reacting to it when I played shows pregnant. She hears all kinds of music, whatever we would be listening to anyway, plus a few admittedly annoying kids records have gotten into her repertoire. The first records I remember really playing for her and her seeming to enjoy as a two month old infant were "Man Made" by Teenage Fanclub, "Fallen Leaf Pages" by the Radar Brothers, and "In Search of.." by N.E.R.D.
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John Cook
09/11/09

@HugoLindgren: My son loves Bruce Springsteen's Pete Seeger record. He doesn't seem to like rock for some reason. YET.
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Mac Merge
09/11/09

@John Cook: our daughter loved that Springsteen Seger record also. she's 6 now but starting when she was 2 or 3 she'd get fixated on 2 or 3 songs and want to hear them over and over again. still does. some phases are better than others, but it's your right as a parent to limit the parameters so it never gets too far afield! we've gone through the "Dancin' In The Dark" phase, the "Picture Book" by the Kinks phase, the becoming-slightly-annoying "Brown Eyed Girl" phase, and many more. our 2-year old can for some reason always be soothed by hearing Brenton Wood's "Oogum Boogum".
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John Cook
09/11/09

@Mac Merge: He can't get enough of Froggie Went A-Courtin'. Also for the first three months of his life my son's favorite record was me running a hand-vac until the battery ran out.
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superdave
09/11/09

In reply to What Happens When Indie Rock Grows Up?
How do you feel about bands that leave Merge for greener pastures? I was sad to see Camera Obscura change labels.
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laura_ballance
09/11/09

@superdave: We were sad too. It leaves us wondering what we did wrong, and what it was we needed to do better. But sometimes the motivation is something that we could do nothing about. And if you are on Merge, it does not mean you have to be stuck with us for life, though we kind of would like it that way. You would never know that from the terms we go for though. We only want happy bands on our label who want to be here.
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Mac Merge
09/11/09

@superdave: you say they're greener eh?
we were sad too.
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Edited by Mac Merge at 09/11/09 2:23 PM Mac Merge was starred Mac Merge was unstarred

John Cook
09/11/09

@laura_ballance: Are you saying 4AD's pastures are greener than Merge's? Laura's car runs on vegetable oil!
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superdave
09/11/09

@Mac Merge: Ooops. Sorry, didn't mean it that way. That's just the idiom that sprang forth. :)
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KonradMagooin
09/11/09

In reply to What Happens When Indie Rock Grows Up?
and you can always eat at Barak ObRama http://www.flickr.com/photos/laranjuda/3384938484/
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laura_ballance
09/11/09

@KonradMagooin: here are some nice pictures of Boipeba!
[www.flickr.com]
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fabulousrobots
09/11/09

In reply to What Happens When Indie Rock Grows Up?
I think the best part about XX Merge was finding new favorite bands (Lambchop, Imperial Teen). There are so many underappreciated bands on Merge (the Matt Suggs chapter was lovely), do you think digital music is allowing these artists to reach a bigger audience and maybe there will be a resurgence of Butterglory (or some other band)? AND, did you notice certain records selling better after the festival?
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Mac Merge
09/11/09

@fabulousrobots: the digital realm is a double-edged digital sword because while yes the stuff is out there for people to find, it's also out there in a much bigger morass of music than you'd find in your average record store...but certainly it's always a hope that at a festival like that people will come for what they like and discover other stuff.
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Edited by Mac Merge at 09/11/09 2:19 PM Mac Merge was starred Mac Merge was unstarred

HugoLindgren
09/11/09

In reply to What Happens When Indie Rock Grows Up?
Tell me about stuff outside of music that either of you is pursuing professionally or artistically.
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laura_ballance
09/11/09

@HugoLindgren: I fancy myself an amateur visual art person, in my free times, which there have not been many of lately. I want to make more clay guys like the ones on the ep. that was fun.
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John Cook
09/11/09

@laura_ballance: Did you make your own shoes once, Laura? I remember someone saying that to me.
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laura_ballance
09/11/09

@John Cook: I wanted to make my own shoes once. I asked around and was told the only place to really learn how to make shoes in the United States was in reform school! This was back before the internet, so researching this sort of thing was harder.
I did take a costume design class and a pattern drafting class. You would never guess that from the cut off shorts I wear as my "performing costume."
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Mac Merge
09/11/09

@laura_ballance: Also, after we're done promoting the book Laura is going to reform school.
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OdeliaWolf
09/11/09

In reply to What Happens When Indie Rock Grows Up?
I guess I phrased my question poorly then! I agree that it's not a competition. I realize that you are both passionate music 'geeks' like myself, and get excited when you hear something really solid and urgent that's been released, and just wanted to ask if you had envy or regret over missed opportunities of working with up-and-coming bands.

it's good that you don't feel that level of competition with your label-peers, because you're right, you're all in this business with similar objectives and values and ethics and want to see each other succeed!!

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Mac Merge
09/11/09

@OdeliaWolf: not saying there aren't bands that we wished we could have signed -- we talked to the Dirty Projectors for a good while before it was clear that Domino made more sense for them, but hey i still get to listen to Bitte Orca whenever i want, right? but i guess my larger point is that we put out so many records that we think are great, we don't actually have time to worry about the ones we're NOT putting out.
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heyimtalkinhere
09/11/09

In reply to What Happens When Indie Rock Grows Up?
let's talk rock band memoirs/biographies/oral histories--it's my theory that the recent increase in them, especially from "indie" or "alternative" bands is due in large part to desire to create a new revenue stream, as fan bases age and go to shows less often, record sales drop, new records occur less frequently or not at all, and the acts break up. I just finished Dean Wareham's and though I could have done without some of the politics and general putting others down, i really enjoyed it and found it well-written, -edited and -conceived.

Tell us which you have enjoyed, been inspired by, or maybe even taken as a model.
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John Cook
09/11/09

@heyimtalkinhere: Dean Wareham's book was excellent.
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laura_ballance
09/11/09

@John Cook: It seems I need to read that. I keep hearing good things about it, though it also seems painful!
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heyimtalkinhere
09/11/09

@John Cook: Others? Don't hold back--this is my favorite reading genre lately.
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John Cook
09/11/09

@heyimtalkinhere: Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad is amazing. I also loved Hit Men by Frederic Dannen, which is the story of the seedy side of the rock'n'roll revolution--less memoir and more true-crime, but great.
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John Cook
09/11/09

@heyimtalkinhere: I'm also really liking Redemption Song, a Joe Strummer bio by Chris Salewicz, though I haven't gotten to much of the Clash stuff yet. Did you know Stephen Morrissey auditioned to be in Mick Jones' Clash precursor band London SS? I did not.
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heyimtalkinhere
09/11/09

@John Cook: Read the Azzerad. About to read Danny Goldberg's book--I wonder if Superchunk will get a mention? The Replacements book is really thorough and good, but the saddest, mostly b/c of Bob. Have read a couple good ones on the Eagles. Then there's Scar Tissue.
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Mac Merge
09/11/09

@John Cook: agreed on Black Postcards and Hit Men and Our Band...! also the Go-Betweens book by David Nichols, multiple Springsteen books -- the Dave Marsh of course and also Down Thunder Road which is fascinating.
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whoneedslight
09/11/09

In reply to What Happens When Indie Rock Grows Up?
My boyfriend introduced me to your music in 1994 and I've never looked back! Thanks for all of the great music/shows/memories!
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Mac Merge
09/11/09

@whoneedslight: thank you! and your boyfriend.
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Neutral Milk Hotel's 'J.D. Salinger of Indie Rock' Speaks

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