BR: Did you guys do the writing in one clump or was it spread out over a while?
JM: Probably half of it was written in the year before we went into the studio. The rest we wrote while we were working on the album back in the spring.
BR: Was your intent right from the beginning to go in and knock the walls down with this one, or is that what it evolved into?
JM: Naw – that was our plan from the start.
BR: I feel like a lot of credit goes to Adam Landry and Justin Collins, who handled the production and mixing chores. They did a great job of capturing Deer Tick’s sound without taming it.
JM: Wait … (muffled noises; John returns) Sorry, man – Chris Ryan’s being an idiot. (laughs)
BR: Yeah, well, tell him I’m putting it in the interview.
JM: Cool – do that. (laughter) Yeah, I’d worked with Adam and Justin on the Middle Brother sessions. They were the perfect guys for this album.
BR: It sure sounds like the core tracks were cut live.
JM: Yeah – there wasn’t much layering and overdubbing going on.
BR: If you have the time, how about we run down through a few of the tracks. I’ll toss a thought at you and you can toss one back.
JM: Sounds good.
BR: My take on “The Bump” was “John Lee Hooker down in the basement.”
JM: It definitely has that stomp to it. I originally wrote it as a Hank Williams-style country song, but we just fucked it up a little bit. (laughs)
BR: You’re playing the acoustic on that, right?
JM: Yeah.
BR: Do you have a go-to acoustic guitar?
JM: No – not really. I think I used a Martin that was hanging around the studio on that song. I actually don’t know too much about acoustic guitars.
BR: Yeah, well – it doesn’t show in your playing. (laughter) How about your fave electric guitars?
JM: I have a Mustang and a Jag-Stang.
BR: And then there’s a Gibson I’ve seen you using lately.
JM: Yeah. That’s a ’75, uh …
[Sudddenly there’s an eruption of total chaotic noise. I can’t tell what’s going on – has there been some sort of disaster? After a few moments, however, I hear McCauley laughing. Apparently, lunch has worked its way through his system, an unfortunate circumstance for his fellow van passengers. Drummer Dennis Ryan seems to be affected the worst.]
JM: Wow. I think Dennis almost threw up.
BR: It’s hard to beat life on the road, isn’t it?
JM: Pretty incredible, man. (laughter)
BR: Hey speaking of Dennis – he wrote and takes the lead vox on “Clownin’ Around”. I was trying to get ahold of the vibe of that tune; it’s got that bouncy, sort of country rhythm against those heavy lyrics. It’s like a weird William Burroughs western.
JM: That’s Dennis’ John Wayne Gacy song.
BR: No.
JM: Oh, yeah. (laughs)
BR: Oh, man … now that I think about the lyrics; the houseguests in the crawlspace and everything …
JM: Yeah. (laughs)
BR: Wow. Dennis has got some serious snakes in his head. (laughter)
JM: Yeah, you got that right. (laughs)
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