Venues
Events
VideoMusic
Interview: Marnie Stern
Seven CMJ shows, seven times she’ll blow your mind
Marnie Stern (Photo: David Torch)
| | More
You can praise Marnie Stern for her guitar playing (rightly so), but please don’t say the following sentence: “She’s one of the best female guitar players.” Even though that statement is technically correct, she shouldn’t be limited by her gender, as many reviewers have done in the past; would you describe Ella Fitzgerald or Aretha Franklin as only two of the finest female vocalists of all-time? Marnie is one of the must-see artists at this year’s CMJ, touring in support of her new self-titled album.
Encore spoke to Marnie Stern shortly before her run of CMJ dates (see below) about some of our favorite song titles of hers, Shea Stadium and Back to the Future.
“Put All Your Eggs in One Basket and Then Watch That Basket!!!”
That’s my favorite, I think. I like the crazy song titles because many of the bands I listen to do really fun and silly song titles, like Don Caballero. Hella had the best song titles, like, ever, and the best titles, like Bitches Ain’t Shit But Good People. Because I’m conceptual and serious, I try to pepper serious ones with not so serious, and I feel like that “Eggs” is a mix of both. It’s silly, but it’s the philosophy of my life. Like, Here I go, I’m doing music and music only. Let’s see what happens.
“Plato’s Fucked Up Cave.”
That’s because my best friend, Bella Foster [who does the cover art for Marnie’s albums], and I were reading Plato, and she was doing cave paintings. We had read a book about the earliest cave art that was found, and we were talking about it a lot, about Plato’s fucked up cave.
“Shea Stadium”
That, in part, was because Shea Stadium was ending, and also because I have a friend who’s a drummer named Kevin Shea.
Have you been to Citi Field yet?
No I haven’t.
You should, it’s nice in a very different way.
Is it fancy?
Eh, fancier than Shea, but that’s not really saying much.
I think that’s why people liked Shea so much, because it was so not fancy.
“Roads? Where We’re Going We Don’t Need Roads.”
Well, who doesn’t love that movie! It’s between the Indiana Jones series, Back to the Future and the Rocky films, I don’t know which to choose. I love all those of those ‘80s action movies. But I can’t do Back to the Future II or III, only the first one. I think they’re so bad.
I agree about III, but I love Part II. But why that line in particular for that song?
I was watching the movie. When I’m watching a movie and like a quote, I write it down. And with that album, almost all the songs were pretty fun and anthemic, so I picked a title that would reflect the feeling of the song.
“Crippled Jazzer”
We were practicing for the tour, doing a jam. My pick fell, so I was just doing things with my fingers and it looked awkward, and I was just like, “I’m like a crippled jazzer.”
“Transparency Is the New Mystery”
That’s kind of about how sometimes things just, with music and film and with everything, or people in general, things come out and it’s just so basic, and people say, “Wow, this is the most amazing thing ever.” To me, it’s sort of a joke. Transparency is the new mystery. The most basic shit is the coolest thing ever.
Do you read your own reviews?
Sometimes, yes, but it messes me up. It depends on how secure I am in life. When I’m feeling insecure, I can’t. It makes me feel more insecure.
They’ve been pretty overwhelming positive, though.
I guess, but as a person—my self-esteem isn’t so hot, so it’s hard for me to believe stuff. It’s something I’m really trying to work on, to not be as hard on myself, to feel proud of myself. It’s hard for me to do that.
“Female Guitar Players Are the New Black”
Well, you just get so exhausted answering what it’s like being a girl who plays guitar, and so that’s just like a tongue-in-cheek thing.
That was going to be one of my questions, if you ever do get tired of that question.
I feel like it puts me in a niche category. Take the music as a whole.
Do you ever get compared to a guitarist who isn’t Eddie Van Halen?
No. You’re right. Not one.
CMJ Concerts:
October 20, 6 p.m.
Cakeshop (Terrorbird Party)
October 20, 11 p.m.
Santo’s Party House (Stereogum Party)
October 21, 10:20 p.m.
The Pyramids (Kanine)
October 22, 3:45 p.m.
Bowery Electric (Redeye/Village Voice Party)
October 22, 5:45 p.m.
Brooklyn Bowl (Pitchfork Party)
October 23, TBA
Public Assembly (Brooklyn Vegan Day Party)
October 23, 12 a.m.
Delancey (NME)