Yr My Favorite (Lady)Bird.

MAX BEMIS

SAY ANYTHING

When this world’s maker of creatures, whoever that might be, made

Max Bemis – he/she immediately threw away all of the blueprints and technical instructions

that would allow another human to be made even remotely like him.

Max is a double handsome well-schooled punk rock brainiac. A wearer of ironic vintage fashion itemz. A

distant wizard of wordsmithery and a haver of fantastical spazz tendencies.

Someday if you wanted to, you could have a job just like his.

***

Q. Maxim Adam Bemis, we are friends because ages ago, before the release
of ...Is A Real Boy I was hired to write some funny voice-over sketches
that were going to {Rest In Peace!} appear in between the songs on
the record. Many of these sketches were going to focus on a
You-Against-The-Major-Label-World type theme.

Now, years later, yr a successful artist in the fabled cat birds seat on
a rad major label that loves yr guts and believes in you 137 and a
1/2 percent. How's that all working out for you? Has yr perspective
totally shifted from the anti Globo-Chem Corp type sentiments we were
both feeling at the time?

A. Well, Teet, although globalization is a scary thing and the man is no
doubt priority number one in terms of things to be tackled by the music
and creative community as a whole, I believe corruption of hope from the
inside of the so called "underground community" is just as much if not
more threatening to the common good and that's more what the album
is about.

The character in the "story" discovers that by alienating the
"normal" people around him he has become as discriminatory and fascist
as any large corporation. So, I worry more about being true to myself and
my artistic intentions, friends, and those who believe in me then the
big company that is backing me. It is better to immerse yourself in
life and make a difference then to turn your back on everything.

***

Q.  Yr job right now is to get yr mind blowing tunery out to the
rock-loving world at large. In order to do this on the level that yr at,
it takes ten tons of work. Tell us some of the most demanding aspects of
what you do. Is it doing interviews like this one that ask the same
questions every time!?

A. Thanks Teet, I sure do think you're swell. The interviews are actually
kinda fun for me because I like speaking my mind. Performing long sets
can be physically and emotionally draining, as fun as it is. Being on
tour is like being an alien...you don't live a normal life and I miss
that sometimes. Also, we've had to play the same songs for three
years in a row because this record has been getting bigger. I'm ready
to play some new stuff in the near future!

***

Q. You've been on tour for the last 137 and a 1/2 years. At present, yr in
Dirty NYC prepping for yr new record. Can you tell the kids what
pre-production for an album entails? And what this new album is going to
be like? We've talked about it being a double disc. Is that still
happening? Bananas! Deets, please.

A. It may or may not be a double disc. We are going to work on
practicing the 23 full band songs we have for the record – and then our
producer, Brad, is going to come in halfway through that process and
help us cut the fat, do creative stuff and pretty much plan out what
we're going to do. We begin tracking the record February 1st in NYC.

***

Q. Do you love yr life and would you recommend it to mini-rockers who
are looking to make music their full-time job? Any other pearls of
wisdom, smartie?

A. I do love my life - it is a dream come true and I have by far
surpassed any true expectations I've had for this band - getting to play
and interact with many musical heroes of mine, play for large
groups of kids who connect with me and my music. I think if your heart
is really in it, which only you know, it's certainly something worth
pursuing and is within anyone's grasp - as long as they put in the blood
sweat and tears and other bodily fluids.

***

Q. Tell us how much you love your cat and dogs, because, if I remember
correctly, it's an inordinate amount of love.

A.  I miss my dog Benji. He was the best dog in the world. I LOVE all
other dogs and cats, especially my cat Chloe, who is the strangest cat in
the world and also the most talkative. I have a total of two dogs and
one cat living with my parents. I come visit them.

***

Q. Yr mom is the coolest! {Luv you, Shif.} Yr dad, who makes totally
sweet Hollywood movie posters, did the package design fer ...Is A Real
Boy. Yr way lucky to have rents who have always been so super supportive
of yr career and yr naturally flashy Max style, dontcha think? Bemises
4ever!

A. My whole family rules and my parents have been more than supportive.
Rather than have to sign to a major label early to finance touring full
time and getting really good equipment, I borrowed a bunch of money from
my parents. Major labels were interested in paying me much more,
but I wasn't ready to sign my life away. My parents thought it would be
better for me to be able to choose later so they gave me the freedom to
pursue music for a year without having to sign to a bigger label.
When I was ready and found the right label I immediately payed them
back. To this day my mom is my biggest fan and coach and my dad is my
creative idol.

***

Q. You went to the same fancypants private high school as Blake

Schwarzenbach, lead singer of seminal 90's punk rock
band Jawbreaker - he's the coolest ever! Another dude that went to yr
high school was Robert Schwartzman, lead singer of Rooney, whose fake
last name is Carmine, who is only medium rad, if that. Will you be doing
any snow shoe-ing this winter?

A. Wow, Blake from Jawbreaker went to my high school? What the fuck. I
didn't know that. I would have given it a small moderation of respect
then, being that I see it as a den of sin. Just kidding, it's not
terrible. There are a few great teachers but also many spoiled idiot brats
being bred into cookie cutter people. I am not familiar with the term
snow shoe-ing but if it's anything that the dudes in Rooney are doing, I
doubt it. If it involves Jawbreaker, or actual snow, I'm game.

***

Q. Maxim Adam Bemis, I love you like a little brother. Do you love me
like the senile Granny that I am?

A. You are more like that savvy, awesome older cousin that introduces
you to Smashing Pumpkins and her hot friends. I love you.

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