Suburban Horror Interview - August 14th, 2007

By Suburban Horror
Source

Being a Something Corporate fan, I was glad to catch up with Andrew McMahon of Jack's Mannequin at the San Diego Warped Tour. We then proceeded to talk about almost everything, even some things you may have wanted to know.

Suburban Horror: So, you, I bet, always get compared to Something Corporate.

Andrew McMahon:(laughs) Yeah it has happened.

SH: How do you feel that you are different?

AM:It’s probably a better question for someone more objective than myself. (laughs) Obviously, it’s a much different configuration. I did this record sort of on my own with my producer Jim and sort of just used it as an opportunity to kind of experiment with some different kinds of sounds. Approached the recording of the record differently - the way we sort of built the record from the ground up was much different, it was not really alive. Usually we’d go in and work songs out live with the band, where there was no band when I started this. We’d sneak in and program drums and build the tracks mainly in the studio, which lead to a spontaneous energy. What we did wasn’t really calculated. It was very loose and fun. We’d just throw everything we had in the song. Whereas you’d usually go in to record a record over a month or two, we’d go in for a couple days at a time and work on one or two songs and it took us a year/ year and a half to make it. I think, in that sense, the record benefited in having a little more perspective than I’ve had in the past to make records. I was able to digest these songs over the course of many months and refine them. I think, sonically, there is a lot of different sounds on this record that people haven’t heard on the Something Corporate record.

SH:What is your favorite song?

AM: Probably Dark Blue on the album. It’s actually our next single and for me it was as the last song I wrote on the record. I always find that my favorite song is the last one that I worked on. I think that song for me sums up the record in a lot of ways. I wrote it to do that.

SH: Okay, so how did you get involved in Warped Tour?

AM: I did my first Warped Tour in 2002 with Something Corporate. We did the whole tour. And then ever since then, I guess the summer after that we played a few days on the tour while we were on tour with 311 most of that summer, so you could see the whole thing with them. Something Corporate was booked again for last summer, and I had literally, two or three weeks before we were supposed to go on those dates, been diagnosed with leukemia, so I got stuck in the hospital versus actually being out here. But Kevin, said if I had days I could come out and do this summer to give him a call. I was home for day and I was like, Warped Tour’s passing through San Diego. I gotta come down! So the whole band drove down from L.A. today to play the show.

SH: Are you guys going to do any more dates?

AM: We actually are going to be on tour all summer with a band called O.A.R.

SH: Of A Revolution?

AM: Of A Revolution. Yes exactly, you know. Not as many people on the west coast are as familiar with them. But, yeah we’ll be doing their amphitheater tours in support for them. Unfortunately, I can’t do (Warped). When they were booking this tour I was still pretty sick, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to tour during the summer. Needless to say, I am now (laughs) But we were glad to get on at least a date with (Warped).

SH: I’m glad you guys picked San Diego.

AM: Yeah I love it. It’s probably the coolest date they have all summer as far as weather is concerned.

SH: Okay here are the random questions. If you could go on tour with anyone alive or dead, who would it be?

AM: Alive or dead? Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I love the whole band. I’m a big fan. Their new record is just going to blow people’s minds for sure.

SH: Okay, explain your favorite tattoo.

AM: Of mine? That’s a hard one. I don’t know- well this one, the simplest one of all. It’s a quote from a Hermann Hesse novel called Siddhartha, which most college students have read. I just think it’s a great statement about life. I’m proud to have it on my body. (laughs)

SH: Your favorite author?

AM: I’ll be honest: I should read a lot more than I do. I’ve read a lot of stuff. Bacalski is probably my favorite author at this point.

SH:And are you a movie buff?

AM:It’s funny I feel like I am. It’s been so long since I’ve been going to movies regularly. I went and saw the Devil Wears Prada the other day.

SH:I saw it too. What do you think?

AM: I thought it sucked. I was really bummed out. I don’t know it seemed boring to me; I wasn’t in the mood for that movie. But I’m much more into older movies. Whatever is on HBO. I love a good movie.

SH:What do you do to keep sane on tour?

AM: To keep sane on tour? I used to have a harder time to be sane on tour. Now, I just love to play. I spend a lot of time on my cell phone talking to people back home and doing a lot of work and stuff. But for the most part, I’ve been trying to take a different approach to touring. I used to spend 10 or 11 months on the road. I’ve been going for three or four weeks, going back for a couple of weeks, going on; it’s been a lot easier to stay sane because I’ve been monitoring my schedule a more closely than I used to.

SH:What instruments do you play?

AM: Piano and sing. And I take a shot at the guitar every couple months and go “I know how to play piano better.” I’ll play about anything. But pretty much piano and vocals are my best.

SH:Were you forced into piano?

AM:They tried when I was in 1st grade. I had two lessons then boycotted. Then I found it on my own. I’d been writing poetry since I was a kid. When I was in 4th grade I had a close family member pass away and I sat at the piano we had in our house and started writing little songs. That’s how I started. Eventually took lessons. I went to the crazy German piano teacher, Ms. Zeizringenhousen. And, yeah, she beat me up and got me into shape. Studied and played ever since.