Interviews with Tim Mooney and Mark Eitzel, drummer and singer/songwriter/guitarist (respectively) of American Music Club, the band whose 1991 song gives this site its name.
The Tim interview is nothing special, but the Mark interview sums up everything I love about every interview Mark has given in the last 20 years. It’s got it all, starting with the slavering fanboy attitude of the interviewer. (Mark is beloved by critics, less so by the record-buying public.)
The token strangeness that is Mark’s life: “I’ve had, like, the weirdest night of my whole life. This millionaire who owns Maxim magazine funded this poetry reading, and they had like eight different kinds of this really expensive French wine. All in a corporate environment. So strange. He’s the owner of Maxim, and he’s a poet. Go figure.”
The obligatory self-loathing: “Q: I’d just like to tell you that when you played ‘Home’ at Bumbershoot, I almost cried. A: Because you felt sorry for me?” And: “Q: Well, it was a great show. A: A lot of people got up and left.”
The silly anti-Americanism: “I think the problem is America. It’s over…Over as a force that transcends the world…America was a wonderful place. But this new government is different. It’s not America, it’s fascist.”
The “my music is crap” meme: “Q: I was looking at the lyrics for ‘I’m in Heaven Now.’ A: I’m so embarrassed by that song. Q: I really love the line, ‘It’s the theme park of my dreams.’ A: Oh, come on. ‘Michael Jackson’s on his knees.’ I’m so embarrassed I wrote that song. I don’t want Michael Jackson giving me head. Not with that mouth.”
The weird-for-such-an-uncommercial-artist obsession with money: “I have to change my life pretty soon, because I know this will never make me money anymore…Or maybe not. Who knows? Maybe I can write a song like that ‘I’m Too Sexy For My Shirt’ song, and keep it going.”
The rapid mood swing: “I just hate it. It’s wrong. And it’s taken me all this time to… hey, but you know what? You know what I’m doing right now? I’ve had all this fabulous French wine, and now I’m driving around in a Ford Mustang, and it’s the best car ever built! I’m in this fabulous fuckin’ Mustang with a V-8 engine that’s fuckin’ HUGE! And it’s so much fun.”
The alcoholism: “Hey… I’m sorry. I’m so drunk, I’ve had all this really fine wine.”
Hello, networks: A Mark Eitzel reality show would be the best television program of all time.