Interview with OK Go's Tim Nordwind

Bassist Tim Nordwind (right) and his bandmates

Interview by Scott Shetler

OK Go has been one of the more underappreciated rock bands of the past several years. Their excellent last release, Oh No, was overshadowed by its equally excellent videos for “A Million Ways” and “Here it Goes Again” (the treadmill video), the latter of which won a Grammy Award.

In January, they return with the Of the Blue Colour of the Sky, a record produced by Dave Fridmann (MGMT, Flaming Lips) that channels Prince and shows off the band’s funky side. On November 4, they kick off a mini-tour of the Midwest at Mr. Small’s in Pittsburgh.

We recently chatted with bassist Tim Nordwind on the phone about the new record, his Grammy Award (which may or may not have been stolen), and the awesomeness of ‘80s weekly countdown show Solid Gold.

Hi Tim, where are you calling from this morning?
I’m actually in South Bend, Indiana. We’re shooting a video here.

On the subject of videos, your previous videos have set the bar really high. What do you have planned in terms of videos for the new album?
We’ve got one in the can and we’ve got about four more that are in different stages of planning. We’re hoping to make a video for every song on the record this time, which is kind of a lofty goal, but that’s what we’re shooting for.

We have a good time making videos. We’ve been making videos outside of the traditional filmmaking industry for the most part, just because it’s more fun for us to have an idea and figure out how real people might make it, versus industry professionals. It’s fun to dream something up and make it guerrilla style, versus doing it the proper way.

Video: OK Go - A Million Ways




Congratulations on the new album coming out. You started working on it a couple years ago, right?
Yeah, we started writing for it about two years ago when we stopped touring. We toured for 31 straight months on our second round, so we were pretty burned out by the time we stopped. I’d say the first six to eight months, we wrote a bunch of crap because we were so burned out. We were just trying to figure out how to be human beings again.

So it took us about a year and a half to get a group of songs together that we actually liked. We spent most of last year in Fredonia, New York recording with Dave Fridmann and we mixed the record over the summer.

I listened to the new album and I’m kind of blown away by how Prince-sounding some of the songs are.
We were listening to a lot of Purple Rain in the studio. I think on the first two records we exhausted whatever kind of guitar rock demons we have inside of us. We all grew up listening to ‘80s pop radio, which was a pretty seriously eclectic bunch of music – it was Prince and Michael Jackson, but then it was Talking Heads and B-52s. So this record we went back to earlier influences like that. So, yeah, there’s a lot of Prince on this record.

Did you happen to be a fan of Solid Gold in the ‘80s?
The dance show? (laughs) Yeah, who wasn’t? They really don’t make shows like that any more, do they? ‘We’re gonna put 150 people in the room and watch them dance.’

That’s my guilty pleasure on YouTube.
Wow, I hadn’t considered that it might be on YouTube. I guess everything’s on YouTube. You’ve inspired me to go back to my Solid Gold years.

One of the new songs, “Before the Earth was Round,” feels like your Kid A moment. What’s the story behind that song?
That was one of the first songs written for this record. It was an early contender for the album. It’s got that vocoder, lonely robot sound. I suppose musically, Blonde Redhead was sort of the referential influence for that song. Lyrically, I feel like I’m not always equipped to speak to the lyrics because I didn’t write them. Damian’s the singer and wrote those lyrics. I know it’s sort of a parable about before the earth was round. The characters are the sky and love.

Do you have a favorite of the new songs?
There’s a song called “All is Not Lost” that I like a lot. I think “Skyscrapers” is really good, a slow and groovy song. It’s roughly about a character who lived his or her life not believing in anything, sort of looking up at a skyscraper and being like, Wow, someone actually dreams that and makes that, and that’s pretty insane. Sort of a song about finding something to believe in, which is kinda nice.

Stream “Skyscrapers” from OK Go’s upcoming album here:
http://music-mix.ew.com/2009/05/07/ok-go-skyscrape/

Where do you keep your Grammy?
(Laughs) I don’t even know where my Grammy is, to be honest with you. I moved about two years ago and I packed it up. My Grammy is in storage. Which is awful, I need to get it out.

I’m a little bit afraid that it’s not there anymore. It’s buried under a bunch of boxes. I think it’s probably safe. In some ways it’s probably safer than the ones that are out because I think it would be much harder to find. If someone wanted to come in and steal my Grammy, they’d have to go through an awful lot of boxes.



Are you guys in the camp that doesn’t put much stock in award shows, or was it actually really thrilling to get a Grammy?
It was really thrilling, but I don’t put stock in accomplishments, period. I feel like the minute you are satisfied with something, that’s the minute you’ve lost. I don’t want to say we don’t put a lot of stock in award shows – we don’t actively go out and say they’re bullshit or anything like that. But I don’t think we’re the type of people who sit around and celebrate that stuff for a very long time. We appreciate it on the day we get it, and then it’s time to move on to the next project.

Your band is one of the more fashionable bands in rock. How would you describe your style?
The style for the last record was like an update on turn of the century dandyism (laughs). It was fashion patterns mixed with paisley and formal suits. I think it’s ever-changing, though. The way it’s going this time is sort of colorful. We’re getting out of always needing to be in a three-piece suit. I get the sense we’re sort of headed in a slightly more futuristic and colorful direction.

Video: Tim narrates a video of OK Go recording the new album

You guys have been parodied on The Simpsons, you’ve been in films and tv shows, in video games, on billboards… are there any forms of media left for you to conquer?
Well, we’ve yet to be projected onto the moon. That would be great. We haven’t been on Saturday Night Live, which I would like to do. That’s personally my favorite show - other than Solid Gold. If I could turn back time and get on Solid Gold, that would be an obvious choice, now that you’ve got me thinking.

OK Go performs at Mr. Small’s in Pittsburgh on November 4 with local favorites Donora. Find the band online at okgo.net and follow Tim on Twitter at http://twitter.com/timothynordwind.

My friend has problems with winter and autumn

CONCERT REVIEW: Amanda Palmer & The Danger Ensemble
November 29, 2008
Mr. Small's, Pittsburgh

Amanda Palmer promised an entertaining show, and she certainly delivered. Accompanied by Australian 4-person performance troupe The Danger Ensemble, who provided theatrical interpretations of many songs, Palmer provided a 2-hour set full of memorable moments, ranging from serious to silly.

Palmer played much of her debut album Who Killed Amanda Palmer?, and her voice sounded as strong as I've ever heard it. I've had some bad luck with Dresden Dolls shows in the past - it seemed that Palmer's voice was shot at pretty much every show I attended - but this was clearly not the case tonight. She sounded beautiful on "Ampersand," hitting the tricky falsetto parts with ease.

"Strength Through Music," a heartbreaking ballad inspired by the Columbine shootings, took on a new life as violinist Lyndon Chester read the names of several school violence victims at the beginning of the song. The power of the moment was obvious; you could hear a pin drop as Palmer hit the "tick tick tick tick" parts.

The intense "Runs in the Family" and the poignant "Have to Drive" were among the other highlights from WKAP. A few Dresden Dolls favorites showed up as well, including "Mrs. O," "Coin-Operated Boy" and my personal favorite, "Bad Habit."

Palmer gave her voice a rest on a few numbers, like when she joined the Ensemble for a lip-synched, choreographed version of "Guitar Hero," with Palmer striking rock star poses and pretending to play an electric guitar.



Amanda did quite a bit of chatting with the crowd, and accepted a few requests, giving in to the overwhelming demand for "Oasis." She stopped mid-song during a left-field cover of "Livin' On a Prayer" to point out an often-overlooked inconsistency in the lyrics - in the bridge, Bon Jovi sings, "It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not," but he later adds, "We'll make it, I swear." She theorized that perhaps the second "make it" refers to having sex.

The high point was unquestionably a stunning, set-closing "Half Jack." When performed with the Dresden Dolls, the song typically begins with 4 minutes of drumming insanity; here, with no drums, it was Palmer's keys and the violin of Chester that provided the song's power. It was a welcome reminder that the concert, despite its sideshow element, was still principally about Amanda's captivating music.



See more pictures here.

No one wants a tune about the 100th luftballoon

Just sharing a couple of photos from last week's Okkervil River concert at Mr. Small's. I opted against writing a full review since I've done that twice already this year, but I will say they weren't as good as when they played at Lollapalooza and when they opened for the New Pornographers. I'm thinking that has to do with the length of the set - it's easier to have a high-quality show when you're playing for only 40 or 60 minutes, but when you have to fill 90 minutes, that's more of a challenge. (That's another reason why I love festivals: Shorter sets = higher quality!)

This show didn't really pick up steam until near the end, with "Lost Coastlines" and "Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe." It was good, but nothing to write home about.

I assess the essence of the mess

CONCERT REVIEW: Mike Doughty
April 13, 2008
Mr. Small's Theatre, Pittsburgh

I recently gave Mike Doughty's Golden Delicious a mediocre review, but I can't stay mad at the guy. Onstage, the former Soul Coughing frontman just knows how to get it done.

Last night, Doughty's enthusiasm seemed a bit low, but he still delivered a solid performance. He avoided the trap of playing too many songs from his most recent album, offering a near-perfect mix of older tunes, new stuff from Golden Delicious, and Soul Coughing classics. "Fort Hood" and "I Just Want the Girl in the Blue Dress to Keep on Dancing" both sounded great. The only new song that misfired was "Navigating By the Stars at Night." I've found that song boring and repetitive from the moment I first heard it, and tonight was no different.

Doughty didn't seem to be in the best of spirits, stopping several times to ask fans for requests and then playing something else instead, with no explanation - though he did get a kick out of someone requesting "One Night in Bangkok." His band was focused and competent, serving up new arrangements of Soul Coughing favorites "Circles" and "St. Louise is Listening."

Exclusive:
MP3: Mike Doughty - I Just Want the Girl in the Blue Dress to Keep on Dancing (live 4-13-08)

Setlist:
Soft Serve
Busting up a Starbucks
I Just Want the Girl in the Blue Dress to Keep on Dancing
St. Louise is Listening
Tremendous Brunettes
Fort Hood
Navigating By the Stars at Night
Grey Ghost
I Hear the Bells
More Bacon Than the Pan Can Handle
Unsingable Name
Circles
Put it Down
Ossining
The Gambler
----------------
27 Jennifers
Looking at the World From the Bottom of a Well

Operator, get me the president of the world

CONCERT REVIEW: Tokyo Police Club
April 10, 2008
Mr. Small's Theatre, Pittsburgh

Those peppy Canadian kids, Tokyo Police Club, were in town last night to promote their upcoming Saddle Creek release Elephant Shell, and it was obvious they've grown as a band since I saw them last year at Lollapalooza. The songs sounded much truer to the studio versions, the vocal chants were spot-on, the inexperience didn't show as much.

The band started off with mostly new material, and while the new tracks don't bombard the listener with the same intensity as older favorites like "Cut Cut Paste" and "Nature of the Experiment," they were still fairly well-received.

Midway through the show, singer/bassist Dave Monks announced, "The next song is a cover. It's the only cover we know." I knew what was coming - the Rentals' "Friends of P." The idea of covering that track is brilliant, but I've heard the mp3 that's been floating around of TPC's version, and I'm thoroughly unimpressed. Last night, though, they nailed it. Matt Sharp would've been proud.

This was destined to be a short show, given that Tokyo Police Club's songs rarely exceed 3 minutes. TPC walked offstage following the shortest encore in history (just 2 minutes, a spirited version of "Cheer it On"), bringing its total length of performance to only 58 minutes. That's all they needed to win over the crowd on this night.

Girl Talk, anonymous even at his own show

CONCERT REVIEW: GIRL TALK
May 11, 2007
Mr. Small's Theatre, Pittsburgh

The first of five opening acts begins playing as we walk in the door and take a spot in the crowd. A few feet to our right stands the headliner, Gregg Gillis, aka Girl Talk, the Pittsburgh-based mashup artist whose show tonight is sold out. He is not recognized by anyone, except for a solitary dude who comes over to offer a handshake and a few words.

Anonymous even at his own show in his hometown, Gillis has gone from unknown local guy to nationally renowned mashup artist who performs for thousands around the world. Upcoming gigs include Bonnaroo, the Pimlico festival in Baltimore, and the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona. But you still wouldn't recognize him on the street. This from a guy who (we think) still holds a day job at a downtown office and has co-workers who (we think) still have no idea what he does on the weekends.

If you've read one Girl Talk review, you've read them all. He stands on stage in front of two laptops, which he uses to mashup songs on the spot. His hour-long set largely ignored 2006's acclaimed Night Ripper, which wound up on every music magazine's top 20 list, and that was a good thing, because it wouldn't be very fun to go to a show and just hear the CD over again.

Gillis came on stage dressed in a bizarrely-spotted hoodie, which he removed to reveal a Steelers t-shirt, which later came off to reveal a Penguins tank top. Paying further homage to his hometown, Gillis' first mashup was a re-working of Night Ripper's opening track, "Once Again," with the Ludacris rap replaced by one from local rapper Wiz Khalifa's song "Pittsburgh Sound." It took not five minutes for the crowd to spill onto the stage, and from there the dance party was on.

Gillis added some brand new material into his mashups, including Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend," Timbaland's "Give It To Me," and Gwen Stefani's "The Sweet Escape," which became one of the show's highlights as the audience sang along to the obnoxious "woohoo, weehoo!" lines. The high point was the most talked-about moment on Night Ripper, when Gillis mixes Notorious B.I.G.'s "Juicy" with Elton John's "Tiny Dancers." The crowd exploded as if they were watching a rock band perform its biggest hit. Another personal favorite moment was when the baseline from Hall & Oates' "Out of Touch" kicked in on "LC and Lo."

At the end of the show, Gillis, either drunk or just riding the high of the moment, asked the crowd, "Where's the after party?," then proceeded to give out his home address to the hundreds in attendance. (Sorry, stalkers, I didn't catch the street name - it's 500 Something Street in Wilkinsburg.) As he normally does, he then took the mic to end the show with an actual singing performance of Nirvana's "Scentless Apprentice," which strangely sent everyone home happy.

Girl Talk on MySpace


Here's a short, grainy clip (I wish videos looked as good online as they do on my camera...)