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Reddit Q&A with Matt Sharp - April 24, 2020
Reddit Q&A with Matt Sharp - April 24, 2020
[Original thread]
This is Matt Sharp of The Rentals. Welcome to our AMA. We have been promoting our upcoming new double-album Q36 since November, releasing a new single every two weeks, until we reshuffled things a bit, due to the COVID shutdown. But we got back on track with our latest single and video “Conspiracy.” Q36 is inspired by a number of sci-fi/space related subjects and people, from Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins to the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger to Elon Musk, and all the crazy theories out there from Nixon faking the moon landing to UFOs at Roswell. “Conspiracy” was inspired by the late Art Bell and his incredible late-night call-in show ‘Coast to Coast’, so this seemed like a perfect time to talk to all of you.
This is a list of links I have compiled to help get the dialog rolling:
1 ~ CONSPIRACY {Inspired by the late, great radio host Art Bell} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLtHKOAHSck
2 ~ FORGOTTEN ASTRONAUT {Inspired by Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkfKujfyUlY
3 ~ 9th CONFIGURATION {Inspired by the novel film by the same name} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INCXJOXrrmg
4 ~ ELON MUSK IS MAKING ME SAD {A fable about having a life long competition with Elon} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taupuK6oND4
5 ~ GREAT BIG BLUE {A musical tribute to the families astronauts of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLxNZuxoLDw
You can also follow The Rentals on social media, here:
BandCamp: https://therentals.bandcamp.com/ Webstore: https://therentals.com/
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3cgkmPT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therentals/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/therentals Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therentals
Artist Management: https://www.facetcubed.com/
EC3ForChamp: Are we still ever going to see the remastered Return Of The Rentals? I remember you spoke about it on Instagram a while back and nothing ever came of it.
TheRentalsQ36: oh, boy. this is a really long story, wayyy too long for this forum. long story, very short. we were working on it for a very long time, but there have been several complications, like all of the original artwork was either lost or destroyed by our parent-record company and/or designers, but we found some work arounds with the art and found really cool things like a bevy of unreleased spike jonze photos, etc. but, the bigger thing is that, we found out 1/2 way through working on a deluxe vinyl edition, that all of the master recordings are also missing or destroyed. i search for them for over 2 years, but came up completely empty handed, except for 1 DA-88 tape with some of petra's violins
cherubcock: so when are we gonna get an entire weezer album of just you singing?
TheRentalsQ36: you already have it, it's all in your mind...
If you want to view paradise Simply look around and view it Anything you want to, do it Wanna change the world? There's nothing to it.
TheArchaicKoala: Any plans on a streaming gig playing the entirety of "Seven More Minutes" ? Love that album :)
TheRentalsQ36: ha! keith murray and i did that, unplugged style, at codfish hollow
by the time we hit side two, most of the people walked out set off those chinese "candle balloon" lanterns
CurrentRefrigerator2: Any plans to tour after the full album is released? The Lost in Alphaville show was one of the best shows I've ever seen.
TheRentalsQ36: awe, thanks for the kind words. i'll be going in depth about live shows, all next week
metroid3d: Hi Matt! Loving Q36 so far. Couple questions:
- What was your favourite song to make on Q36, be it writing, recording, mixing, etc.?
- What album do you think every Rentals fan should listen to?
TheRentalsQ36:
- that's a tough one, maybe 9th Configuration, it was the one that had the most happy accidents ...you know, when you don't know exactly where you are going, but arrive in a completely different word than you originally envisioned ...nick is largely responsible for those left turns, if you know what i mean
- if you are turning somebody on to us for the 1st time, i would say start with whatever the most recent release from Q36. most artists would prefer people judge their new creations without carrying the baggage from the past
Noonch13: Hey Matt, any plans to re-release the Songs About Time tracks? I really loved a lot of those versions. I have them on CD and digitally but I think everyone should be able to hear them. Keep up the great work!
TheRentalsQ36: thank you! you know, we had tentative plans to do just that on this past new year's day, because that was the 10th Anniversary of the original finishing line ...but, all of the Q36 activity put that idea on the back burner
after the Q36 albums have shipped, we should be able to make them available. famous last words, but it should be very easy
FiveAlive2000: The Q36 songs are fantastic! I got so excited when I heard there was an Art Bell tribute and Conspiracy was well worth the wait! I'm curious what made you decide to do entire space/sci-fi themed album. Also, was there one favorite topic of yours from listening to Art?
TheRentalsQ36: thank you! thank you! very nice of you to say.
honestly, as far as i can tell the answer to the "why space" probably breaks down to these two things...
the big one is, i started writing these songs when my father was very sick and i continued to write them just after he had passed, so it was my own therapeutic way to deal and to escape to other worlds.
and the second thing is i was just bored shitless with my own personal story as a source for song inspiration, so i gave my self a challenge to write 50 songs that started from someone else's story and that was the starting point for Q36
Martywhynow: Yo! With the sci-if themes of q36, do you believe that aliens exist? Have you ever experienced the paranormal?
Also, what are your current workhorse synthesizers and why?
TheRentalsQ36: aliens? ...yes, somewhere. maybe, not here, but somewhere in the universe absolutely. could those aliens just be giant lumps of poop that fart and burp a lot, possibly
synths? on Q36 ...Moog Source (same one that was on Seven More Minutes, Last Little Life, Lost In Alphaville and Tegan & Sara's "So Jealous" album), Moog Sub 37, Juno 106, Juno JX-3P, Farfisa, Fender Rhodes, two different Elka synths ...and various stuff I'd borrow from my friend at Future Music
UncleBling: Are you still down with P?
TheRentalsQ36: Always.
Her palm reading technique was seriously on point
WhereIsROTRonVinyl: Ever since you released Elon Musk Is Making Me Sad, most of all of the headlines about Musk have for the most part been negative. Care to comment? And an update about your back catalog on vinyl would be nice (Return Of The Rentals/Seven More Minutes/The Last Little Life EP).
TheRentalsQ36: it is, honestly, hard for me to be critical of almost anyone. unless you're hurting those that can't defend for themselves, like puppies and kittens and children. if you are not doing those types of awful things, i could care less about what anyone does in their personal lives. and i definitely wouldn't be so presumptuous to openly criticize someone that has aimed to do a lot of good in the world and accomplished a great deal of those ambitions.
"You miss a 100% of the shots you don't take" Wayne Gretzky
TheRentalsQ36: ...oh, and I answered the ROTR vinyl question a couple times in this chat, but...
as far as 7MM we have a tremendous amount of alternate mixes and outtakes, as that album took forever and a day to get across the finish line.
i wouldn't mind diving into that one day, but at the moment i'm too busy trying to create new to take the time to worry about old things
Gary13th: A nice easy one ... what is your favourite track on Q36?
TheRentalsQ36: to sing along with in a car? Forgotten Astronaut, all dayyy
lah2011: Would you ever consider releasing the stems for any of The Rentals albums for fans to remix? I would love to break apart a lot of your songs and hear the hidden details. Lost in Alphaville in particular I think would be great to dive into!
TheRentalsQ36:
No. Probably not. I'm not usually interested in that kind of thing, because I believe it is the artist's job to make choices and present you something that has a point of view and intention.
Nut, it is funny you mentioned Lost In Alphaville, because before it was released, I tried to convince Polyvinyl to set up a studio tour of major US cities.
The idea was that small groups of fans would be let into a famous studio, like Electric Lady in NYC, and they would listen to the album as a whole from top to bottom, then there would be an intermission and I would open up the sessions, answer questions and share interesting parts of the arrangements.
The idea was based on that video of Brian May breaking down Bohemian Rhapsody: www.youtube.com/watch?v=v15oIktGJOo
I can't remember why they didn't go for it. Maybe, they thought I would come off as a pompous ass thinking that I'd just made Night At The Opera. Ha.
Not sure if would've worked, but songs like It's Time To Come Home would've been fun, because the individual track count for that song was just over 200 tracks
climbon321: Hi, Matt! You've presented such an amazing experience for fans following the release of your album with events from improv shows to signed records hidden around LA to artwork/shirts based on all of the songs. (thank you for all of this, it's been amazing!) Was there anything you had planned for the back half of the album that you've had to cancel/modify due to the quarantine?
TheRentalsQ36:
yes, well we had a few different things with the Flutter Experience (https://flutterexperience.com/) ...Nick and I were going to try an abstract musical performance of Nowhere Girl and Another World there (2 of Zinner's faves), but that had to be canceled...
and we had on again off again plans to shoot a music video there and we even talked about creating an interactive Q36 room there, but all of those ideas have to be scratched for all of the obvious reasons...
but, the way i look at things each detour may lead you to create something different, that you wouldn't have done otherwise, but ends up far more interesting than your original intention...
the conspiracy video is a good example of that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLtHKOAHSck
UncleBling: Any chance we will see anything by the Rentals available as playable songs in Rock Band 4?
TheRentalsQ36: would love that, but very doubtful
elijahstanfield: You recent work has been some of your best. Has your song writing process changed, or have you changed, or are you being influenced/inspired by new people and sounds? what's going on?
TheRentalsQ36: thank you ...because of forces of nature, like zinner, fridmann + vannucci, i was able i was able to loosen the reigns and not micro manage as I would have on all the music before Q36
for instance, i let nick choose all of the songs that are on Q36. i wanted to met sure he felt connected to the songs we were collaborating on. i played him 50 songs (25 on 1 day and another 25, halfway through the record) and the songs you've heard so far are all his picks. so, if you're digging how the songs feel individually and together, you have Nick to, largely, thank for that
elijahstanfield: So there's 25 more songs in the pipeline? Does that mean another record sooner than later? Or more bonus tracks to this album?
TheRentalsQ36: i'm not sure it means that the next record will be any faster or if there will be outtakes or not. i have no problem leaving thousands of songs on the cutting room floor.
all the songs that nick, dave and ronnie collaborated on will be on Q36
Gary13th: Is it easier to work with a scaled down band as opposed to some of the other Rentals line ups?
TheRentalsQ36: it just depends on who you are working with and what you are trying to accomplish.
for instance, there were around 15 different singers in our choir (The Gentle Assassins) and we did all of their vocals in two 5 hour sessions, on back to back days.
it was a large, diverse group of people, but they are all extremely talented ...and there was a ton to get done, but we all new exactly what we were trying to accomplish
mr_incognito: Do you still have any plans to remaster old Rentals albums? Seven More Minutes had so many good unreleased bootleg tracks. I would love to have a remastered album featuring songs from Little Russell Street like Translator and The Simple Life.
On that note, I've always wondered if a full version of I've Been Had from those sessions exists. An instrumental version appears on Little Russell Street and an early take with vocals was on the For The Ladies bootleg. I'd love to hear the full 7MM version.
TheRentalsQ36: that's an awesome deep dive question about "I've Been Had"...
I don't believe we ever recorded vocal for that track. If we ever did a deluxe edition with special features, I suppose I could record new vocals over the top of that instrumental, but that stuff is risky, because, I don't sing the same way as I did back then and that might not fit in with the OG tracks. The Stones did that with the Exile On Main Street deluxe edition and I always skip those tracks
itsovertoosoon: How has the time of COVID changed how you approach releasing and supporting the album?
TheRentalsQ36: well, the one thing i'll say is that i feel very lucky that we chose to approach it the way we did. there are many artists that had everything riding on a single release day and then the pandemic just swallowed everything thing up. i really feel for anyone that fell into that scenario.
as far as Q36 goes, the crisis hasn't impacted our approach all that much. inevitably it has caused a few small delays for us already and we've had to shift around our release schedules a bit, but essentiallyt that is it.
the pandemic will likely more unforeseeable problems for the entire vinyl industry and that will likely cause further delays for everyone, but that is a "wait + see" deal like everything else
001146379: Hello! Thanks for all the music! I'm an amateur pedal builder from Canada. What are your favourite pedals? Any tweaks you'd like to see in any pedals you use?
TheRentalsQ36: that's awesome. i have hardly ever used pedals at all. i leave the pedal stuff up to Zinner. i bet he has 10,000 of them...
back in the pinketon days, i went through a bunch of the old vintage, green, Sovtec big muff pedals, but i stomped them all into oblivion
elijahstanfield: What do you think of the state of rock music and music in general with the up and coming generation? Have you noticed any young artists that have shown promise for keeping rock alive?
TheRentalsQ36: you know, it's weird but i rarely feel connected to what's happening in the moment with modern music.
when i was a kid, like most folks, i listened to my dad's music (and basically still do) i can remember, he gave me a stones record, a beatles record and a doors album and said you should start from here. right now, i'm thinking of the time he handed me the 1st velvet underground record and said "listen to this, it will be the weirdest thing you'll ever hear"
and pretty much ever since those days, i've never listened to the radio for music. even when things were ascending for the blue album, i didn't have that much interest in our contemporaries on the radio or on MTV or whatever.
that being said i don't hold any sort of ideology where "the only good music is old music" ...i believe there is amazing music being made all over the world and before this whole pandemic knocked the world off its axis, i believe there were people packed into concerts and clubs celebrating listening to new music and it was the greatest music they've ever heard and it created the soundtrack to memories they will never forget. right now, people must be creating new soundtracks, as the backdrop, to strangest time any of us could possibly imagine and i bet it they are pretty damn good...
and the best is yet to come, i've got to believe in that. i feel that from my own music and i believe in more strongly when it comes to the other musicians i'm lucky enough to call my friends. the best is yet to come.
MacStainless: Hi Matt! Do you feel this album's songs were written or conceived different than past works? The feel is quite different from Alphaville.
Any word on if Return Of or Seven More Minutes will ever come to vinyl?
I've seen The Rentals three times in NY and by far they're my best concerts ever attended. Thanks for putting on great shows and for signing stuff for me & my friends afterward. I love my autographed Songs About Time boxed set. I framed & hung my Alphaville poster, which is in my living room: https://imgur.com/a/UJhLYTu.
TheRentalsQ36: Thank you! The NYC shows were always special for The Rentals. NYC and Chicago, always seemed to bring out the best in the all the member of all of the various lineups.
I always considered the last song on Alphaville as a spring board to what would follow. That song, to me, directly is connected to Q36, Ryen's approach to that song is connected to how Nick looks at things and what Jess and Holly from Lucius recorded on that track influenced the way I looked at the Gentle Assassins Choir and Pat Carney's drums at the very end of the song inspired the way I looked at creating drum loops and how I worked with Vannucci
lah2011: Can we expect any live streamed performances during the lockdown? It would be a good opportunity for some stripped down versions!
TheRentalsQ36: Right now, I'm not a big fan of the live from home performances. If other people like them that's great, but they are not something I want to participate in.
Gary13th: Are there any artists you haven’t collaborated with yet that you’d like to?
TheRentalsQ36: Oh, sure. Tons, I'm guessing. I had thought about Q36 being the first album of a connected trilogy that I collaborate on with Nick, but I'm not sure that I ever discussed it with him.
neverbeaten: Matt, please explain your relationship with Moog. I mean, obviously they are amazing Synths (I'm a fan too... sitting next to my Grandmother right now), but do they run unreleased ideas by you for your input? Do they sponsor you? It seems like there's a pretty tight connection there, and has been since day 1 of The Rentals.
TheRentalsQ36: I don't believe Moog truly sponsors anyone, but they have been amazing to me over the years. The connection really started from Tom Grimley. Tom was the main producer on ROTR and he happened to have 2 Moogs (an Opus 3 and a Source) we'd listen to a lot of Gary Numan and E.L.O. while playing Intellivision Golf and making weird little videos on his Fisher Price PXL vision
jasonporter: Hey Matt! Longtime fan, saw you guys during the Last Little Life Tour in Columbus and I hope to see you guys again one day. Incredible show, thanks for playing The Cruise!
Two Questions:
- I see above that the ROTR masters were lost, is there still any potential for a 7MM Vinyl? That is one of my favorite albums of all time.
- What is your FAVORITE song from each of your albums, including Q36???
Can't wait for the album to drop!
TheRentalsQ36: 7MM vinyl is possible one day, but I'm not sure when.
I never know how to answer favorite songs, because once the actual album is released I consider it yours and not mine, anymore. I hardly ever go back and listen, but just off the top of my head Love I'm Searching For or Please Let That Be You?, She Says It's Alright or Man With Two Brains?, It's Time Time Come Home or The Future? And I don't know about the new album some of my favorites are yet to come out yet.
Martywhynow: Whats the one memory you’d chose to take with you?
Also, what’s your glasses prescription?
TheRentalsQ36: isn this the ghost of james lipton?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpZ02A9aUVQ
arthuretf: Hey Matt,
First, great work on Q36, really enjoying it! Hopefully we'll have the chance to see a live tour some day soon.
Have you ever listened to the (no longer existing) Brazilian band Wonkavision? They had some clear inspirations on The Rentals, and even mentioned your name in one of the songs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFFllOlKY1U -- in portuguese only, sorry!). They hit some international popularity in the 00's, especially in Japan.
TheRentalsQ36: No. Never heard of them, but then again I've hardly heard about anyone. I'll check them out
beneli0: I just want to say how enjoyable it has been following along with the song by song releases from the record. I haven't personally noticed any commentary from you with respect to the meaning of the record title. Will any of the remaining songs to be released give any insight into what Q36 means? Does Q stand for question?
TheRentalsQ36: The last song we put out before the vinyl is released will give some insight, so I don't want to mention any spoilers. But I appreciate the question.
FiveAlive2000: If you could only listen to three albums for the rest of your life. Which ones would you choose?
TheRentalsQ36: maybe ...astral weeks, because you never know where it starts and where it ends, when you have it on loop ...maybe, exile on main street because never being able to completely understand the lyrics always keeps it a mystery ...and probably a compilation (if that is allowed) of Beethoven piano sonatas
ginrom11: One thing I love about the Rentals is how you've worked with a different crop of musicians on each album. How did you come about working with Nick Zinner, Ronnie Vannucci, and Dave Fridmann on this record?
TheRentalsQ36: each their own stories...
nick ~ over ten years ago, at a new years eve party, i had enough adult beverages to approach him and i said someday we need to make a record together ...ten years later i asked him to come to my house and listen to these songs that take place in outer space, after playing him 25 songs, i asked if any of it connected with him. he pulled up his pant leg to show me he had aliens printed on his socks and the rest is history.
~ ronnie i've known ever since he busted into tegan and sara's buss during the hot fuss tour. sara was helping me by listening to demos of my song ideas and giving notes on what she thought had value, he swung open the door, point at me and with the charm of dean martin said "you and are gonna be friends!"
fridmann ~ worked on the end of pinkerton, because we kept telling our engineer, and my friend, joe barressi if he could make it sound more like clouds taste metallic or transmissions from a satellite heart. i guess we made that request so many times, joe eventually called fridmann and said "these guys keep asking me to make it sound like you, so why don't you just do it?"
drsmooth77: Just wanted to say that I think the partnerships with Family Industries and Hit Record have been super rad. I guess, sticking to this AMA format, my question is what kind of music have you been into lately? Any recommendations?
TheRentalsQ36: Thank you. LOVE Family and LOVE HitRecord. They have both been so much fun to collaborate with. Listen to the new STRFKR!
staticprevails77: Hey Matt, your skills as a bassist and songwriting have greatly helped me as a young aspiring musician, and I can’t applaud you enough for the footprint you’ve left in the musical world. What are some of your personal favorite musicians/bands at the moment?
TheRentalsQ36: Oh, thank you! I LOVE LUCIUS, musically and personally. The last show I saw that killed me was CARDIOD (https://cardioidmusic.com/)
dawsonweezer: Hey Matt,
What would you say has been your proudest achievement of your career has been so far?
TheRentalsQ36: Probably, talking with the Collins family about the meaning behind specific lyrics in Forgotten Astronaut (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkfKujfyUlY)
northern_boi: Hey Matt, you’re one of my biggest influences on the bass, so just let me say thank you for all the great music! I have a few questions, but feel free to answer as many/few as you like.
- What songs (if any) have you used that white Musicman Stingray from the Good Life video on over the years?
- Do you remember what fuzz pedal was used to get the main distorted guitar tone on ROTR?
- Whatever happened to the Fender bass in the Buddy Holly video?
- I’ve tried to figure out all the bass parts on the blue album, but I can’t quite make out what you’re playing on the World Has Turned and Left Me Here. Am I right in thinking that it’s mainly played with power chords on the A and D strings?
- Was your bass on ROTR recorded with the Orange Matamp or something else?
Once again, thank you very much for all the great tunes over the years, and I really love the new Rentals songs. Keep up the good work! All the best. ✌️
TheRentalsQ36:
- that stingray, hmmm, i believe i only used it on, possibly, why bother and keep sleeping
- i think rod cervera used one of those green sovtek big muffs, but i could be wrong
- i don't know about that buddy holly bass. i can't remember karl might know. it wasn't mine, we may have rented it. not sure. i wanted to use my black bass, but i think spike thought it looked too beat up and punk rock for a family friendly show like happy days
- oh gosh, no idea about what strings and so on. the overall concept, on the album, was that the 2 guitar and bass all together should form a monolith of sound, so the individual parts would be indistinguishable from each other, if that makes sense
- yes, it was recorded with my orange in tom grimley's tiny bathroom right next to where pat's drums were set up. the fun fact is that there was so much bleed from the bass amp into the drum mics that i don't believe tom put any of the actual bass channel in the mix
IcyWillingness6: Hey Matt! Love the new album! Saw you in Brooklyn few years back. One of the best shows I’ve been to! Like I said love the album. The title kinda made my “spidey sense” tingle because of all that Q stuff out there. And my family had been personally affected by a loved one getting involved with this Conspiracy. Then Conspiracy came out and I was like ooooh noooooo! Not Matt too!
So my question is in a round about way is. what’s the significance of the title “Q36”?
TheRentalsQ36: well, if it helps, conspiracy is just supposed to be from the perspective of art bell listening to his callers. so the images in the videos and song are just the beliefs of the callers and are not my beliefs. as a matter of fact, i don't actually figure in to the song at all, if that makes sense
Gary13th: Is there anyone you performed with over the years that you want to perform with again?
TheRentalsQ36: Sure. I wouldn't know who to name specifically, but many.
citizenpuppet: Thanks for Blue Album and Pinkerton, Matt! Obviously everything went downhill the moment you left the group. Also, Return of the Rentals is still spectacular!
TheRentalsQ36: Thanks for the ROTR comment.
Gary13th: I’m a big Rentals fan, my biggest regret is never seeing you live. Being in the UK means you haven’t toured here for a long while - can understand why, but will there be any chance of a UK gig after all this world madness has dissipated? Maybe a gig with Ash or similar?
TheRentalsQ36: Thanks for the support. I plan to talk about future touring plans, sometime next week
sivablue: Matt - I love your work. No question just wanted you to know you were the inspiration for me picking up bass.
TheRentalsQ36: Awe, thanks. Very nice of you to say.
kskill: What do you do, day-to-day, in-between album releases? Lots of writing and performing, brainstorming, or do you have hobbies to pass the time?
TheRentalsQ36: Sadly, I probably average out to about 5 years per album and believe it or not, I'm usually, in one for or another, working on the album the entire time.
ewanr123: Hey Matt return of the rentals is one of my favourite albums of all time! Anyways are you using the same MOOG synthesizers as you did on that album for the latest Q36 stuff? Also please come to the UK when this is all over ❤️
TheRentalsQ36: I've used the same Moog Source since, the Return Of The Rentals tours in '95 and I used them quite a bit on Q36
seand218: Really enjoying the new songs! I love the flourishes in the instrumentation and the sonic textures. Are these things you visualized from the start or did they happen through trial and error along the way in the songwriting process?
TheRentalsQ36: a lot of trial, a lot of error and a lot, a lot, a lot of nick zinner
citizenpuppet: What did you think of being name dropped on SNL? Also are you and Maya Rudolph still friends?
TheRentalsQ36: I had some warning, because my friends brother was doing sound for whomever was the guest that night. I think it was Miley Cyrus, not sure. But he kept texting me ...omg ...omg ...you'd better watch SNL tonight! I haven't been an SNL guy since Steve Martin was putting an arrow through the head. That was big time entertainment in 1977. Anyway, love Matt Damon. The Brett Kavanaugh thing was probably the best thing I've seen on SNL and obviously Maya is the greatest of the greatest in the history of the show. She was making little skits like that throughout the ROTR tours in 95/96, with cheap little camcorder.
beautiful_ground: Hi Matt. I love the recording and production on the new record. I believe you recorded a lot of things at your home studio. I’d love to know about some of your gear. What microphone did you use for your vocals? What’s your chain for recording Synths? Etc. Any insights would be awesome.
Thanks!
TheRentalsQ36: sure. thanks. nick recorded all of his stuff at his own studio and i have no idea what he used. we recorded the ronnie's drums at the killers studio in vegas with a great engineer and he took care of all the technical stuff related to the drums mics, etc. the rest was all recorded at my home studio. i have a pair of Neve 1064 and essentially everything (synths, vocals, guitars, choir, everything) goes through them and an apogee converter into pro tools. it is a very simple set up. i have a dbx 165 compressor and a BAE compressor. in used a Shure SM7B for my more aggressive vocals and 2 different Mojave mics for breathier singing and acoustic guitars. That's about it. I've never been a gear head, my mind is not wired to read manuals. Is that helpful?
mistaken4strangerz: I don't have any questions, just wanted to say that you are the inspiration for me picking up the bass guitar in 1995 after listening to Only In Dreams 5,000 times in a row. Thank you for dedicating your life to music! The impact is far and wide and lasting.
TheRentalsQ36: damn nice of you to say, thank you
pygame: I know this isn't a Rentals question, but if you could, would you do an AMA on r/weezer sometime?
TheRentalsQ36: yes, but i might have to take a lot of naps
loveandzombies: "Invasion Night" is my favorite of the new songs. A couple things on that - first some kind of reissue of those hoodies would be amazeballs - even if they slightly differ (as long as they're zip-up please). 2nd, the video was really interesting and the dynamic of the girl with the dog really threw me off because - when I first heard the song I immediately attributed it to a human relationship style connection. Can you elaborate on that song/video concept?
TheRentalsQ36: Ohhh, thank you. The video is entirely Travis Keller and Jacob Mendell's (http://americanprimitive.org/films/) concept and creation. I played them the album and they connected with that song, in particular. Weeks later they called me and asked if the relationship had to be between a man and a woman. I told them that the two main characters could be a man and a woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man and since the song is specifically romantic it could be a Harold Maude dynamic between two young people, two old people, a young person and an old person or whatever combination they preferred. and they instantly responded "could it be a dog and a woman?"
President-of-What: Matt, me and my girlfriend are huge rentals fans, and she’s very upset she can’t go to prom. Would you ask her to prom for me?
TheRentalsQ36: thank you, to you and yours. that is very sweet. tell her prom is overrated.
iholland58: With the departure of Weezer, and keeping the Rentals going up until now, what was your inspiration behind the huge change in sound between the Rentals and Weezer in general
TheRentalsQ36: i don't know how to answer that, but i appreciate you taking time to ask the question
Wallywutsizface: Hi Matt, I’m a huge fan. I was wondering about earlyWeezer years. How involved were you,, Jason, and Pat involved in the song writing process for blue? Was it mostly Rivers, or was it a four-way split?
TheRentalsQ36: thanks for the question, i appreciate it. but that is another question for another day.
giraffecause: Hi Matt. I saw the rentals with blur in 96 in Madrid. I think I might have a VHS of parts of that show somewhere.
I fell in love with the band. Got to meet you when you released your solo album and toured with goldenboy. Nothing to ask, really, just wanted to say that return of the rentals is still one of the albums that bring me the most joy. It makes me feel good to think about it.
Thanks for everything, that and later stuff. Hugs.
TheRentalsQ36: that's awesome, you're awesome. thank you! post that vhs on youtube! would love to see it
andrewdate: Hey Matt, love your work in Weezer and The Rentals, especially the energy you bring to live performances. Return of the Rentals is one of my favourite albums and album covers.
Anyway, this isn’t a question about The Rentals, and I don’t know if you’ll have an answer, but there’s a part in the Bizarre Festival performance in 1996 where you and Pat start playing a song where you sing “I’m gonna shit on your face” over and over. What’s the deal with that man? I really love it and I want to know more.
TheRentalsQ36: Ha! That is an amazing question. I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, but it sounds totally plausible
