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Jan 23, 2015 By Mark Redfern Web Exclusive

For Under the Radar’s 12th annual Artist Survey we emailed some of our favorite artists a few questions relating to 2014. We asked them about their favorite albums of the year and their thoughts on various notable 2014 news stories involving either the music industry or world events, as well as some quirkier personal questions.

Check out our Best of 2014 print and digital issues for answers from alt-J, Camera Obscura, Chromeo, The Dears, Death From Above 1979, Deerhoof, The Drums, The Flaming Lips, Glass Animals, Hookworms, Sondre Lerche, of Montreal, Ought, Owen Pallett, The Rosebuds, Strand of Oaks, Teleman, Sharon Van Etten, The War on Drugs, Warpaint, Woman’s Hour, Wye Oak, Zola Jesus, and others.

Here are some answers from Ted Joyner of Generationals.

What was the highlight of 2014 for either you personally or for the band?

Releasing our new record ALIX was my highlight so far. And then getting to play the new songs live. It’s always a weird/scary/exciting thing to see how new songs will come across live, but it’s the best feeling ever.

What was the low point of 2014 for you?

No low points. Only medium to high points so far. Very grateful.

What are your hopes and plans for 2015?

We may have a few new music videos in store to release that I’m pretty excited about. Also we’ll be playing a bunch more shows.

What’s the most uplifting or heartwarming fan interaction you’ve ever had?

This wasn’t exactly a fan thing, but recently we had a friend propose to his girlfriend at one of our shows. It didn’t happen onstage or anything, but we found out about it right afterwards and that was pretty crazy/touching.

Who from your youth (such as a former bully, an unrequited love) do you most hope pays attention to the fact that you’re now a successful musician?

All my former bullies have come forward to apologize and to give props for how good my band is. I’ve been super gracious about it and have not rubbed it in their faces. We’re all buds now!

Which musician or celebrity did you most have a crush on as a child or teenager?

My earliest memory of crushing hard on a girl was Princess Leia when I first saw Return of the Jedi. I guess I was probably 4. It was intense and I thought it would last forever, but then Tabitha Soren came along.

Which subject do you wish you paid more attention to in school?

History. I remember finding most history classes so profoundly boring, but now I love it.

What was your first concert experience like (who did you see and who did you go with)?

This wasn’t my first concert ever, but one of the earlier ones and probably most important ones: I saw Paul McCartney play at the Super Dome on his Off the Ground tour in the ‘90s. I was maybe 11? It blew my tiny mind!

In 2024, as part of the Mars One program, four people might be sent to Mars with no hope of ever returning to Earth. Are they completely crazy or brave? Would you ever consider such a thing?

There’s probably a delicate line between crazy and brave. The people who volunteer for this will probably be a bunch of both. But we should toss in a few crazies to keep it interesting. MarsRules Season 1!

Which Golden Girls character are you most like?

Probably Blanche. She was like the Southern, really self-concerned airhead-ish one, right?

What advice would you give to a musician who is writing and recording a follow-up to a critically acclaimed and successful album in terms of dealing with the pressure and delivering an album that meets expectations?

Probably just to disregard everything everyone has said about your first release and try as best you can to make the follow-up record you were going to make anyway. Also: use the money you made from your successful debut to buy a WaveRunner and write your second record while riding it. You’ll thank me!

What was your most disastrous haircut experience?

I don’t think I’ve ever had a full-on disaster haircut. Each one is its own unique micro-crisis.

When you can’t sleep, what worry is most likely to be keeping you up at night?

“Is my current haircut a disaster and no one is telling me? Have I surrounded myself with yes-men?”

In 2014, what was the best movie you saw, book you read, comic book you read, video game you played, and/or TV show you watched?

That PBS documentary about the Roosevelts was pretty sick!

www.generationals.com

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