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Issue #32

Issue #32 - Summer 2010 - Wasted on the Youth

Jul 29, 2010

Under the Radar‘s Summer 2010 issue is a special issue we’re calling the Wasted on the Youth Issue. The basic idea of the issue was to talk to musicians and actors about various facets of their childhood/teenage years, from their first favorite bands/concerts to childhood memories to movies/TV shows of their youth, etc. We were interested in talking to musicians and actors about some of their earliest memories and their childhood passions. Many of the articles include childhood or teenage photos of the musicians interviewed.

The cover features Matt Berninger, the lead-vocalist and primary songwriter for The National, along with his one-and-half-year-old daughter, Isla. For the issue we interviewed each member of The National about something from their childhood, talking to them about such films as Tron and The Dark Crystal, such TV shows as The Muppet Show, and such bands as Talking Heads and Joy Division.

“The oil spill in the Gulf probably infuriates me 10 times more because I have a kid than it would have before I had a daughter.” - The National’s Matt Berninger

The Wasted on the Youth section also includes the following articles:

30 Rock‘s Judah Friedlander on Pac-Man

The Antlers’ Peter J. Silberman on TGIF TV

Being Human‘s Russell Tovey on Ghostbusters and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Bloc Party’s Kele on Gary Numan

Camera Obscura’s Tracyanne Campbell on Grease

Fucked Up vs. Devo: A Conversation Between Damian Abraham and Mark Mothersbaugh

Here We Go Magic’s Luke Temple on His Grandfather

The Kids in the Hall (a look back at the ‘90s sketch comedy troupe)

Let Me In‘s Chloë Grace Moretz

Liars’ Angus Andrew on Duran Duran

Local Natives’ Ryan Hahn on Street Fighter

Look Around You: Robert Popper and Peter Serafinowicz Rethink the Educational Film

Mad Men‘s Elisabeth Moss on My So-Called Life

My Morning Jacket’s Jim James on Twin Peaks (includes a Twin Peaks-themed photo-shoot with James)

Portishead and BEAK>‘s Geoff Barrow on Post-Apocalyptic Films of the ‘80s

Sigur Rós’ Jónsi on Being a Metalhead

Tegan and Sara’s Sara Quin on Phil Collins

Saturday Night Live‘s Fred Armisen on the Punk Music of His Youth

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World‘s Mary Elizabeth Winstead on Labyrinth

“At the arcade, people don’t understand today, there was pressure!” - 30 Rock‘s Judah Friedlander on Pac-Man

“They were called Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles in England because ‘Ninja’ was deemed too aggressive.” - Being Human‘s Russell Tovey on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

“It’s utterly ridiculous to me now, when I look at it, because John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John were like 40 years old, playing 17 year olds” - Camera Obscura’s Tracyanne Campbell on Grease

“Claire Danes was so incredible in that show, and she became my role model at that young age for acting.” - Mad Men‘s Elisabeth Moss on My So-Called Life

“At school, we were shown Threads, a documentary-like movie set in Sheffield about a thermonuclear war. There’s a scene with a woman in a supermarket who hears a three-minute warning and pees herself.” - Portishead and BEAK>‘s Geoff Barrow on Post-Apocalyptic Films of the ‘80s

“I tried to sing ‘Groovy Kind of Love,’ and I remember looks of horror on people’s faces.” - Tegan and Sara’s Sara Quin on Phil Collins

The section also includes four special articles that tackle various aspects of childhood and parenting:

Classrooms to Clubs: Teen Musicians Find a Way to Play: How do child and teen musicians balance recording and touring with homework and just being kids? This article includes quotes from First Aid Kit’s Johanna and Klara Söderberg, Let’s Wrestle’s Wesley Patrick Gonzalez and Mike Lightning, Smoosh’s Asy and Chloe Saavedra, and Rachel Trachtenburg (of Supercute! and The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players).

“It’s a little bit hard to do your homework on the road. It never really gets done.” - Smoosh’s Chloe Saavedra

Indie Rock Parenting 101: Musician Moms and Dads on the Challenges of Raising Children on the Road: This article tackles working indie rock musicians who also happen to be parents. It deals with the challenges and rewards of being a parent and also going out on tour. How do you balance the in-the-studio and on-the-road lifestyle of a working musician with the responsibilities of being a parent? The article will also touch on how much musicians try to influence their kids’ musical tastes and how their kids’ musical tastes might influence them. Do they worry that their kids will rebel and listen to bad music or end up not being creative types? Or do they hope that their kids won’t become musicians? We also talked to some musicians who have chosen not to have kids at this time. It includes quotes from Broken Social Scene’s Charles Spearin, Camera Obscura’s Tracyanne Campbell, The Dears’ Natalia Yanchak, The Dresden Dolls’ Amanda Palmer, Ed Harcourt, Mates of State’s Jason Hammel, Pixies’ Black Francis, Rilo Kiley’s Pierre de Reeder, and Johan Wohlert (ex-Mew).

“I don’t know if I really buy into the whole you-gotta-wait-for-the-right-time [to have kids] thing, because it’s just like this mighty rushing river. You just kind of jump into it.” - Pixies’ Black Francis

Remembering First Concerts: The Greatest Stories Ever Told: Musicians tell tales of the first concerts they ever attended as kids and how those concerts impacted them as future performers. The article also includes a sidebar in which 29 other musicians give us info on their first concert experience. The article includes quotes/first concert stories from Art Brut’s Eddie Argos, Camera Obscura’s Tracyanne Campbell, Girl Talk’s Gregg Gillis, Mayer Hawthorne, The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn, Jamie Lidell, The Love Language’s Stuart McLamb, MGMT’s Ben Goldwasser, Owen Pallett, and Tegan and Sara’s Sara Quin. And the sidebar includes first concert info from !!!‘s Nic Offer, Ariel Pink, The Big Pink’s Milo Cordell, Broken Social Scene’s Brendan Canning, Club 8 (both members), The Dears’ Natalia Yanchak, The Drums (all four members), El Guincho’s Pablo Diaz-Reixa, Field Music’s Peter Brewis, Fuck Buttons’ Benjamin Power, Kings of Convenience’s Eirik Boe, Mew’s Jonas Bjerre, Plants and Animals’ Matthew Woodley, Real Estate’s Martin Courtney, Superchunk’s Jon Wurster, Telekinesis’ Michael Benjamin Lerner, The Thermals’ Hutch Harris, These New Puritans’ Jack Barnett, Titus Andronicus’ Patrick Stickles, Vivian Girls’ Cassie Ramone, and others.

“It began with a film, and then a play, and then the band played. It was really awful, but, at the time, I loved every minute of it.” - The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn on his first concert, seeing Styx

Thanks for the Memories: Artists and the Early Experiences that Shaped Them: Various musicians reflect on their earliest musical memories. The article talks about why we remember certain things and not others and how our earliest memoires impact and haunt us. The article includes quotes and memories from Broken Social Scene’s Charles Spearin, Camera Obscura’s Tracyanne Campbell, The Dresden Dolls’ Amanda Palmer, The Fiery Furnaces’ Eleanor Friedberger, MGMT’s Ben Goldwasser, Pixies’ Black Francis, and Dr. Jefferson A. Singer, Professor of Psychology at Connecticut College, one of the preeminent researchers in memory and early experience today.

“I wasn’t even really that hurt, I was just in complete shock that I had tumbled all the way down the stairs, sort of like a cartoon character.” - The Dresden Dolls’ Amanda Palmer on one of her earliest memories

Detection:

Our regular Detection section includes these interviews:

Menomena
Robert Rodriguez (the director of Machete)
School of Seven Bells
Edgar Wright (the director of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World)

“I’d never seen a Mexican superhero in a movie.” - Machete director Robert Rodriguez

Pleased to Meet You:

Our regular Pleased to Meet You section includes interviews with these exciting new artists:

Future Islands
Hooray for Earth
Lost in the Trees
Shine 2009
Tame Impala
Wild Nothing

“[The album title] gave the mood that I had, trying to recall some of this childhood stuff and my mom’s extreme loneliness.” - Lost in the Trees’ Ari Picker

Reviews:

The reviews section includes over 130 reviews (of albums, DVDs, films, books, comic books, and video games), including opinions on releases by these artists:

!!!
Admiral Radley
Arcade Fire
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti
Autolux
Azure Ray
Best Coast
Black Mountain
BLK JKS
Blue Giant
Bombay Bicycle Club
Kathryn Calder
Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan
Candy Claws
Carissa’s Wierd
Casiokids
The Chap
The Chemical Brothers
Cotton Jones
Tony Da Gatorra Vs Gruff Rhys
The Dandy Warhols
David Karsten Daniels
Darker My Love
Miles Davis
Dean & Britta
Delphic
Delta Spirit
Devo
The Divine Comedy
The Drums
El-P
Elf Power
Film School
Fitz & the Tantrums
Foals
Frontier Ruckus
The Futureheads
The Germs
The Golden Filter
Grinderman
Ed Harcourt
HEALTH
Henry Clay People
Hooray for Earth
Hot Hot Heat
Jenny and Johnny
Daniel Johnston
Seu Jorge and Almaz
Junip
Jamie Lidell
Los Lobos
Lost in the Trees
The Love Language
Lower Dens
M.I.A.
Magic Kids
Maps & Atlases
Mates of State
Menomena
Mogwai
Mountain Man
Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band
Mystery Jets
Nada Surf
Netherfriends
Neu!
of Montreal
Amanda Palmer
Peggy Sue
R.E.M.
The Roots
School of Seven Bells
Shakespears Sister
Sia
Sleigh Bells
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
Stornoway
Sun Kil Moon
Sunglasses
Superchunk
Tame Impala
The Thermals
To Rococo Rot
Tokyo Police Club
Trentemoller
Turzi
Underworld
The Vaselines
Versus
Villagers
The Walkmen
Wavves
Wild Nothing
Wildbirds & Peacedrums
Jenny Wilson
Wolf Parade

Buy the Summer 2010/Wasted on the Youth Issue

Subscribe to Under the Radar

Back Issues:

Bat for LashesGrizzly BearBest of 2008Jenny Lewis

Protest IssueProtest IssueFlight of the ConchordsShe & Him

BeirutTegan and SarahFeistModest Mouse

The DecemberistsThe DearsThe RaconteursBelle and Sebastian

O CanadaDeath Cab for CutieSuper Furry AnimalsBright Eyes

Protest Issue 2004Rilo KileyBlack Rebel Motorcycle ClubElliott Smith

Flaming LipsDivine ComedyGrandaddy

Interviews
30 Rock’s Judah Friedlander on Pac-Man
Camera Obscura’s Tracyanne Campbell
Chloë Grace Moretz
Elisabeth Moss
Hooray for Earth
Indie Rock Parenting 101
Jónsi on Being a Metalhead
Local Natives’ Ryan Hahn
Mary Elizabeth Winstead on ‘Labyrinth’
My Morning Jacket’s Jim James on Twin Peaks
Remembering First Concerts
Saturday Night Live’s Fred Armisen on the Music of His Youth
Shine 2009
Tegan and Sara’s Sara Quin on Phil Collins
Thanks for the Memories
The Antlers’ Peter J. Silberman

 

Reviews
21 Jump Street - The Complete Series DVD
False Priest
Get Low
Hawk
I’m Having Fun Now
Lisbon
Memphis
On the Ones and Threes
Pickin’ Up the Pieces
Sin & Punishment: Star Successor Wii
The Suburbs
The Terror of Cosmic Loneliness