On this week’s episode, we’ve got a pair of absolute legends and friends who’ve both been on the show before, but never together. It’s Ben Gibbard and Bob Mould. I’m not sure if either of these guys needs an introduction at this point, but here goes.
Ben Gibbard is the singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter for the band Death Cab For Cutie, with whom he’s been making thoughtful, gorgeous, heartfelt indie-rock for nearly 30 years now. Death Cab made its way out of the underground and into the mainstream with 2003’s epic Transatlanticism, and 2003 was also the year that birthed Gibbard’s unexpectedly massive side project The Postal Service. But while those two records might get a lot of the glory, Death Cab has a deep, rich catalog that continues to grow and thrive to this day. The band’s latest album, I Built You a Tower, came out earlier this year, and it sits comfortably with their best. As you’ll hear in this chat, he’s not ashamed to play the hits while still committing himself to writing great new songs as well. Check out “Riptides” from I Built You a Tower right here.
The other half of today’s conversation, Bob Mould, has clearly had an influence on Gibbard—among literally hundreds, maybe thousands, of other musicians and songwriters over the years. Mould came crashing out of the gate with his band Hüsker Dü in the late 1970s, pioneering the sort of furious yet melodic punk that would define its era and whose sound reverberates to this day. After Hüsker Dü split in the late ‘80s, Mould embarked on a more contemplative solo period—pioneering the punk-goes-acoustic thing—before, in 1992, forming a trio called Sugar with David Barbe and Malcolm Travis. Sugar was the biggest commercial success of Mould’s career, and for good reason: The band’s two albums distilled his greatest strengths. Sugar didn’t last long, but reformed just last year and have been playing triumphant gigs ever since. You can catch them on tour this year, including at Chicago’s Riot Fest. I have barely scratched the surface of Mould’s life and career, so forgive me for that.
In this great conversation, these two chat about revisiting old albums and the question of “fan service,” about how they discover new music as they get older, and about how they prepare their bodies and brains for being on the road. It’s a fun chat, and I hope you enjoy it.
Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast and thanks to Ben Gibbard and Bob Mould for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform and check out all the great stuff at Talkhouse.com. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time!
0:00 Intro
02:37 Start of conversation
02:53 On touring and adjusting to life at home again
06:20 On coming home to family after touring
07:10 On Death Cab’s current tour, and bus tours vs. plane tours
09:01 On Bob’s longevity as a performer, and his other career paths
11:20 On staying in shape to tour, and feeling grateful
13:19 On Bob’s energetic performances and physicality
14:23 On doing “rock moves” onstage, and injuries
17:32 On the pros and cons of discovering music through streaming, file-sharing, or physical media
22:16 On living under “an avalanche of music” and why some music does or doesn’t connect
24:01 Why less new music connects with Ben and Bob as they get older
26:32 On how musical identities, genres, and rules have changed
29:12 On finding time to listen to new music, finding new influences from different genres, and “taking inspiration from myself”
33:52 On fitting influences, inspirations, and elements together into a new song and reinterpretation
36:22 On the cons of songwriting publishing disputes and the value of intellectual property
38:08 On David Eggers, protecting art from AI, and the “alchemy and magic” of creating
39:42 On feeling satisfied by making music for yourself, and handing off demos
41:48 On why they’re driven to write songs, and “selfish” reasons to create
44:07 On reflecting on their past work, the importance of “fan service” concerts, and the cultural impact of Transatlanticism
47:57 On connecting with your past self through “album play” shows
50:11 On being the “vessel” for work that deeply connects with people over time
51:43 On Hüsker Dü, solo work, and record label experiences
54:49 On Ben’s birthday, and upcoming shows
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