INTERVIEW WITH EXPLODING BOY FROM TheCelebrityCafe.com ARCHIVES
DM) What is your songwriting process?
MP) If there were a "process", so to speak, for songwriting, it might actually be an easier undertaking to explain it. For me, songs come from the air when you least expect them. Inspiration is a funny, fleeting thing. If you don't follow the whims of the muse immediately, the ideas can escape you. In my experience, writing a song is relatively easy; writing a good one is not. Usually, the music will come first and the lyrics will follow. Most of the time, the meaning of the song, lyrically, is like a puzzle that needs to be solved. I'll usually just start singing over the music and come up with a few key words and lots of gibberish. The idea for what the song will be about will usually present itself before too long. You just have to be good at sifting through everything for clues. This is the most common process for me/us; however, there really is no set way that songs happen. Some songs take months to complete and some come in five minutes. It's staying open and positive, and not being afraid to try new things, that really help creativity and help to get the songs out.
DM) I read somewhere that it was once said that "the best songwriters need to steal an idea from others every so often." How true is that?
MP) That statement is somewhat true, no question. I'm a firm believer that it acts on a much more subconscious level than that, however. I don't think that most writers set out to steal or copy from others, but every writer does have influences that they aspire to be like. I believe that everything I'm listening to now, artists like Jeff Buckley and Eric Johnson, who are far removed from me stylistically, will somehow make their way into my next batch of songs--whether I realize it or not. I believe that everything that goes in will eventually come out. This is a new revelation for me and is something I'm embracing. I'm trying to listen to as broad a palette of music as possible, because I hope not to be limited to one style of music in the future. I enjoy versatile artists. Eric Clapton is a great example. He has the ability to go from the raw emotion and intensity of "Layla" to something as beautiful and delicate as "Tears In Heaven"--but it's still all him and you immediately recognize it when it comes on the radio. The guy is f&*#&!@ amazing! That's where I want to be!
DM) That's a rather high aspiration. Do you ever get disappointed when you feel you're not there yet?
MP) It's very easy to get down on yourself, especially in music. There's always someone out there who you will feel sings better or writes better songs, but the same is true of just about everything in life. I think it's important to just keep trying to stretch yourself. I find that if you turn feelings of in adequacy, which are completely normal, into something more positive, you can't lose. I hear songs every day that I wish I would've written. I simply try to figure out what elements of those songs make me like them and try to learn from that. I'm working on deleting "disappointed" from my dictionary. Aspiration is the title of a new book I'm working on.
DM) What do you do to pull yourself out of the slumps when you're down?
MP) I'll usually just try to listen to a lot of music by bands that inspire me, like Radiohead and The Police. The early Police records are always good for a shot of positive energy. More often than not, though, I'll try to read or do something totally unrelated to music and then come back to it when I'm feeling like my head is clear.
DM) Do you prefer touring or recording?
MP) That's a tough one to answer, because I enjoy both so much. I would have to say that I definitely feel more "in my element" in the studio. It really goes back to the creative aspect of things. In the studio, you create something and make it the best that you feel it can be, and then you leave it behind, whereas the live show is an ever-evolving thing. I try nightly (when we're touring) to leave some space for myself in the show to try new and different things; but there's really only so much you can stretch out within the confines of rock music. The great thing about performing live, as opposed to studio work, is that it gives you instant feedback from (and contact with) people. It really is great for finding out which songs are the strongest. There is no gauge in the studio other than your bandmates, the engineer, and your producer. It would be great to bring an audience into the studio with us to pat us on the back every night, but it's probably not too practical.
DM) Would you ever consider recording something live, then?
MP) Some of the best records ever made were recorded that way. I would love to do a record live, but I don't think we're ready for that yet, necessarily. I would hope that our next record would at least have that "live energy" that comes when you get people playing together in the same room. Overdubbing can never capture that...it's elusive and very hard to explain, but you can definitely hear the difference. So, I guess that's a "yes."
DM) What are some of your favorite live albums?
MP) U2's "Live Under a Blood Red Sky" is a very powerful record. Rush's "Exit Stage Left" is great also. The Who's "Live at Leeds" is (in my opinion) one of the finest live recordings ever, and Jeff Buckley's "Live At Sine' " is my current favorite.
DM) Where did the name of the band come from?
MP) The name is actually the title of a b-side song by The Cure. It appears on their "Standing on a Beach - The Singles" record. We wanted something catchy that people wouldn't be able to easily forget. It was our drummer's idea; I initially hated it, but it really has stuck with us. I find that with most bands, if the music is strong enough, the name becomes secondary very quickly. There are some really goofy band names out there.
DM) What would you have chosen?
MP) I would've chosen something like "Mayonnaise" or "Fruit Juice"...something really inappropriate. Seriously, I'm a terrible judge of names or of anything unrelated to music. That's why Jason (our drummer) handles most of the business side of things. He's much more analytical than I am. The truth is, I just don't think the name matters all that much. It carries as much or as little weight as each individual chooses to give it. I have people come up to me all the time and ask me if the name "Exploding Boy" has underlying sexual connotations. It's just a name, everyone...simply nomenclature you may use to refer to us, period, stop, the end! There are too many people out there with too much time on their hands. The scary thing is, I think I'm one of them!
DM) Were you one of the people who used to analyze Beatles lyrics?
MP) "He wear no shoe shine he got walrus gumboot." The Beatles are the "Gods of Rock"; there are none higher! The beauty of the Beatles is that you can make the vast majority of their lyrics apply to whatever you want to. I think that great lyricists leave room for interpretation. Where was I? I'm really on a tangent now, huh? Anyway... in response to your original question... no...I never analyze anything too deeply. It makes my head hurt and that's really no fun for anyone. I just close my eyes and go for broke.
DM) What was the first Beatles song you ever played?MP) We used to cover "Come Together", but I think it was "I Saw Her Standing There" that was the first song I actually played by The Beatles, back when I was about 11 or 12 years old.