DDYWNYC Classic presents:
Ding Dong... You're Wrong Vs. Sloan: ... For The Very First Time

June 4, 1997. Across the street from the Mercury Lounge, New York City
Click on links for pretty pictures from that day

Chris Murphy: Hello there, I'm Chris Murphy from the group Sloan, and I just washed my hair the other day — something I never do — so my hair's a little poofy, and so I'm not very into it. And I didn't shave yet today and I've got that disgusting combination of washed hair and stubble. And I'm here on your show! Hi, how's it going?

jane: Pretty good!

Chris: Behind me is a terrible painting of a [points to KISS mural] — oh my God — of one of my favorite albums, most important albums, a guy brought to show and tell in grade two, changed my life.

One thing I always thought Ace was saying was, "For you," like (imitating gesture) "For You." I didn't know what that meant exactly.

[Looking back at horrible mural] That's disgusting.

In Los Angeles ... I think it's because the sun beats down so hard it destroys pictures — but they often do paintings like at Tower Records and stuff and they're always a little bit wrong. Like a painting of me would look like this [messes up his eyes with his fingers]. Kinda like me, but not exactly. Like one eye would be a little bit higher.

Anyway — sorry, what? [ed note: We hadn't said anything.]

jane: So we have this Sloan shirt and it says, "Get Down Mike Love," on it. I think you should talk a little bit about that.

Chris: You have one of those? Well, my friend Andrew, the drummer here, and myself we made a thing at my apartment — or my old girlfriend's apartment — of a cake, and we wrote "Sloan Smeared," on it and we smeared the thing and we cut a piece out. And my girlfriend had all these sticky magnet letters on her fridge and we spelled out whatever we could, and we spelled out "Get Down Mike Love," who is from the Beach Boys.

Are you getting this by the way, right here [palming the double chin forming because he has to look down into the camera]?

Anyway Mike Love is this despicable, horrible character in the band the Beach Boys, a great group. I believe Nine Inch Nails [ed note: yeah, and Queen. Duh.] had a song called, "Get Down, Make Love." [sings] "Get down, get down, get down, make love." So it sounds like an Australian version of that, "Get down, Mike Love." I don't know. It was a joke. We thought it was funny at the time. And also, I don't know if you can cut to a shot of the shirt itself, but it was like a really pasty... like it basically weighed about 10 lbs., the shirt. the ink was so heavy it was like a hockey crest. Pretty bad.

Do you wanna ask questions or do you want me to just talk?

dollie: I have a question. We heard that Beck was quite smitten with you this past week.

Chris: You read that on the Internet?

dollie: Yeah, yeah. We were wondering how that went. Did you end up opening for him in Boston?

Chris: Yes, good question, a question concerning Beck. Beck we don't know. We met him the other day. We played at a show with him and Pavement — it was a big thrill for us — in Detroit. It was supposed to be Dr. Octagon also playing and was going to be touring with Beck and then he didn't play anymore. They were kinda desperate for an opening act, so we got asked. And I didn't know if Beck had ever heard of us or anything but apparently he had. Whatever. But I know some of his band knew who we were. And so we got to play and Beck was very nice to us at the show and he was really gracious to us.

dollie: Did he give you wine and cheese?

Chris: No, we didn't ... They asked us what we wanted but we just predominately wanted water. I don't think there's a tour in the works or anything. As a matter of fact, I didn't have that much fun playing because we were kinda added at the last minute, and I don't think people knew who we were, [smiling big] or frankly cared.

Jostelo: Do you do that every year? I know you played there last year.

Chris: Play where, FNX? We did last year and this year, playing basically the exact same thing. That radio station is good to us, they play us and therefore people in Detroit know who we are. Whereas I don't think we're really on a radio station in NY, so people don't know who we are. The only people who know who we are found out through word of mouth, which is the best way to get your name known, but it takes a long time. And I'm getting old. And if it takes much longer it won't be very interesting to get a look at me. So thank you, Beck.

Do you want me to just keep talking?

jane and dollie: Yeah.

Chris: A little history. My group, Sloan, formed in about the very beginning of 1991. We put out a little EP called Peppermint on our own label, Murderecords. We're our third full-length record now. We put out one called Smeared in '92 and one called Twice Removed in '94. They're on Geffen Records. Now we have a new one out in the states on a record label called The Enclave. What we've been able to do, which is a big coup is keep our latest record One Chord to Another on Murderecords in Canada, which we own and run. So it's good for business and for power and peace of mind.

dollie: Are you happy with how everything's working out, recording and distributing-wise?

Chris: Yeah, the Enclave have been very nice to us this time. We didn't exactly feel neglected by Geffen, but in the wake of what's happened since, the Enclave have been quite supportive, sending us places and sending people to see us in every territory when we're on tour. We feel like something is happening instead of — we're playing in El Paso, the single is apparently a song called, "Take it In." Whatever. You know, single? Hi. And the guy at radio hates us. But that was then.

So it's kinda good that we didn't blow up big on our first record or our first single or we'd be — Dishwalla, you know what I mean? Like I feel bad for a band like that. They might have been playing together for ten years and they have this hit and then people are like, "Who are you?" And they don't care. Hopefully we'll build enough of a catalog before... maybe someday we'll have a hit, or maybe someday we won't.

dollie: What about Japan? So is that happening? Are you gonna go there?

Chris: I've been hearing that we're getting released in Japan. We're gonna talk to our manager after soundcheck, so maybe I'll update ya later. Apparently we have a release in Japan scheduled and we were talking about going over there in August and now we're talking about maybe going over in September, but who knows? We all really wanna go desperately because we don't necessarily think that we'll break big in the States, but if we could do well anywhere it would maybe be in Japan.

dollie: Is there any aspect of the culture you've been particularly interested in or find fascinating?

Chris: Their money. No, it's all completely fascinating. In music, for the most part when rock records come out I'm like, "Oh yeah, oh they obviously like this and that," and I don't feel as if there's much um mystery or whatever to it. But a lot of the stuff that comes from Japan, I don't know where it's coming from or what the references are or the social context. So at least it seems mysterious, so I feel like a little kid, or I feel like a fan, as opposed to a like jaded old person who knows how rock records are made. I also find that of dance music and all that.

dollie: Are you excited about the Japanese obsessive music culture? They like take on five bands to completely obsess over...

Chris: Question refers to the obsession of, Japanese rock fans, or people in general?

dollie: Rock fans.

Chris: Japanese fans obsess on rock music? I don't know. Yes, perhaps they do. And, yes, we'd like to be one of those five bands. What are some of the bands they're into, Weezer?

dollie: No, I think each person ...

Chris: Oh, so a fan will take five bands and fight to the death for them.

jane: I think I can relate to this.

dollie: Exactly.

Chris: Are you guys rock music fans? Predominately British? Is that what's goin' on here?

Do you find in America that you either like American bands or British bands and the same in Britain even, that you either like British bands or you like American bands? I find that in Canada — I don't know if this is true. I making this up. In Canada I find that we're able to like both. Like I really like Pavement, but I also like Supergrass. But I find that in the States and in England you have to be one or the other. I don't know I feel a certain affinity with both, do you know what I mean? Like there are Americans that are too cool for British bands. They're like, "Whatever. They're British, I only like Tortoise!" But in England — do you know what I'm saying?

jane: I know exactly what you're saying.

Chris: Am I overexplaining this? Perhaps I am. Anyway, we find that we are able to draw on both. I'm making this lame thing where Canadians are able to take from the Americans and the Brits.

dollie: What about your 7"? You were supposed to come out with a new one. What's going on with that?

Chris: On Flydaddy? If anybody from Flydaddy is watching, we're sorry. There was actually a big fight in the band about that 'cause Jay was on us really hard to finish that thing and we never really finished it. And I haven't been in Halifax, only for eight days since February, and we haven't finished anything. Jay was really mad and we're like, "We can't be held hostage to finish these two songs."

Actually it was a big fight in the band, so I'm glad you asked.

dollie: I'm sorry. Jay seems to be pretty into just the band. I mean, I read somewhere that he doesn't like any of you to have outside things.

Chris: Yeah, I'm like that too. I'm not a big fan of side projects, recorded anyway.

I'd like to say that a different way. I'd just like to say that in the band any idea is welcome, and Andrew if he wants to play the guitar on something or write something that's piano based, or whatever, our records welcome those things. We don't have to set up a separate side project for specific ideas that conflict with our sound because we don't have a sound, and our records get called compilation records anyway, because apparently they sound like they're all over the place, but we like it to be that way. Also in our band all four people write and sing which is what we want to be all about. So you could do a side project but why don't you just do it in our band, know what I mean?

dollie: We have some off band questions, but they were meant for all of you ...

Chris: I can answer all the questions. I can take on the persona of anybody in the band, watch.

dollie: Who on average has the most admirers in the band?

Chris: Most admirers? Sloan is the type of band that there is a guy for each type of girl.

And I've summed it up this way. If it was a date, you first go out with Jay, and ... you would ah listen to some records at his house. And then he'd hand you over to me and I'd be good for some laughs and I'd have you eating at some restaurant, basically, 'cause I like to eat. And then you go out with Patrick who's a little more earnest, and you know, he's really honest and make you ... he'll take you out for some drinks. And then Andrew will take you home and screw ya. I don't know if you can use that.

I don't know who has the most admirers. I get the most letters because I write the most back. But I've fallen way behind recently, so I'm gonna get the most hate mail. So you either like me or hate me. Either I wrote you back and then you wrote me back and then I couldn't write you back, and then you're like, "You're a jerk!" Whereas Andrew or Patrick will never write you back so you never hate them. Everybody loves Jay because he's so "cute and cuddly." [pounds fist, miming frustration over Jay's cuteness]

dollie: So, what was your favorite toy as a child?

Chris: G.I. Joes, the bigger ones [gestures about a foot tall] like Action Man.

Battery finally dies, abruptly ending interview.


Want to see this in action? Head to On TV where you can see and hear Chris Murphy explain how all four Sloans will do their best to give you a night to remember. Yeah.