The Used Interview
Interview with Bert McCracken from The Used
Words by Brendan Monteiro
The Used have always been one of those bands on the frontline of experimenting with new and unusual ideas and sounds. Coming from the mormon city of Orem, Utah might have been the birthplace of the band but their music has evolved from album to album and finally that evolution has found itself in their latest offering Artwork. Bert McCracken is the leader of this mob of noise mongers and even though he has had his fair share of volatile moments it is these life experiences that have fueled some of the most poetic and emotionally charged music that the rock world has come to know and love as The Used. Love him or hate him Bert has one of those personas that is just larger than life and on a sunny afternoon in Highbury Fields we managed to get some of his time, this is what he had to say.
The new album Artwork is out, how was the writing process for that record?
It was good and we really had a lot of time to focus on the sounds that we wanted this time so it was cool. We definitely had an idea going in to it that we didn’t want to be on the hunt for creative ideas and we just wanted to let those things come to us at the right time and the right moment and we were always open to catch something along the way.
How hard was it to tell John Feldmann (Goldfinger) that you weren’t going to be working with him on this album?
Well were really close so in a lot of ways it was hard but he understood that we had an idea to do something on our own and do something different so he is backing us.
You say that you had an idea to do something different so what is the concept or idea to Artwork and does it tie in with the title?
Well we don’t really write concept records because I think we get much too personal for that. It involves a lot of ideas, it involves where we think artwork has gone in the last 30 or 40 years and it’s also the dichotomy between what the media and society thinks is legitimate artwork and what we know to be true. In a lot of ways the record cover represents media force feeding us stale and useless art whatever medium it might be, like TV shows or bands who sound just like other bands.
So did being constantly tagged as a screamo band have any influence to try and break free on this record from what the media has always labeled you?
Yeah but you know people tend to give labels to things to understand them better but we have never really been apart of anyone’s genre, I mean we are from Utah so we are not a part of anyone’s scene. Our main intention was to go into this record and destroy the whole genre of screamo and create our own new one which we are going to call gross pop, it’s just catchy music with gross and disgusting over and undertones.
So why do you think record company’s and media assign all these labels to bands?
Well it’s just a way for labels to sell records, to lump them into one group. It’s so trivial to me though because what is music without emotion really.
How has the new album strayed differently from any of your previous releases?
We really had a lot of time to work on the music this time to make it as dirty and as shitty as we wanted to, this time we really wanted the mistakes to shine through and we wanted the bigness and the fullness of the band to come through so that you feel like your a little bit more a part of it all.
The first single on the album was Blood On My Hands and your first singles off previous albums have always been outstanding, what was the reason for it being the first single off Artwork?
Well it’s just a Used song all the way, it’s definitely representative of the heaviness and the dark vibes of the record as well as the catchy sing a long type choruses that I think is kind of staple to The Used. Also it’s just a sick fucking jam, it’s heavy and it’s fun to play live and we just love it.
After every release you have always had something special to release after, is there any plans for something this time around?
Yeah there are lots of cool things that we are currently working on, we have a DVD that came out with the record that is sort of like a making of record. There is a deluxe edition package too with some extra songs and in the future we are going to be coming out with some other stuff, there’s talk of us doing a short film/horror movie that involves all of us with some twisted special effects.
That sounds really interesting, what type of horror are you talking about. Modern day scary horror or more on the lines of cheesy old school?
Almost a sci-fi type horror, I don’t want to give to much away but almost like I’m harvesting organs for the used. I love old 70’s horror movies like spanish horror films or the movie Satan’s Blood which is so cheesy but just so good.
Ok so back to the band now, out of all your records except the new one, which is your favourite?
I guess I would have to say Shallow Believer even though they didn’t want to count it as a record and list it as an E.P, even though it does have 12 songs on it. I really really like all the b-side stuff we did for Lies For The Liars because it’s really unique I think.
So majority of Shallow Believer was from Lies For The Liars with the exception of Choke Me?
Yeah there was Choke Me which was the secret song from the debut and then I think that there were two songs that were recorded during In Love And Death, I think In The Back Of Your Mouth and Into My Web. The rest of it is all from the b-sides of Lies For The Liars.
Every time The Used have brought out a new album some fans have complained that you sound nothing like before, how wrong is it for you to stay stagnant?
Well I think that it is important for a band to progress creatively and be able to kind of sink their teeth into the whole creative process of making a record and step up. It’s really boring for a band to put out the same record over and over and it’s just ridiculous for people to expect that.
Have you ever gone in to a record store and bought one of your own records?
I have definitely bought it online but there is just not really anymore record stores anymore. Actually come to think of it I have bought our CD before here in the UK at a record store.
How do you feel coming from the background that you have had to now where you can actually put food on the table by doing something you love?
It’s everyone’s dream come true and I think that everyone wants to do what they love to do and get paid for it but the fact that we can maybe inspire people to be more creative and create something of their own is great. I think everyone is an artist in some form or another unless your just straight up boring.
Where do you think you would be now if The Used never made it the way it has?
I don’t know, I might of gone to culinary school and done some cooking in some restaurant or maybe I would of had my funeral seven or eight years ago.
Thanks a lot for your time.
Yeah your welcome.
