Bandsplain - 24 Question Party People: Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene

Episode Date: December 19, 2023

Kevin Drew stops by the program to talk about the first records he bought, which were in some order: Beastie Boys, Madonna, Cowboy Junkies, and the Jesus and Mary Chain, making him the Doogie Howser of music appreciation. We also discuss his gorgeous new solo record “Aging,” and why authenticity is the most attractive quality, all on another episode of '24 Question Party People'. Host: Yasi SalekGuest: Kevin DrewProducer: Jesse Miller-GordonAssociate Producer: Chris SuttonAdditional Production Supervision: Justin SaylesTheme Song: Hether Fortune Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hi, I'm Erica Ramirez, founder of Ili, and hosts of What About Your Friends, a podcast dedicated to the many lives of friendship and how it's portrayed in pop culture. Every Wednesday on the ringer dish feed, I talk to my best friend Stephen Othello and your favorites from within the ringer and beyond about friendships on TV and movies, pop culture and our real lives. So join me every Wednesday on the ringer dish feed where we try to answer the question TLCS back in the day. What about your friends? 24 question party people.

Many people. Hello and welcome to 24 question party people. I am your host, Yossi Salick. This is a show where I invite an interesting person on for a little talk. I ask the same 23 questions every time, more or less, plus one wildcard. The guest is allowed to skip one question. Sometimes the questions change a little. I have nothing pithy prepared to do say now. Bons, you guys, bong. I'm feeling pretty bonj right now for being honest. As we've discussed, I love the holidays. there's tinsel everywhere, bitch, in my house. I love it. My tree is up. I got some cute little ornaments to reflect my personality. I do really feel like if your tree doesn't have a little kitch, like Christmas tree should be a little ugly. They should be gorgeous, but a little ugly. Like those like, you know, all white and gold perfection, not for me, babe. Why else am I feeling in Bonge? Bansplain is on hiatus until March, um, which, you know, is a little bit of breathing room for your old pal, Yoss.

And I finished the last of the 24 question party people interviews for the year. And you know what? I decided to give myself a little treat. I decided to give myself the last two weeks of the year off before I dive back into the Google Doc Mines to prep for the next season of Bandslane. I did decide that. And then I also decided to adopt a seven-month old puppy from the shelter. So now it's not exactly vacation time around here per se

But you know what, babe, it's awesome I'm a single mom working two jobs Who loves her kids and never stops with gentle hands And you know what else? The heart of a fighter, babe. Pickups to my queen, Reba. Honestly, at first, I was really concerned about getting a dog

I was a little stressed because I am both addicted to routine. I'm a tourist. And also the thing I've come to know about myself recently is that something I constantly seek and crave is more ease in my life. Like if I had to like rank all of my desires and wants, like ease is pretty high up there. You would don't know that from the time I spend in the Google Doc minds of my own volition, but it is true. That is what I seek. And it did seem to me that bringing home a seven-month-old shelter dog with pneumonia.

It's on the mend, but, you know, a little pneumonia, home to my house where also currently resides a 15-year-old cat. Maybe that wasn't exactly a ticket to ease paradise. You know what I mean? And not paradise city where the grass is green. The girls are pretty. But I had not one, but two. Kylie General level realizations around this, okay? Do you want to hear them? It's not really a conversation,

so you're going to hear them. One is that it's not really possible to have more love in your life without some sacrifice. That's just how it be, babe, okay? I don't make the rules. That's the equation. You want more love? You have to give a little sacrifice. And more than ease even, Life is about love, babe. That's Bondge, right? That's what Bonge is about. Life is about love in all its forms. So you do got to figure out where you're willing to bend to let more in. Secondly, and maybe honestly, even more profound for me, taking the edge off of realization number one even, was that ease doesn't even really have to do with circumstance, right? ease is how you navigate any set of circumstances.

Do you remain rigid and cling to your routine, Yossi Salik, or to your idea of how things should be, to your fear of change, Yossi Salik. Or do you just let yourself flow through the new rocks that are in your life? Flow through those fucking rocks like water, babe. Just kind of adjusting and adapting and embodying ease. You are ease. Ease is a lifestyle, babe, just like bongch.

So that was my realization, and that sort of really changed things because I'm just like, okay, yeah, like, things are kind of just not going to be the same for a while while I figure out how to raise a dog, how to raise a good, moral citizen dog. So, yeah, me and my cat and my dog, we're here bonjing, babe. not together per se. It's still a little church and state over here with them,

thanks to the aid of several baby gates. But we will get there. We're going to get, I don't know if we'll get to like best friends snuggling on the couch, God willing, but at the very least, if we can just get to complete indifference, that would be ideal. And we are being water and we are sacrificing our routine for more love and also for a lot of cuteness and a lot of future Instagram posts, especially once my dog, who by the way, um, her name is Lou Reed Barlow Sallick. Um, that's right. She has three namesakes, Lou Reed, Lou Barlow, and of course, Lou Dog of Sublime fame. Once Lou allows me to dress her in the adorable striped Christmas onesie I got her, then it's fucking on bitch. Like, let's fucking go. Um,

She doesn't like it yet, though, so we're going to have to work up to that as well. Anyway, Lou makes a pretty prominent cameo in this episode as she did insist on sitting in my lap for half of it, even though she's not a small dog. She weighs about 35 pounds and has supermodel limbs, if we're being honest. But yeah, that's what she wanted. It was the first week I had her, and I was like, okay, hop on up. And there was also many parts that are beautiful and great editor, Chris, has definitely removed where I had to say, hold on Kevin Drew from Broken Social Scene, I needed to tell Lou

to please don't eat that Ethernet cord and such things. But you know what? Kevin was a fucking great sport about it. You know why? Because he's both dispositional nice and Canadian, which is like being nice squared. I had a really great time talking to him about his new solo album, about seeking connection in a world that no longer really offers it that freely, about his incredible taste in girlfriends, which is, in my eyes, a huge testament to what kind of man you are

if you are a straight man. And, of course, we're talking about dogs. Here is my talk with Kevin Drew. You guys, Kevin Drew is on the program. You might know him. Broken Social Scene. he's one of those people, the 48 people that are in broken social scene.

Absolute living legend put out a solo album called aging. Kevin, can I tell you? What a beautiful album. Oh, what a great way to start this interview. No, but it really is. It's absolutely gorgeous. I will say it falls into Yossi core

in my estimation as it, would you agree? It's in like a sad music milieu? Yeah, I've been, I'm a very happy. person. Sure. Sadness is easy. Melancholy is easy to make musically, but I appreciate

the fact of it was about losing friends and my mom was sick at the time. I didn't want to put it out because of that notion. I thought, oh, this doesn't follow my high five train reputation. We can all do this together. Let's go. Let's do this. Let's

be the best we can and help each other out. It was more a journal sort of mirror-reflecting. record of looking around and thinking, am I going to lose more as I get older? Yeah. Well, I mean, I think you can't Pollyanna on your way through life. So it seems like it's a good checks and balance. You really dragged my whole ass with, um, is it a party oven? I was like, oh, we parted into the grave. Was that okay? We partied. There was one line that I was like, Kevin Drew, leave me alone. Um, we partied to be saved. Was that okay? I was like,

Okay, sorry, were you with me through my entire 20s? And honestly, if we're being honest, a bit of my early 30s? I'm in my 40s, and I still have to battle the shame gods of, was that wrong, or is this not the right thing to be? And how do you get out of it once your whole identity revolves around being the life of the party? And I think when we lose people, the first thing that we sort of have hit us was, did I do it right? Did I do their death right? Did I do their exit right? And I had somebody close to me who left and their brother said to me, did we party too much?

And I just thought that was the most intriguing thing that I heard around death ever. Because all you're trying to do is get people to the door the best way you can. Yeah. And not make it the living funeral. You want to make it a celebration, even if you're eating. toast together. No, that's so real. That's so real. Yeah, it really got me, like, thinking, I had a friend who passed away also recently. Very sorry. That's very hard. It's very hard from parting too much, honestly. And we had had a falling out because, I think partially because I stopped

partying too much. You know, and sometimes that happens, right? When, like, your lifestyles diverge like that. And, you know, I think some people just, it's an affront to them a little bit if you don't want to do it anymore. But I still had so much love in my heart for him. And I was really gripped by kind of exactly what you're saying, which was like, I think that he identified so strongly with partying as a persona and as his value. Like he was like, that's my value. Like, I'm the crazy party guy.

When, like, that wasn't his value at all. Like, he was incredibly brilliant, so funny. Like, the funniest personal life. None of that had anything to do with party. or doing drugs or drinking. It just was, that's who he was. He was smart and funny and sharp and witty and cutting. That was his value.

And I was just like heartbroken after the fact that he couldn't know that, you know, enough to like divorce himself from the partying. Starting on a downer. Yeah, well, that's okay. It's a reality. The sparkle in people's eyes, those ones that have the, you see them and you go, man, what is that light, that magic you carry? What is that?

I find that's so prone to the world of addiction. Yeah, that's true. And just through the world of, you feel so much. So you start to, you know, booze and drugs just start to help you take a vacation from that empathy that you can't turn off. It's just a magnet towards, to quote, mascus, you know, feeling the pain of everyone, but not feeling nothing afterwards. You have to go to the alcohol and the drugs to do so. And it's the classic bumper sticker that it puts a spotlight on your light. And then that's when people say, oh, my God, let's go to your balloon party.

I want to have the confetti gun breakfast with you. Let's see the sunrises. Let's skydive. But you're slowly killing your spirit and you're crushing that sparkle. So it's always to treat me how the ones who have so much beauty also have to battle with addiction on a daily basis. I mean, it really is that thing of like finding something else to not like dull the big heart and big mind and big emotions. I don't know. I mean, I'm not an expert.

It's hard out here for everyone. But I think some people are able to sort of like get to the next phase and maybe find something else to put all that. empathy and emotion and heart into whether it's like a spiritual practice or art or you know I don't know friendships love dogs there's so much stuff but maybe not drugs I mean so many people with kids and families and there are hobbies out there that can occupy your time I've heard of this there do be hobbies babe I like color me mine I don't know if you guys have that in Canada it's where you it's mostly for children I'll be honest mostly when I go there it's me and a bunch of children, but it's a paint your own pottery place where you pick a piece of pre-made pottery

and they just have all the paints and you just sit there and you make a beautiful piece of pottery, they'll fire it for you. You pick it up. Love that. I highly recommend. Also, Kevin, I have to tell you, Mazel Toff on having an incredibly hot and an amazing girlfriend. I had the pleasure of having dinner with her a couple weeks ago with our mutual friend Jessica Hopper. And I was like, all right, Kevin Drew, go off. This, Rachel, she is. A plus. As I'm older, when you have someone who's much cooler, when you're dating someone who's way cooler than you,

it's really actually quite relaxing and rewarding. Is it? I feel like you guys are neck and neck. I mean, you're the guy from broken social scene. That's pretty cool. Rachel was who told me about you and your show and how much she loved it. And then when you guys had dinner, she was super pumped and thought you were lovely. The appealing is mutual.

I just feel like it's a good indication of the quality. have a man's character when they have an awesome girlfriend. Well, that's what I mean. I feel like I now can walk with my shoulders a little bit more. We all have those friends who have a whack bitch girlfriend and you're just like, okay, I mean, do you, I guess. All right, let's start the party, Kevin. Are you ready?

Are you ready to do, are you familiar with the format of this, of this here program? Yes, let's do it. Okay, number one, Kevin Drew, what is your sign? Virgo. That's right. An earth sign, a mutable sign. Year of the dragon. Year of the Dragon.

Oh, okay. I think I'm Year of the Dog. That makes sense for me. Do you identify with being a Virgo? Do you know who else is a Virgo that was recently on this program? Keanu Reeves, your fellow musician. And Canadian. Trontonian.

Is he like Canadian Canadian? Or I didn't get into that with him. Or is he just grew up in Toronto. Yeah, he's Canadian. Toronto, I believe, was his hometown or Hamilton or... Well, this is not about Keanu, Kevin. Drew, this is about you. Do you feel...

I don't mind talking about it. I feel like he hides it well. being Canadian. Do you feel like you identify with the qualities of Virgo, like, being like organized and practical and, you know, helpful? The helpful part I do, the organized part and just the tidy part always, I didn't quite understand that. But I also thought maybe it was my masculinity of growing up in the Jeff Spicoli era that I was more of a messy man. Divine masculine is messy. I didn't actually think about that until you asked me the question, but I would, I guess I've set that self, I've set myself up to answer yes. And if I actually look at what that means in the realms of right now, then yes, I would say it's very messy. Right. Yeah. If we use, if we use that word for all of its implications, I would agree with you. All right. Oh, no. This is amazing. I know, because I'm so sorry. No, it's okay. I really, I don't do. this stuff often, so it's okay.

You like having the chaos of my new puppy who's named Lou Reed Barlow, Salick. Lou Reed Barlow? Yeah. That's her name. She's named after some of my favorite men musicians. I like Lou Barlow's. I met Lou Reed and Lou Barlow. You met Lou Reed?

How was that? Was he cool? I heard he's kind of mean or cranky. Yeah. I met him through Hal Wellner. bestie. So we were doing shows with Hal Wilner. So thus he was, anyone who was around how there was no real boundaries. It was everyone was accepted. So it was a nice way to meet him. I didn't get too in depth with him, but I definitely, we played on stage together a song

from the Dead Man soundtrack. We were working with Howell-Wilner on a Neelyon tribute show in the Olympics in Vancouver. Are you a sabido guy, a sabado head? Centredo, Dinosaur Junior. I was a dinosaur junior, for sure, Dino. And, yeah, of course, I got into Sebadou. I was fortunate enough to be there when they got back together and to be able to sing the wagon the first time Lou played it. It was in Trooperador.

And Jay's voice was as if I won every single award I wanted to win in life from high school. And I knew their managers, because social scene was blowing up and coming up. Yeah. Jay's voice was a little bit not working. And the thing I love the most about Lou was watching his, watching him come in back with the band, watching them repair their relationship, not knowing that half the records I was listening to was about their relationship.

Attention, yeah. And then watching him go from only playing the three records he played on to just owning everything else that Jay did, not caring, playing his guts out. those were really good times for me to watch them come back together it was something I thought very inspiring for all of us in social scene and just something inspiring to be around and to be able to sing the wagon first time that Lou played it in soundcheck

that's huge yeah I was at the trooperator I just said just focus on the song try not to smile too much like this is not a happy put on your best 90s grunge face and get through this. Yeah, I'm a huge fan, and I got to see Dinosaur Jr. when they reunited. They played at like, this was an insane way to see them. It was like a Marshall amps party at like a really small backyard,

but with like 7,000 amps stacked on the thing. Like they handed out like earplugs when you came in because it was so loud. It was so cool. It was so cool. And I think Dale Krover played with them from the Melvin. He was playing drums. Anyways, we digress. Number two, Kevin Drew, what did you eat today?

It's 1 p.m. or 120 in Canada, where you are in Toronto area, outside, outskirts. And it's gray. Well, it's a little chilly. It's a little chilly. It's a shepherd's fine. Yeah, you're wearing a tock, a tub, a tew. That's what, that's what Canadians call beanies, you guys. if you're wondering what I'm talking about.

You had a shepherd's pie. That was your breakfast? It was my lunch. Your lunch. Did you make, is like, did you homemade or this is like a frozen situation? It was locally from down the road, a little local joint out here in the countryside of Ontario. Oh, that sounds so nice. I've never been to Toronto or the greater Ontario region.

Should I visit? Is that weird? No, it's not. It's lovely. It's lovely. It sounds beautiful. Yeah. I have been to like really random parts of Canada and love and respect to the people that live in these parts for me calling it random.

But for me to have been there, I think is unusual. I've been to Saskatchewan. I've been to Winnipeg. I went on a tour across most of Canada. And I'll tell you what, the Mexican food is bad. That's what I learned. Because one of the venues is like a Mexican restaurant. I think it's Saskatchewan.

It's called Amigos. Amigos. It's a classic. It's historic in our country of venues. Right. They're like, you'll have free dinner. And I was like, that's okay. That's all right.

And then I think it was Winnipeg where, I don't remember where, not to invoke another Canadian, but I don't remember where exactly MacDamarko is from, but someone recognized me from MacDamarko's Instagram, which was crazy. I was like, that's a real small town here. Anyways, Kevin Drew,

you had a Shepard's Pie. That's absolutely fitting. it makes perfect sense and I love it. Number three, have you listened to music today? And if so, what was it? I renewed my Spotify because I wanted to listen to your podcast. It's on all platforms just for those listening. Oh, okay.

Well, I just... You don't have to cancel your Spotify, but... No, I had a fraud thing, so my card was out. So I missed my rap. But it turns out I listened to a composer named Thomas Newman the most this year. Interesting. Yeah, and then was that ever... G. Letterman song,

You're Every Girl to me. So I put on Your Every Girl to me this morning. That song is so fucking good. That album is so, where did he just came out of nowhere and was like, hi, I'm a genius. Yeah.

That's everything that I loved when I was growing up is just, it just feels like a memory that I know so well. Yet it's also this guy doing his thing right now. It's really, really, I love that song. It's beautiful.

Yeah, I feel like you just nailed it. Like the thing about him that's so cool is that he's clearly so referential of things that like sound really familiar, like, little Bob Dylany, a little, you know, like this stuff. But it's also kind of punk and modern in like a really specific, like it doesn't sound like he's doing cosplay. It sounds like exactly his own.

And I think that's kind of hard to do when people are doing referential stuff. I agree. And it's like the four track kids. When we were coming up listening to the four track kids and when making their records on their four tracks and they were getting out on sub-pops and stuff, labels like that, It was important. And that's what I love hearing right now, especially with another band like Squirrel Flower.

I heard that record about a month ago and thought, well, what is this? This is everything that I also love to drink up on a daily basis. So it's nice to hear even the, you know, the Alex G's and the people that are Olivia Rodriguez is one to say. Olivia Rodriguez is killing it. Rodrigo, sorry, Olivia Rodriguez. Because her mom is Gen X and her mom's like apparently cool as hell.

And she's like, here's the breeder. you're listening to The Breeders. And so Oliver O'Leodry goes like, cool. My favorite version of this is new hardcore music, all sounds like guided by voices for some reason. Like they've like, it's so, or like archers of loaf. Like they've all like, they're like, it's what if hardcore but archers of loaf?

And I'm like, pump it directly into my fucking veins. Are you kidding? Like this could not be more like custom tailor made for me and I love it. That's amazing. It's nice to know music's coming. There's music that we can still find and still, feel a memory muscle to, but have an originality of someone owning it within their own take on it. It's great.

I'm sure you remember when like not that long ago, everyone was like, sorry guitar music is dead forever. RIP will have a big funeral. There's never going to be any more good guitar music. And guess what? Jokes on you, bitch. There's plenty. It's never going to die.

Well, we're doing that repetitive time where I think when guitar music was starting to die, it wasn't the greatest time. And also, if you look at the way the mainstream is right now, it's kind of the same way it was at the end of 90s, early 2000s. And it's interesting to see bands like Blink 1A2 come back as the world is at war and just going down the tubes. And you look at what we monitor within what we are gauging and what movies are the top movies and what artists are the top artists.

And just the capital difference, just the financial difference between everything in art. It's due for that, I suppose, I should just say, that turnaround. Because I believe that happened in the early 2000s. There was a moment where things look like systems were going to fail. And now you're back to that aspect. And I do believe that's where guitars get louder again, and that's a good thing. So I'm excited to see what else music's, just the reaction of what we are told is amazing

and what we are told is really good and what we are told we should be listening to and sponsoring within our own lives. I'm really, really, really excited to see what artistically and sort of within the rebellion of art comes from the times of now. No, me too. I'm very into it. I mean, I'm also very into Blinquency too, so I'm real happy on both ends. That was my first favorite band as a, listen, I'm from Torrance, California, babe, this is my culture.

That was beautiful when they returned for that Coachella show. I mean, that was beautiful. What a great story, and I felt it. I was emotional listening to them to sing. songs that I never really cared about coming up. But I didn't. How could I? No, it was not my time. You're in Canada. That's not your culture.

But it was a beautiful thing to see them reunite and just to see the force that they had behind them wanting them to return. Yeah. You know, it's lovely. I just want you guys to know, again, audio-only podcast. You can't see this. But my dog, who is 40 pounds, has now insisted on sitting on my lap for the duration of the interview. large dog. Very love.

A sweetheart. It's good. How long have you had her now? Three days. Yeah, well, that's a good sign if she wants to sit with you. Yeah, I got her from the shelter. I wasn't planning on getting a dog, but she's seven months and she had been there since she was four months old and she already had pneumonia and kennel cough and gotten

bullied by other dogs. So when they told me this information, I was like, I don't care if you're my dog or not, babe, we're getting the fuck out of here. Jail break. Get in the car. You're not staying here. Kill shelter? Absolutely the fuck not.

We're going. It's a kill shelter? Yeah, I know. It's also really sad because like 80% of the dogs in L.A. shelters right now or L.A. area shelters are huskies. I think because of Game of Thrones. Oh my God.

And people just don't understand how much work it is. Well, it was over the pandemic. So many people got dogs. Isn't that the traditional story being told right now? Yeah. And then they were like, I don't want one now. Sorry, the world opened up again. And I'm going to just dump it on the street or throw it

in a shelter. One of the best quotes I heard when a dog died with my community of friends someone said to me, you know, I prefer dogs more than humans. This is a tragedy. And it's interesting when you lose a dog or you're having problems with a dog or how it's belittled

to a way of where it should just be the same. This is called love and it's hard. And you're going to take care and you've got to pay the bills, you're going to do all these things. But we don't treat them the same when our hearts beat even harder sometimes than they do for others in our lives for for animals and pets. I talked about this in therapy a bunch before I talked to the dog was that like I was scared to do it because it's obviously so much work, right? And it's a huge adjustment and it's, but then I was like, you know,

you don't get to increase the amount of love in your life without sacrifice ever. Like those are two things are tied together. So whether it's a dog, whether it's a dog, whether it's a person, any kind of love increasing in your life does involve some sacrifice on your part. And I was like, well, okay, then I want more love in my life. I'm going to do some sacrifice. I love that. I was talking about this line that was in a tragically hip song that actually came from Bruce McCullough, from the kids in the hall. Yeah. And I probably won't quote it verbatim, but I believe it's something like the love you're given will pour right through your hand if you don't know who you are.

And I said to this person, you know, no one's going to tell you who you are better than a dog. I do really think that's true. They reflect your energy, you know. They just kind of take on. I was also wondering how long it was going to take for Tragically Hip to come up because I know that's the Canadian national treasure. And you guys are legally obligated in every press interview to mention the Tragically. It's in your government contract with, it comes with the grant, must mention Tragily Hip in every interview from here on. Yeah, I just looked at the contract right before this interview. I thought,

I'll slide it in there somewhere since I seem to be on a tour right now of podcasts. Yeah, I listened to you on how long gone. I didn't finish it, but I know they asked you about Tragically Hips, so I did learn a lot. You know, you didn't hear my AG1 McDonald's commercial. Like, AG1, this has the podcast mark it down. And then Rachel told me that. I love AG1. Okay, good. So they sponsor you? No, and they should. If you're listening, AG1. Age 1.1, you got everyone, what did you do to AG1? I guess my crime was being born a woman, Kevin, Drew, no, I don't know.

I'm joking. I'm not accusing AG1 of sexism. Well, we could, because the other podcasts were men and they had AG1, so you're not too far off. But that could be slander in today's day and age. I don't know how Canada works with slander, but here. Canada works like you can say whatever you want, whenever you want, and people will believe it, and yet it's not true, and you can't do anything to change it.

So don't talk about my country and the bullshit of slander, because it's mainly like, just write them an email and tell them, you know, it hurts your feelings, and it's not the way it is. Journalism has turned to Twitter, which means truth doesn't really matter. What matters is what gets you in the most community, because most people online who are out there yelling and screaming, they're angry, they're mad, they're upset,

and they're looking for people to find, common ground on talking shit. And I understand it and I get it. I just try not to be a part of it. But it's very annoying when you have people in the real world of your life calling up going, hey, I read this about you. And why did you think on the basis of that that would have any truth to it at all? And it's a neurological response to when you read a piece of information, you believe it to be true. And that's how we grew up. And that's how everyone grows up. and that's why when I heard about Elon Musk and just... His devotion to the truth that's not mattering.

If this whole thing goes down, there's going to be a lot of people who will have to go back to work. To real jobs. Farming. Just to be heard again. Just to be heard. And maybe go back to their own community where you used to talk to each other,

where you used to converse with each other. Amen, brother. A couple weeks ago's episode, I got on this whole soap box. about connection because I really, I mean, look, I'm not a Luddite and I don't think we can stop the internet's, the internet is just mirroring humanity, right? That's all it is. So like, the way it's going is the way that humanity is going for better or for worse. But I do think that people are going to hit a breaking point because everyone is so fucking lonely now. Like,

I don't know the exact statistics, but like they've done these, you know, they do studies polling Americans are like, would you self-report as lonely? And the percentage is like 80% of people are like, yeah, I'm lonely. And it's not because they don't have people in their life. Like you're saying, like, you know, we all have some sort of community. It's just that we don't know how to connect with each other anymore because of this, like, because of the way the internet has like rewired our brains to just like throw information at each other and like promote yourself all the time. Like, I don't of you notice this when you have conversations with people sometimes and you're like, oh my God, you're just talking at, you're waiting for your turn to talk and then you're throwing a thing at me

that I don't know what to do with. And I'll ask you maybe a question and then you don't have an answer because you just gave me a press release. The self-marketing has taken over the common conversation of how's it going. And I think how's it going is probably one of the most loaded questions out there in these times of now. And what you just said is correct and the aspect of connection, that's what you're, this is why you do what you do. You're putting, you're putting on like four-hour bands playing podcasts about records and bands that you love because this is something that built community and identity for people

and brought people a connection. And I thought all was said and done until that you forgot it. and people 20 year anniversary tours where we came out and people were there. And there was large amounts of people there. And we don't take that for granted because we realize that there's a lot of people who, it's difficult financially right now to get out there and see all these shows. But to put people in a room, my mantra, which was not the bands per se, but I always thought, if we can get everyone in the room, then we can get those people for a couple of hours.

to just be there together. And that is the biggest award that we can give ourselves as a band. When I was in Dallas in 2003, I said, this song's for your piece of shit president who's sending people off to war for no reason. After the show, a couple of guys came up to me

and they said, we really love your band and we loved this show, but we didn't appreciate it all about what you said about our president. We just got back from Afghanistan. and there were a couple of soldiers and I said to all right well

I owe you to a drink and let's go to the bar so we went there and we chatted and they were very very kind to me through my ignorance of just stating what was the right thing to say at the time for being in rock and roll but not taking into consideration

what they had just gone through and not even thinking I had soldiers in the audience at that point so I did come back to the band and said look from this point forward I know for me I'm going to try to get everyone in the room.

And I'm going to hope within that moment they can all connect on one common thing, which is the love of this music, which is what I love as well and how I find people in my life. And it was pretty profound for me for those two dudes to, and I'm grateful they approached me because they did so early in my career. And it really changed the game for me and how I was approaching my own protest within the music that I I wanted to make with this band who obviously all have their own opinions and they're all loud. No, but that's an incredible story, Kevin. I love that because you did something that a lot of people wouldn't do, which is you didn't double down on your party line, right? You met these two people

as human beings and you were like, wow, yes, let's have a conversation. I want to hear your perspective. You humanize them because I think that's like really, Imagine if that happened on Twitter, right? Imagine every time you said some fuck shit on Twitter, two real life people came up to you and were like, here's my situation that you're talking about and here's why it's offensive. No one would say that shit anymore because you can't when you're face-to-face with actual humans.

And so it's so incredible to me that you took the time and sat with them and took on someone else's perspective. because that's a sign of not just being open-minded, but being intelligent. I heard this on a podcast recently. Robert Green was on my king, Dr. Andrew Huberman's podcast. Robert Green's the 48 Laws of Power guy. And he was saying that. He was like, I often, I make myself listen to perspectives and podcasts and things of people, even that I find annoying or offensive because I want to refine my own take,

but also I think it's a sign of being open and intelligent to, open your mind to other points of view and people just don't do that anymore and i think you said something also really striking was which was that you didn't even it didn't even occur to you that this type of person would be a fan of yours or in your audience and that i think is really you can like extrapolate that to what a lot of people think right they they're so quick to just make these shortcut judgments about everything because we just were tired and we've taken too much information and there's a million reasons it's not malicious but to be to have that like challenge just so awesome I just I wanted I wanted to commend you and I guess you're not very online how you're not online guy

you're not social media guy I become addicted to TikTok I'm on TikTok a lot I'm watching a lot of K and peel on TikTok oh is that your what does your Algo feed you I'd like to know my Algo feeds me the guy who reviews pizza okay one one bite People don't like them or people do like him or he's controversial. Some bar sports guy, David. I like his pizza reviews. K&Piel's coming up a lot. I do a lot of the kindness things where they're giving out $1,000 or $500.

I'm the gentleman who sort of sheds a tear when you see people going around setting up GoFundMe pages for people. And the savior aspect online gives me a little bit of hope. And then, of course, I have a lot of political views and people battling and skateboarding accidents. So I need to get off of that now. I'm obsessed that we're talking about this. And I just went back to the doc to be like, what question led us here? And it was, did you listen to music today?

You guys, don't fucking challenge me with a good time of digression because I will, I will go there. What is the first song that made a meaningful impact on you as a child? Oh, man, it could be hell's bells, but I'm going to say, I love a rainy day by Eddie Rabbit, because that song, strangely enough, I thought I wrote it. I was singing it in the car all the time. I didn't realize I had heard it, and I was really, really young, and I would sing the song, I love a rainy day.

And I was in the car. And I have very, obviously childhood memories that come and go. And you never know when you're going to remember something or something. And this was not a trauma. This was just a moment of where it came on the radio. And my dad said, hey, and he turned it up. He's like, here's the song that you love. And I couldn't understand how this song I was singing was now.

on the radio. But obviously I neurologically took it in as not knowing as a young kid, I didn't know I heard it. But for me, I thought I was singing the song and then suddenly you could argue, and I've said this before, that if I had a group of lawyers around me, I'd be like, we're going to have to sue this guy Eddie Rabbit and he stole my song. But it wasn't the case. But also like, what an interesting like early indication that you were really musical and that in your mind, you were like, I could write a song. I wrote this song. Like, that would never happen to me as such. I'm serious. Like, you, you were probably, like, predisposed towards being a musician, you know? I did love, uh, the tennis racket and the vacuum cleaner mic stand. And it was a, it was about

ACDC in my neighborhood. It was about getting together and putting on the shows and putting I put bands together when I was five and six, and my brother and I, I mean, my parents were, they loved music. So we grew up listening to a lot of records. But DC was ACDC came in and I thought to myself, the drama of for those about to rock, the drama of Hell's Bells, just these long instrumental intros. It wasn't until I heard pictures of you by the cure that I thought, oh, this song reminds me of ACDC, these long intros. Oh my God. I was like, hmm. But yes, you're so right.

Robert Smith loves nothing more than a long-ass motherfucking intro where you're like, is this song an instrumental? And then he's like, boom, just kidding. I'm singing now. We love it. We live for that. I love that. I thought it experiment with ACDC and the cure.

To me, plain song is the really best example of that. That's probably an emotional anthem. Yeah. I cried. I wept when I saw them play it this year. All right. Number five. Kevin Drew, what is the first album you bought with your own money or shoplifted with your own two hands? Super Tramp Crime of the Century. Interesting. Tell me more about why that was like, this is what I wanted to buy with my money or shoplift. Our parents allowed my brother and I, they took us down to the story so you can each buy a record. My brother bought parallel lines.

Blondie, hell yeah. Class. Hello. Heart of Glass was booming. And Dreamer, I had never heard a song. like that. And I thought to myself, I want to own what that is. And I then also heard that song School, which I thought was a kinder version than the Dark Side of the Moon opening song. It always scared the shit out of me. This one was a little more like, oh, I can listen to this. And I thought Super Tramp kind of did a more softer children's version album than Dark Side of the Moon. How old are we? Like 11? Oh my God. No, we're five. You're five and you had money to go to the, your parents were like, here's a loony and a tunie, and I'll send you off to the store. No, they weren't around then.

My mom bought my brother and I cassettes of, I was men at work, business as usual. My brother was lover boy, you know, the one that was working for the weekend. And then, yeah, they treated us to go to the Sam the Record Man in Sherway Gardens. And I bought Crime of the Century. and my first seven inches I bought I bought two. It was Who's That Girl by Madonna and Fight for Your Right to Party

by the Beastie Boys? So cool. The first two bands that I bought on cassette was Cowboy Junkies Trinity Sessions and Barbed Wire Kisses Jesus and Mary Chain and I was in grade five. Okay, Prada Doogiehouser of music taste over here.

I'm actually showing off. But I heard sidewalking, and I think it was a great five, we had a station CF&Y, and you could hear Jesus and Mary Jane, cowboy junkies, and Jane's addiction were coming out with Jane says, and it was just a really incredible time for music. Bella Lago, they would play, Bella Lagoosia is dead from start to finish. And these were singles that were being played while we had our own bands like National Velvet and the tragically hip were popping. up a great bank called a Pesuit of happiness was popping up and Maestro Fresh West came on the scene

would let your backbone slide and sort of change the game so there was a really exciting time in Canada with radio and it was it was cool especially cowboy junkies lived from from Toronto and the gentleman who recorded that record just passed away and it still to this day it's probably one of my island records when they say what album what you take with you, Trinity Sessions. Do you feel like that album, I can kind of hear it. Do you feel like it helped you form the DNA of what eventually became broken social scene sound?

Well, I loved Sweet Jade and I loved the drummer. Yeah. I couldn't try to get to the drum quick, fast enough to get that sound. But I also started to understand that it was production. And my drum teacher, when I tried to play it, It doesn't sound the same. So you've got to be in a church. You need a cavernous area.

And that's when I started thinking, okay, what's going on? And New Order, you know, Prince with his raspberry beret, I started listening to music where I thought, how are they making this? And that's when my brother, you know, he got into so many bands. And because he got into all the bands from the 60s and the 70s, and my parents were obviously the 50s and the 60s, 70s, 80s, I decided to find different music.

And that's when I discovered bands like Jesus and Mary Chain and Echo and Bunnyman and New Order and just going in that realm. And then even getting into the sort of what's this record with Curtis Mayfield and what's this record? You started to find all these different things. The night shift. I remember I played that so many times growing out the Commodores. And anytime I'm around at Jukebox and I see that, that's a childhood song to me. This is like, I want to, I don't ever want to understand that this is like kind of extra impressive because Trinity Sessions is 88, right? So like you're kind of. I was 12th. But also like I grew up, I'm a little younger than you. So like alternative music was easily accessible to me. Like because I was 11 in 1992. Do you know what I mean? So like by then, never mind had broken the world. You turn on MTV and it was like non.

stop, like, there was so much access to alternative music, but like, for you to seek that out, like, and to find it was much harder. And so it's extra cool that you were able to, like, connect with it and find it. Well, I have to give it up to the radio station, CFNY back then and all those who were programming it. It was a really exciting time. And that went straight through through the Nevada years. I remember driving with my friend, Nirvana's full blown blowing up, and I heard a little song called 50-foot Queenie. Oh, my God, Donnie event. We pulled over and we were listening to this and we were listening to the drums.

And who the hell is PJ Harvey? And we rushed out to the music world the next day and we bought it. And that's a Steve Albini record, correct? I think it sure is. Yeah, it is. That's what Kurt Cobain heard and was like, I want this guy. I think everybody who heard those drums went, well, what is going on here?

So Bjork, you know, Bjork and Sugar Cubes, we were blessed with this radio station that took chances and really did roll into having a role in getting the alternative categories rocking in our local record stores, in our mainstream record stores. Alternatives suddenly became a category, I'm jealous. I mean, I'm not jealous because I also just had it at my fingertips, but I think that's a really cool. Radio was so transformative. I talk about it a lot on bandsplained because I grew up

with K-Rock, and it changed my whole life. I would listen, I would stay up late and listen to Rodney Bingenheimer because he just stayed breaking cool new bands, and I would tape it, my little tape recorder. Miraculously, we're on question six. Kevin Drew, did anyone in your childhood ever tell you, you're never going to make it as an artist or something like that, like they'd do in the movies? And if so, what did you say back? And who was it? I got a lot of what's your plan B. And because I was such a guy of the movies, because also cinema was everything that I drank up, and I am that John Hughes generation of also Cameron Crow. Sure.

You got Cusack holding up a stereo. I was in the theaters watching that opening weekend just because I liked him from Better Off Dead and summer camp and all that shit. I would say if I had a plan B, then plan A wouldn't work. And I told a lot of people that going up. I think fear now is really embedded into a lot of people, especially when it comes to the arts. My father who's run the broken social scene business, let alone my own, for the last 20 years,

we were listening to an artist talk about how he would really just say, well, tell kids, like, don't think about trying to get into music. They take everything from you. You know, it was bringing up all the aspects from merch to Spotify to this and to that. And my dad just said, what the fuck is this shit? Yeah. You need to know that with everything you're going into, you're taking risks, you're taking chances. but if that's a passion of yours,

then know what you're getting into and go for it. And I think that there's been too much negative space being held for the story of what's not happening within the realm of music right now when really it's still one of the greatest ways to communicate. It's still one of the greatest ways to connect. And all you're doing is making a decision like any profession where you realize, well, you might not have an affinity pool and you might drive a use Subaru,

but it's what it makes you feel, and that's what's important. So to tell anyone not to pursue anything in the arts, I think is a crime. And I look at certain artists who have pushed back against their situation, which I understand is hurtful and maybe even wrong at times,

but you're doing it. So if you decide to do it, then do it. And then just go and honor it and play your fucking songs and let's move on with our lives. Yeah. But the system about how it's all falling down, well, that can exist within so many areas of what we're living in right now. It's also like always, I don't understand this. I'm like, yeah, we had a brief period of magic in the 90s because all of a sudden there was a lot of money for a lot of artists. That was like for like eight years.

And before that, it was like, yeah, there was a lot of money for a few artists. And before that, there was basically no money for no artists. and every artist was being scammed. And before that, you had to work for the Medici's. So it's like, I don't really understand where everyone got this idea where it's like, this is a system where actually every artist should be paid $6 million.

And I'm not saying that's not what should or shouldn't. I just don't know what world that's coming from because that's never really been the case. It's just that like 6,000 alternative rock bands got to make millions of dollars in the 90s because it was a fluke. It was a fluke situation. And it collapsed the entire.

music industry in the end. And so I'm not saying it's fair. I don't think it's right. I don't, I think everyone should be fairly compensated for what they do. But the idea that like that should stop you, everything is like that, right? Like, there's always going to be a handful of people who rise to the top for whatever reason, not talent, sometimes talent, sometimes luck, sometimes nepotism. It doesn't matter. There's just a couple people. And then there's, this is always thinking of something my therapist said to me and I really feel like it applies to your shout out my therapist. what an angel. She was like, listen, are you going to be the best at something? Probably not. But you're not going to be the worst. And there's a ton of real estate in between.

There's a ton of fucking real estate in between. Go put your house there. Yeah. And honesty. I always try to stress this to be honesty. Be genuine in why you're doing it. Yeah. And be honest in why you're doing it. And things come through honesty. That's true. I agree. I think a lot of reflections in what is success. right now in the times, as I always say, in the times of now, there's a lot of dishonesty out there. And it's unfortunate to see it being rewarded. But if you can be honest with and what you're doing, and that's how we're talking about those M.G. Letterman's, like the people that Squirrel Thower, you're like, oh, well, I've heard this before, but I haven't heard this before from you. I haven't

heard this version of it because it's your own version. And it comes from a place of your life. And it's honest to me when I press play. And so then it sounds fresh. I'm like, oh, check out this fresh sounding artist. And I think that comes from the aspect of honesty. Totally. My favorite quote, one of them, who has a favorite quote? That's weird.

One of my favorite quotes, Jim Jarmish, it's not where you take it from. It's where you take it to. I love that. And God bless him for saying that because that's the truth. I came up listening to so much music that I just sort of turned and said, this is what I love and this is how I'm going to express myself. I was a student the whole time I was breathing and still am. Amen, brother. I'm just not, I don't, I'm not into plagiarize. I don't like to plagiarize. Well, that's different. That's not being honest and that's not being authentic.

That's a totally different ball game. Yeah, me too. I was, I studied at the foot of Mark Merrin and here I am now thriving. Love it. I did actually used to listen to a lot of Mark It never occurred to me that I would do this for a living. Nobody wants to grow up. Well, maybe they do now, but I certainly wasn't sitting around being like, I want to be a podcaster when I grow up, but God's plan. All right. That's right.

Can't fight against it. Number seven, Kevin Drew, when was the last time you lied, told a lie? I almost canceled this morning and I was going to lie. I'm sorry. You were sick? What was the lie going to be? It was going to be, I don't know how to lie. So that's an issue of mine.

It's hard for me. I'm one of those people that if I try to lie, people are, this is the most blatant lie I've ever seen. So I think I was just coming to the fact that I knew I wasn't going to pull off the lie, but I did not feel good when I woke up, just in a general sense, not physical. I just, some days you wake up and you went, you kind of have to call it. And I thought, I got a little worried about presenting myself to you in the mood that I woke up,

because sometimes you call the day at 10 a.m. You just know it's not going to work. And I called Rachel actually and said, can you just, what exactly am I getting myself into? I'm listening to this Ben Gibbard thing and they're chatting. Are these questions the same? She said they're the same. And I was reading all about you.

And then once I started really diving into you, which I sort of did on the weekend in terms of looking at your blondie ringer, all this stuff, I'm sorry. I really come across like a grandfather. when I talk about all these things. I love that you did research. It's nice. No, but once I started reading about it, I thought, no, no, no, this is, what are you doing?

Just get in a better mood. So I did some exercising. I took a bath and had some chef and spine. Here I am. I love that, Kevin. Thank you for doing that. I just want you to know, this is an absolutely safe space on every level, including the level that if you canceled, I would not have cared.

I would have been like, Godspeed. Actually, I'm in the spirit of honesty, I might have been stoked because I'm drowning. But you know what? I'm glad that we both came here today because I think it's really going gorgeously. I'm sorry, you're drowning. You have a lot to do, and this is taking way too long. So I'm going to just give you the quickest answers I possibly can. No, please don't do that. We're having a beautiful time. No, now we're cooking with gas. The dog is asleep. It's quiet. My internet is working. Like, I have the protein shake in me.

I'm thriving. Let's fucking go. All right. Number eight, what character in a book or film do you relate to the most? Oh, God. Oh, man. See, this is why I would have loved... Damn, I wish I had canceled. Yeah. You know, my brother once said to me, you're like the character that River Phoenix played

and stand by me, and you're going to get stabbed by a security guard or somebody at some point in your life. You have to be careful because you always want to help. And he said, there's some situations that you shouldn't. And when he told me that, he told me this many years ago, possibly even 20,

25 years ago, I then started to look at every situation that I was in from the point of view if I don't want to be stabbed the way that's the, his character, not in the film, but later on, you find out in the Richard Dreyfus monologue that he was, spoiler alert, for those of you haven't seen Stand By Me. Forty-five-year-old film. But my brother, yeah, I know my brother was the guy that taught me to walk into a room and know your exits. And he wasn't kidding around.

He really just said, you've got to always be aware of your surroundings. And he was teaching me that at a very young age. This is an older brother, obviously. Yes, my older bro. So I would say that's a character I identify with because he sort of reminded me that when you're out there to help and you want people to get along and you think that you have some power to say, wait, hold on a second. That's not the case all the time.

And you will find yourself in trouble. There you go. The fact that you are so nice and helpful that even another Canadian person told you that you are too nice and helpful that you need to be careful is truly something, I must say. I used to get into fight with security guards, though. It's happened a few times in my career. Because they were hassling the fans. Yeah, just whenever they pushed us too far. So it did become there, there was a few years there where I thought, I need to stop arguing with security at my own events or at other events because this. isn't going to work. And I've always smoothed out every single interaction I've had, but there were moments where I thought you're losing it and this is what your brother told you. You got to be careful. Well, he did you a solid. He set you on the path.

Number nine, Kevin Drew. Have you seen the, have you seen the Guineath-Paltrow film sliding doors? You're a, you're a, you're a, you're a cinephile. I didn't. She gets on a subway and her life changes. That's right. She either, basically, she, either gets on or doesn't get on. It's like a split reality happens when she misses or doesn't miss this train. Now the question is, what is your biggest sliding doors moment

in which if you had made a different choice, maybe not necessarily an accident, but a choice, you wouldn't be where you are today. Sobriety. Oh, that's a good answer. It's a simple answer. Really no follow-up question for that. I wonder what my life would be like

if I decided to be sober. Oh, so you're saying, if you had chosen sobriety, not you did choose sobriety. I did not choose sobriety. Oh, interesting. So you feel like, and this is not positive or negative, it's simply like I have a different life than I would have. And so what you're implying is that there was a point where that was a choice that you were going to maybe make.

I quit and there was too much going on and I was approaching 40 and I was, not even understanding myself anymore. And I had a good friend on his way out the door. I was putting the band back together. I wasn't a good partner in the relationship that I was in. I was failing. And I decided I should get sober. And there was a point where it really just,

I really took to it. And then I started drinking again. And I look back at that time sometimes when I'm thinking about Guinef Palatro in Subways. And I think, oh, that's my moment. I mean, not to, I know this is an unpopular, whatever, a nuanced thing to say, but I do believe that there's gradations of what people need to do to get their life right in back to our party oven situation. And for some people, it is absolutely strict sobriety. And for some people, it's just that moment where you're like, I can't, I just can't be like this anymore. Like, I have to, I have to correct the course. And it doesn't necessarily have to meet. Like, I'm not, I'm not sober.

I've talked about this on one's program, but I don't, I'm not party oven anymore. That's for damn sure I can't be party oven anymore. Party oven, Yossi was not a good, a good time. She was, she was having a rough go of it. And yeah, and I think that's a, that's an interesting distinction. Well, good for you for recognizing that. I, I think you start to see how it affects others. And then you start to see what the truth is within,

what you're partying for. My mother died in the summer. When I started it, yes, I'm sorry too for all those who've lost people. It's very sad and it sucks. And I did realize the bottle was coming back because, as I said, it's the all-inclusive resort where you just get to just sit by the ocean and you don't look at your surroundings. You just look at what's not making you feel pain. So it's understandable.

and I have so much empathy and time for people that are struggling with that. I just do because I just feel as if we live in such a society based around shame that yet we're marketed every day how we should be drinking and living and enjoying ourselves. So I'm always just sort of trying to go down the middle and just sort of be very human about it. because I was the life of a party for a long time there. And yeah, as you get older, it doesn't look because it's not a great poster anymore. No, also my ass got tired. There you go.

I'm too tired. All right. Number 10. We're halfway through, basically. What characteristic are you most drawn to in other people? Honesty, I love it. I love just legit, genuine people. I love strangers too.

I love hanging out with strangers and just people have always astonished me. That's why when you see people turning on each other like we are at this time, it's painful to watch because families and everyone should be able to find a ground in the aspect of just letting someone be who they need to be within that moment as long as you're not hurting people around you. So I'm into genuine people. I love that. I love that you said people are astonishing to me. I read a book when I was really young. It was like a teen novel by Christopher Pike or something. And it was about God. Totally chill teen novel. But there's a line from it that has always stayed with me. And it was, I say, oh, a lot. The world is constantly taking me by surprise. And I loved it. Because I was like, wow, that's a really beautiful way to be, to take in the world. And I like, if that's what you're saying of how you take in people, I think that's really cool because you're not kind of like what we were talking about earlier. Like you're not

pre-judging and making like, oh, I already know what you're all about. Like you're letting them reveal themselves and their authenticity to you. Is that what you're saying? Yeah. Yeah, I am. I'm, I wasn't very smart in school and I just started to realize the education that I was getting was from the people that I was surrounding myself with and the strangers that I had come and go throughout my life and then I started to really buy into that school of life bumper sticker but I did and I learned a lot I learned a lot from a lot of wonderful people who've come and gone and some are still around and I'm just people I think are some of the it gets me emotional talking about it because it's so tough and so hard right now and people are

suffering and you know that that's not what we want but it's hard to have all this unknown and all this uncertainty when we go out there, especially at this season, when the suicide rate goes through the roof, and we're also having egg knock and chatting to people about this cough that everybody has. It's kind of a fucked up moment. That's the worst. No, I think I really believe that everyone is interesting and everyone has a profound wells of things inside of them, that if you can get them out, you would be transformed by hearing them. I really believe that about everyone. That's why I like my job. But I do think that like, people feel lonely. People feel shame. They don't want to reveal their truth selves because we've been we've been socialized to think there's one way to be or two ways to be or one way to look or whatever. And if you can do what you do, which is what probably makes you such an incredible artist is that you're, no, it's true. But it's like, I think part of like, like, like you were saying earlier, this experience of music, this feeling, it's a lot about feeling seen, right?

Like, how often do you say that about music that you love that like, wow, like, that music gets me. Like, I hear my, I just said it about party of it, you know? And being able to mirror back to people something about themselves is a gift. And you can probably do that because you see them. And that's really cool. I love this chat. Oh, thanks.

Are you really got to put this up or is this just for us now? I mean, that isn't that a great trick? If people can stop remembering that it's a podcast, then I know I'm really doing my job correctly. Sometimes, listen, I'm not perfect. Sometimes I go back to waiting for my turn to talk and tell you a shiny thing about myself because I'm a human being too.

But I try to stay on this side of things. Number 11, Kevin Drew. Who is the last person that you met that you were star-struck by? I know you'd be meeting famous people all the time. Yes. I do. I do. No, I do. I have a lot of successful friends, too, and it's amazing to watch their careers and the lefts and rights and ups and downs. I mean, you did recently perform with Meryl Streep on stage. I thought that would be a good one maybe. I don't know. I don't want to put words in your mouth, but if you're searching for she's kind of a big deal.

Yes, she is. Well, I think that was a, we could just stick with that moment. What a lovely. moment. Two best friends having the best time. And Tracy Olman. Sorry. Yeah, who's probably one of the greats that exists in such a lovely human Tracy. And we dated and it was for me. Again, Kevin Drew, what an excellent taste you have in women, I must tell you. I do. My hat is off to you. I got so much love. I miss her. I got so much love for her in our time and it was so strange with the pandemic arriving. But she did, we had a really sweet time together out in L.A. where She brought me into a lot of communities and I think

I was starstruck a bunch of times within that but in the end what I love so much about when you're kind of on the inside but not with any career motive because I try to explain to people they say how do you know these people and know these people? Well I don't ask them for a job and they generally just have to kind of like social scene

or no social scene. I've met a lot of people. I'm not networking. Yeah, it's not a network. And it's, like you said, if it's on it's, and it's true, and you can carry a conversation and break bread and all that, then you actually have a lovely time together. And I did enjoy not just Meryl Street, but her family, her kids, lovely people, and I was able to have some dinners. And I'm grateful for that. And I'm grateful that I was accepted into that moment.

And it's a moment that I think of fondly. And I also just, as I said, I love people. And if I can get to all kinds of different people, you know, I get starstruck by Suser Lee when he walks by me in the park. You know, he's a Toronto chef. I was like, hey, Suser, how are you? How are you? And how's it going?

Finally, he said, what's your name again? I was like, Kevin. Anyways, love your cooking. So you'll find me starstruck by the bartender at Tarone's. If I like you and I see what you're, what you're carrying within your eyes, I can get that same feeling from people that you're not supposed to say you're star struck over,

but very much so. Perfect fucking answer, Kevin Drew, I gotta say. Your publicist should be proud. I'm winging it. I'm winging it. I'm a dream guess. I'll tell you, just real quick, Tracy Allman was such a huge part of my youth

because my parents are immigrants, and thusly, part of that was they didn't monitor what we watched on children, watched on TV. So they loved the Tracy Allman show, so I watched it. I must have been like seven, eight, you know, like, and I thought she was the funniest woman alive. And this was, I have this, I have the most tenderness in my heart for her. Oh yeah. As, as a comedian. Groundbreaking. Groundbreaking. Come on. Literal icon level. 24. 24. Number 12, Kevin Drew. When was the last time you slid into someone's DMs?

I was like, DM in recent. Oh, somebody asked so I have a tour. And someone said, are you going to come to Indianapolis? I don't know, how do you say it?

Indianapolis. Thank you. As soon as I tried to say it. It's no, it's not Saskatchewan, but, you know, it's something. It's amazing how some words

I go to say them and it's not going to work. But I wrote him and said, no. I'm not going to go there. But I sometimes try to respond to people. when they send things in Instagram, somebody sent me a, oh yeah,

somebody sent me a photo of a car that had L-U-V-R-S-P-I-T as a license plate, lover spit. And this woman said, my husband and I, I've been listening for years, this was in front of us, we had to take a photo.

So that will be my answer right there for you. I like that. Yeah, it was lovely. Usually it more means when you approached someone, but maybe you just don't do that. Oh, I don't.

Yeah. I wrote that actor who did Thunder Road and the wolf of Jim Cummings. I saw this film Thunder Road and I sent it to everybody I knew. I was just kind of like, everybody has to watch this film and watch this, too. I loved it so much. And he wrote back, sweet man. Of course he did. You're Kevin Drew and Mark and Social saying you got a blue check.

Yeah. Oh, that's right, the blue check. But yeah, I found him just as an exciting new filmmaker out there. and that was my, I think that's, I don't really DM people. Yeah, I hear you. I don't either. I mean, not like unbidden. Okay, number 13, Kevin Drew, what is the horniest song ever in your estimation?

The horniest song, I don't know. Yeah, it doesn't have to be like superlatively, but like maybe in the top horniest songs of all time. Well, you have to understand that we came up with the Justify My Love Madonna here. and the book came out. And my brother got it, and he did showings for my friends. So it's like, you're at 1 o'clock, you? You have to wear gloves. He made them wear gloves.

And that was a huge sensation when that book came out. So I had a bunch of buddies come over, and my brother skillfully just sort of set times for people to look at the book. And that song sort of was the, So not, I guess the soundtrack, would you say, Yassie? Was it the soundtrack to that book in a way? Or she put out the greatest hits with that on it? Yeah, that, that greatest hits was like my first introduction to Madonna.

So like just my like little eight-year-old ass being like, sure, this stuff. But yeah, that was, that song was, man, I'm so glad you brought this up. Because people always mention Prince, which is absolutely fair. He is the king of horny music. My toke is off to him. but nobody nobody has ever invoked Madonna and it's like bro, duh,

like this woman, you know Lenny Kravitz co-wrote that song? Did you know? He's in the video. Yeah, yeah. Come on now. My uncle had this sex book

and I, again, like eight, nine years old was just paging through that bad boy. Really shaped a lot of, she was my first favorite artist. So I'm really glad that you brought her up and you're so right. That's, that's in,

that's horny song canon. Absolutely. Number 14, Kevin Drew, what is the biggest money you ever turned down? And what was it for? I don't think I ever really was in the opportunity of turning down something big since we're such a collective and social scene. They make all the decisions.

There's 60 people here and everyone needs money, babe. We are not turning down any paycheck. Yeah, but it was and still is easy to do the math on some events where you figure out how to be profitable within how. how you move. So honestly, I don't think I could answer that because there's gigs that have. We just turned down a gig recently just because it was kind of like, well, is that a good move for us?

What's the money once everybody gets paid? We were always in a privileged position to not have to ever worry about selling out. Not that that even matters anymore. But remember back when you were talking about those days of the 90s and stuff, selling out and being a part of a corporate entity was something you didn't want to do, even though Rage Against Machine was still with whatever Sony records and all that stuff. Until the Shins did the, was it a McDonald's commercial? I personally as a music historian, mark that as the day that Selling Out died, where it was like,

you know what, go off. You want to, the Shins did that commercial and then Modest Mous did like the Toyota van commercial, and it was like off to the fucking races. Yeah, we, I remember Pink Moon. That was a huge one for us. with the Apple. Apple. Was it Apple? I thought it was like a Volkswagen commercial where they're driving at night.

Maybe it was Volkswagen. I'm just so used to all the iPod commercials having like the coolest songs in them because they were just so smart about that. But yeah, you're right. They were. I mean, there was some and still are. I'm looking at shows with music supervision.

That's just next level. I mean, beef alone, dope sick. I was like, who are these people? This is incredible music. So good. fucking the bear. I was like, oh,

come on now. Way to put strange currencies right back in my bloodstream where it belongs. And now I listen to it every day again. I mean, I was always a big REM head. But like, you know, you kind of forget,

they have 400 albums. So you kind of like stop listening to some of them. But I was just like, bring it back, bitch. It's back. Yeah. Thank God for that show.

So good. So good. Also, sorry. I think every band who makes good music should get that fat Toyota check. Who cares? They need to make money. Just like we were saying, like,

as long as it's not from like Halliburton or fucking like that's fine take the check it's all connected but yeah you're right girl you write no ethical as i like to say as perhaps a moral loophole just same way there's no ethical consumption under capitalism there is no ethical labor under capitalism it's all one thing so fucking take the job too you know um yeah i have my own I have my own moral structure infrastructure over here all right we're we're making moves number 15 what is the best live show you've ever seen. And I've seen a lot. I've seen so many.

Oh my gosh. I remember seeing Phoenix at the Phoenix, Toronto, the concert theater, when they put out their third, I think it was their third record, or fourth record. And you just knew that they were not coming back after this one. And the crowd was on fire. So that always comes to mind where I thought, oh, my gosh, these guys are, it just sounded impeccable. And when you see a crowd be more animated than the band, that's something, I saw the

in rainbows at Mexico City, 50,000 people. I could even hear Tom singing at one point. And I said to myself, I will never forget these shows because of the crowds. When the audience makes the show, it's unreal. So I will, I'll drop those bands. I've never been more violently jealous than you sing in rainbows in Mexico. that's my hard time. Yeah, it was phenomenal.

All I need. I just heard all these people sing and all that I need. It was unreal. I know. And when that song dropped, you know, that was a time where you're looking around and you're thinking, okay, this is now a soundtrack to what is of existence in this moment. Talk about a guess what bitch. That was a huge guess what bitch.

They were like, guess what bitch? It's free. And here it is on the internet. Enjoy. You thought we were done? We're not done. We made one of our. best records of our career. And it's free. Have that it. You can give us $5 if you want.

King shit. Crazy. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Number 16. When in your life were you the most fucked up wasted hammered trashed? A specific instance, not a time period. As he goes through the roller decks. No, I think in a celebratory way. Yeah, this is, that's the rub, right? You have to filter through the dark moments and find one that's fun and funny. They're not dark. I mean, even recently, I overdrank it. I'm not going to get into it, but it just, it was just too much and I should have stayed

home and I knew that. But I think there was a night where we played a show in London and it was one of those evenings that just glided into another evening that just glided into another evening. and before you knew it, without any kind of aspect of not knowing how to walk, there was the sunset and there was a beautiful breakfast where you could have a pint of Guinness. And it had been so long since drinking through the night without some sort of aspect side apatif involved or something where... I'm picking up what you're putting down. Yeah, or some sort of pressure to make a moment happen.

And it was a wonderful show that led to conversations and more conversations. And I remember thinking to myself, eating a beautiful breakfast, English breakfast with the sun coming up, that's how you do an all-nighter. And it was really special because it didn't involve all the darkness or the shame or anything. It just involved this celebration. And it was at a time when the band was doing really, really well. And I was completely enamored by how well we were doing. So happy about it.

So it just sort of was a beautiful moment. I love that. Also, I must say, I think this is made possible by the UK where they don't have shame about drinking or parting. That's not a thing there. They're like, you want to have a Guinness at fucking 6 a.m.? Cheers, brough. Cheers, mate. I'll buy you one.

I'll buy you two. It's true. And that's where, that's my bloodlines out there. So. Of course. It feels at home. Of course. Two things about white people.

They're all, I'm Scottish, English, French, whatever they love to say it. Number two, they know everything about dogs. Have you noticed this? There's like an ancestral knowledge with white people out. Like, because when I was, like, thinking about getting the dog and I would ask my white friends and they would be like, well, you know Australian shepherds are a handful. And I'd be like, no, I don't. And why do you know? What is this? Are you taught this in some special school? I don't know. They just all know. It's crazy. Anyways, that's neither here nor there. Um, number 17 and 18 are tandem questions and actually fit beautifully into your last answer. What do you love the most about being famous and what do you hate the most about being famous? And please don't say you're not famous. I enjoy. What do I enjoy? That's hard for me to answer because I do want to go with what you just said. Yeah, because you're humble.

Yeah. What I like is why. I like that. My success is not of an individual. It's of a group. And it's of a lot of people and a lot of help. And I'll always look at it that way. Yeah.

And what I don't like is getting attacked. On the internet by deranged people with no. Well, just, no, not so much. just like just get it right. I don't mind if you got it right, but get it right. In the last few years, what I sort of saw within my community

was how much they didn't want to get it right. And they just kind of wanted to stop you and say, no, no, no. And I was a little shocked by that. And of course, there's a lot of moments that have redeemed itself for me and the return of everybody coming back to the weight of things in the world.

But I wasn't into, how everyone turned on each other over that pandemic. I really did not understand what was happening. And the fact that we haven't really completely gone there yet or unpacked some of that and what it did to families and friends and work. And it's interesting to me how we're just so quick to move on. But as you know, through therapy, you can't outrun what's happened to you in your life. You have to address it.

So I don't see anyone in any level. leadership in any shape or form trying to make understanding exist around what we all just collectively went through. And some obviously worse. I lost a friend, a dear friend. Three weeks in he died. God. He died on me.

And died on a lot of people. He was a lovely man. And he was an extremely huge man in the community of art named Hal Wilner. And there's no one like him. And I cried for four fucking days. You see it all the time, though, Kevin. And it's like, I really like, I'm going to sound so corny, namaste prayer flag right now, but you know what? Gotta be me.

I really try to look at things with like a lens of compassion as much as I can, not even altruistically, but because it makes me feel better also, it's like, it's one of those gifts that keeps on giving to both people. But like when I like step back and look at this stuff, like I'm like, the outrage that people channel their energy into is a thousand percent because they are miserable and traumatized and it is like drinking. It literally is the same as substance abuse because it takes away their own pain to channel all that energy into being righteous and outraged against other people. It is truly a drug to a lot of these people. Here's all I'll say. Even people that I believe are on the right side of history with certain causes, the way

that manifests as accusatory and even even infighting with people on their same side because they're not doing it right the way they should this is all just like a deep-seated trauma response from that own person's life and that's all I can see it as every time because it's not it's not about anything else and also people are hurting we know this there's there's pain out there and I suppose in a way that creates communities that they find themselves not being so alone. I guess. I mean, again, and to be clear,

you can have compassion for people without fucking with them. I'll have compassion for you, but I'm not going to fuck with you. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. Okay, good answer. Those are good answer. Number 19 is the wild card.

I would like you to tell me, excluding the tragically hip, Who is Canada's most treasured export? Oh, well, I know a lot of these bands, so. I know. I've put you in a difficult position. There's too many. I'm sure they all listen to this program.

In my opinion, or? Yeah, in your opinion. Is it my opinion? I can only really come as your opinion, I think. I got to skip this question. I know too many people. You're allowed to skip one question. Okay, this is your skip.

This is the one. Because I would list off so many, just because I know them. Because you're so nice. I believe that they're all treasured. Yeah. I'm skipping it. You know what? There's a lot of great bands.

It's true. Again, you know, never forget some 41 and Averal Levine. Oh, just wrote me today. There you go. Oh, love this. Yeah. You do all know each other. Okay, number 20, when was the last time you cried?

It was during this interview, if we're being honest. I saw you tear up a little bit. Yeah. It was actually like 30 minutes ago. Yeah, there you go. My mom is, she's been coming up a lot lately. And then yesterday, just talking about a friend, there was this lovely guy who I didn't know well named Charles Officer

who on Sunday we all found out passed away and just reading about him and reading about his work as a director and just the community that came forth saying, we love you and we'll miss you. And I do know some of his friends throughout the years of being around. And I actually never gave Killian Murphy a script in my life because we're friends. But I gave him that gentleman's script. He said, look, I believe in this guy.

Will you read it? And he did because he's a good man. And he said, I'll do it. And it wasn't for him, but he did appreciate his writing and appreciate Charles's work. And it's just one of those things where you're kind of like you're thinking about everyone and everything. And I got really emotional just in the aspect of he's a dad and just his friend. I just fell for his friends and his community. And then I thought about my mom.

And it's so gray here, December. It doesn't take much. It all just collapsed on your head. But you know what? You got to remember that there's people out there struggling and you don't know it. And you know them. And when you read these things and these things pop up in your phone or you get a phone call, it hurts. And at 47 now when the phone rings, it's, it is almost a trauma response.

when someone says, oh no, and I say what? Because I'm ready to hear that someone's gone. So I lit a candle for that gentleman on Sunday night, Charles Officer, and I thought of his family and his friends, and I just had a little cry for just the aspect of people are dying, and it's a hard time for a lot. People in losses, it's real, and it's a sweater that you wear for a while. So I just thought I'd send them what I had.

I mean, that's why your album hits so hard. I really feel like broadly. I mean, I didn't, I didn't do, I don't usually do this because I'm such a researcher, but I wanted to just hear the album and draw my own conclusions. And I was just really struck. I mean, I knew that your mother had passed away, and so that maybe colored my experience of it. Although, I don't think that you wrote that about that. That wasn't.

No, she was alive when I wrote it. Yeah. But it's, I just, I heard, I heard that throughout it, just lost, like the idea loss and the and the bitter sweetness, right? Like, it's not, I said earlier it's a sad album, but that's not true. It's not like a one-note sad album. It's, it holds within it like, the reason that it's sad is because it's beautiful, right? Because you experienced a person and their joy and their beauty and then you lost that and that, and that's all kind of, I can hear all of that in the music. Sorry to be a little Robert Criscount right now, but just doing my best.

No, I love it. The social scene, we're all hopeful kids. We're all making hopeful records when we were coming out stars and metric, feisty, do makes, say, think, raising the fun, Jason Collette, Apostle Hustle, ourselves. We're all these hopeful kids. We're just like, let's writing anthems in our different ways of how we write them, but for the idea of finding homes with people that wanted them. So it's inevitable to me to always make sure that the music's filled with hope,

even if you're singing about watching somebody, leave you. Totally. Speaking of leaving you, I will be leaving you in four questions. You made it. I'm having a good time. Okay, good. All right. Number 21, what is your greatest regret besides not canceling this morning on this podcast?

I wanted to direct since I was a little kid. I had like a pre-near subscription magazine when I was in grade four or five. And I grew up in film and I grew up. That's what I started. It was making instrumental records to get into soundtracks. and then Brendan Canning and Evan Cranley both suggested I sing and we put the social, while social scene was together,

the second record, I started singing a lot more, and then that just took off. And I'm grateful because I also was a kid of the tennis rackets and vacuum cleaner, microphone stands, which I told you. But I've done a lot of music videos, and I made a short film with Feist and Kiela Murphy for a song of hers

called the water back in 2008. And after that, it is a key, it is a part of my depression when I get depressed. I never got back to it, and it just kept getting further and further and further away. So right now I'm starting to focus all my energy. I'm trying to bring it closer to me,

but it's a very different time and everything that was going on. Right before the pandemic, I was starting to take some meetings. It was great. But I've got to get, into that world because I love telling stories. And I basically am a historical storyteller of, from the teachers of who I watched. I'm a cinema buff.

I know so much about film. And I've been shooting a lot on my phone lately and editing on my phone lately, just in the aspect that when there's limitations, I believe there's really great art to be made. So I fully agree. I'm just kind of getting that back. Yeah, see, like, come on, because regret is something that it, as you get older, you think, oh, it's cool, it's fine. I regret that, but don't worry.

But as you start to age and start to see, you do end up being like so many of us where if we live on our phones and see all that is happening away from us, it starts to eat at us. And I try to say to people, remember to live outside of that, but then it's almost hypocritical because I've spent so much time watching and reading

and listening to film podcasts and IndieWire and deadlining. knowing everyone's deals and just taking in all the information, studying what Netflix films are making, what primes make it. Like, I just got so into it. And the one thing I'm not doing is creating and making and finding the funding to go out and do it. But that's a goal of mine to get away from that regret.

Well, with love and respect, Kevin Drew, you're not dead yet, bitch. No, I'm not. Let's fucking go. Let's do it. You have plenty of time. Let's do it. I know. You got this.

Also, I must say, you do have the voice of a fucking angel. so I think many people are blessed that that intervention did happen. And I did have a small question for you as a follow-up around that. Do you ever, when you're fighting with a girlfriend, use that as a weapon to be like, hold on, what if I sing you a little song? Because I'll tell you what, that would absolutely diffuse this. I had an ex-boyfriend who had a voice of an angel. He had perfect pitch.

Never used it on me. Could have gotten anything he wanted. Could have ended a fight. Could have been anything. But he never did. And I think that if you're not doing that, you should. Sorry, Rachel, if I'm giving a weapon. Benz to Kevin.

No, and I've never been told I've had a voice of an angel before, to be honest. And no, I've never, I've never, I usually fuel the arguments. I don't usually break into song. Well, as I got older, obviously, you learn, and so you know the signs of how not to escalate things, but I remember saying, you know, most people don't get to the third verse of a song sometimes. and when you find people that do, it's so rewarding. And you're usually, that also falls into the realm of not scrapping and not fighting,

because that means you're kind of at peace with each other and what each other does. And criticism as you get older, it gets you nowhere. So you have to know who you're with so that you don't start picking apart and say, you know, I've had partners give me books, like read this and then we'll be better and check this out. And then I want to date you, but just can you read about, you know, co-partnership or codependency and all this because you're a big change you. Candidate for it. You know, so, so yeah. All right.

I'll remember that. Let me know how it goes. I don't think Rachel and I have argued. But I know my voice is now a voice of an angel, so I will remember that. All right, Kevin, Drew, we're so close. Number 22, what song would you like to hear just before you die? Oh, I know that. It's a reggae artist.

Everything is all right. Everything's just fine with me. You got to stand up, fight for your rights. Oh, gosh, it's one of the greats. And if I knew that, I would have looked it up for you. But that was the song I said, play at my funeral. I have so much love for so much music that I know if I was able to plan my death and know that I was dying, that there would just be a playlist party.

And it would be for everything from, you know, the Sundays to girls. Recky to the Beasties to you to the New Order to fucking Fugazi and then if you want to throw in all the greats of David Godin's classic soul. You really want to extend that time between you and your death. Yeah. Cornell Campbell. Let's play this. Yeah, exactly.

Okay. That's a great answer. All right. Number 23, Kevin Drew. What do you think about me? I think you were wonderful, actually. And I'm glad you asked because you were really sweet. And also, I love that this is what you do because it's nice to get into the cool people, you know, music journalism and the aspect of that is such a dying art.

But when research, which is just such an incredible word, let's say it again, research. Like, think about that word. We're going to say it one more time, research. It's something that is so important. And it's something that you do. and coming into this, as I told you, I was a little on the fence what my day was feeling like, but you are not only disarming and calming, but you're very lovely, and you know how I say I like genuine people? I can sense that right away. So that's why you're successful when you're doing so well is because you have those notions. So I would say,

congrats to you for this because I do a lot of these things. I've been doing these interviews now for 25 years. And though this was very long, which is crazy to me, but that's part of the culture of now. But yeah, I appreciate you allowing us to sort of go outside of the boundaries of what we should be talking about and also having the sort of understanding of we know what we're talking about as two individuals while we're having a conversation.

We're speaking about things that we know about. So it's been, I've enjoyed it very much. Thank you, Kevin Drew. Oh my God, what a beautiful. answer. Number 24 is what do you want to plug, babe? The reason that you spent an hour to Yeah, why do you think you came here? Don't let's not lie to everyone say you came here of your own free will because you were like, I'm dying to talk to this Yossi woman. We already established that

you weren't dying to talk to this Yossi woman. And what would you like to plug? Well, I'm, I have this record out aging. That's why I'm doing all this. I'm coming out in January to tour. It's me and another gentleman and I'm just going to play everything that I've done over the last sort of 22 years and play some songs and connect with some people and tell some stories and get people up on the mic to read some poetry and I hope for it to be just a time where we can all be in a room and get people to sing along, play some covers and not have the wait for just that little tiny moment that we're together just not have that weight and hopefully when people walk out there's an identifying feeling of just taking a breath for a moment.

That's why I go on the road. That's why I love doing it. And that's why I hang out, the people I hang out with is fun and frustrating and beautiful and annoying as it is. It's a life. And that's what we're doing. We're living it. And we're doing it together. I love it.

Well, if you need a podcaster to come read a poem at your L.A. date, please let me know I'm available. No, I'm going to make sure that you come out, 26, 27. and I'm at that Hollywood Cemetery large place. I'm not just a podcast or you guys listening. Okay, I write poetry too. I have a lot of layers. Okay, don't put me in a box.

You guys all listen to Kevin Drew's amazing album aging. Check out the tour dates. Thank you for coming on the show and spending all this time, even though you did not want to. And come back next week. I did.

Come back next week for a new episode of 24 question party people. Thanks for listening to 204. question party people and thanks to my guest Kevin Drew. Kevin Drew's gorgeous new solo record, E.J. is available to stream everywhere now. Visit Kevin Drewmusic.com for upcoming shows. This episode is produced by Chris Sutton and Jesse Miller Gordon

with help from Justin Sales. Our gorgeous theme song was composed by Heather Fortune. Special thanks to Elizabeth Wilshire, Sean Fennessee, Rob Harvilla, and Lou Reed Parlo Salk. Come back every Tuesday for a new episode of 24 Question Party People on Spotify or wherever you listen to. podcasts. 24 question party people.