Bandsplain - 24 Question Party People: Matt Pryor of The Get Up Kids

Episode Date: March 12, 2024

Matt Pryor of The Get Up Kids drops by the show to talk about his book, 'Red Letter Days.' We also touch on important subjects like the animatronic bears that played "Crocodile Rock" at ShowBiz Pizza, how to properly cook a steak, choosing an Afghan Whigs song for your wedding processional, and the lost art of making a long-distance call on a pay phone. All that and more this week on '24 Question Party People.' Host: Yasi SalekGuest: Matt PryorProducer: Jesse Miller-GordonAssociate Producer: Chris SuttonAdditional Production Supervision: Justin SaylesTheme Song: Hether Fortune Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, can I talk to you? Over 25 years ago, on September 29, 1999, we watched a brainy girl with curly hair drop everything to follow a guy she only kind of knew all the way to college. And so began Felicity. My name is Juliet Litman, and I'm a Felicity Superfan. Join me, Amanda Foreman, who you may know better as Megan, the roommate, and Greg Grunberg, who you may also know as Sean Blunberg, as the three of us revisit our favorite moments from the show and talk to the people who help shape it.

The rewatch begins on March 13th. Listen to Dear Felicity on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. 24 question party people, party people. Hello and welcome to 24 question party people. I am your host, Yasi Salak. 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 wild card. The guest is allowed to skip one question. Sometimes the questions change a little. You'll be accepting my apology. that. Keeping it short and sweet today, you guys, because I am fully back in Banspland jail. I am in prison, the Google Doc prison.

Also, don't be mad, but it's not coming back until April. I'm sorry, I had to deal with some, like, severe grief over a dead dog. Sorry, if I can deal with it. Anyways, back in Banspland jail, once again, facing the cold, hard realization. that despite the fact that I am a teenager, adulthood, which is where I live, means that you only get to pick two things and everything else just like crumbles away in the background.

You want to work hard at your career and have a social life? Great, you can't exercise bib or take in any culture. Did I see one single Oscar-nominated film? The answer is yes, I saw one. one. You want to have a new puppy? Amazing. You cannot go to the grocery store anymore. The way my immigrant father's soul would absolutely just fly out of his fucking body, knowing that I spent 50 extra American dollars to have someone bring me four bags of food from sprouts, babe. Do not tell him. Listen, I'm not proud of this, okay? I'm not proud of it. But it's either

keep the puppy alive and learn about Boops' entire extremely detailed career in discography or push a cart around the store for an hour or two, which by the way, don't get me wrong. That is one of my favorite activities on Earth. That is a reason to live. But I don't have time

and so bags of groceries delivered to the door. I'm ashamed. Also, yes, I got a new puppy, but I don't feel like talking about it, okay? not yet, probably because I'm still crouched here in the dark shadow of my PTSD from what happened with Lou. So, you know, we'll get to where we feel that we can talk about it. But anyway, I have chosen, as my two things, I guess, work, aka reading 450 articles about boop. For the longest Google Doc I have produced yet, 138 pages and counting, new puppy.

And I'm like trying to shoehorned in a third thing, which is exercise, but not really doing an amazing job at that. But these are the three things that I am allowed in adult life. I haven't seen a friend in weeks, babe friend. Don't know them. I have eaten so many frozen pizzas, like so many. And you know what? That's showbiz, baby. Speaking of showbiz, baby, it was so fucking cool to get to talk to my guest today, Matt Pryor of the Get Up Kids about his book that chronicles a slice of life in his time in the early days of the band, just the Midwestern emo and pay phones of it all.

Me, I am a card carrying Get Up Kids stand, and so talking to Matt was super fun. And I think actually does count as a social activity, okay, for me. Let me have that one. Here is my talk with Matt Pryor. Welcome to the program. Matt Pryor. I'm so excited to talk to you. Why are you laughing?

I'm really so excited. I'm huge the Get Up Kids fan. That was a fun way to say it. Yeah. Well, I was like, oh, I can't just say Get Up Kids because there's a the in the friend. It's an official. I have to. You can, I mean, you can say whatever you want.

I was laughing at the sirens going by. Right. In Kansas. I have to tell you a couple of things, two things. I've actually been to Overland Park, Kansas. Okay. Because my cousins lived there when I was growing up. And I did attend a show at the bottleneck in Lawrence, Kansas.

I believe I was like 13, which is absolutely insane because that is not an all-ages venue. Well, they kind of don't talk about it. You can kind of go, they kind of have all-age. They kind of just, they don't advertise it. It's an all-ages show. And then they, depending on the show anyway. they let some people in. Yeah, I can't, I don't have like a strong memory.

All I know is here's what happened, Matt Pryor. I went to visit my cousin, who was my exact same age. We're like 12 or 13. And she was like, gorgeous. We're going to theater camp. And I was like, I'm sorry, what? And she's like, yes, we start theater camp today. And I was like, okay.

And I was not the theater camp sort. So I go to day one of theater camp and we're doing like, Annie, get your gun. And I absolutely wanted to die. First of all, I'm tone deaf. But secondly, I'm just like, I was like, I was like the 13-year-old who was like smoking sigs and like, you know, being like the bad girl in the bathroom. You're too cool for theater camp? Is that what you're saying? I don't know if it was like too cool. To be honest, I was like too untalented and uncoordinated and all the things.

So I was like, I'm so sorry. I love you so much, Nicole, but I'm, that's my cousin's name. I was like, I will not be returning to theater camp tomorrow. So I just kind of busied myself. It was a long time. I was like, a month. But her older sister was like, do you want to go to this cool show in Lauren. in Kansas. I remember the band. It was called The Gadgets. Oh yeah, yeah. I know those guys. Those are friends of mine. And there was also an opening band whose name I don't remember, but one of the guys was really hot. And I definitely like maybe misled him about how old I was. Nothing happened. Okay, this is a PG program. But I just remember that. I was like my first taste of like the world of punk because it was 13 years. I wasn't really going

to shows in Torrance, California. So the, this is how small this town is. The gadgets were a group in the in the 90s and early 2000s that were three brothers. others who were very young, who played kind of like ska punk sort of stuff. And they got signed to Hellcat Records. And it was a big deal around town because Tim Armstrong produced their record. And anyway, now they're collective. They changed their name. They're called the architects now.

Not the UK hardcore band architects. But their drummer, Adam, played drums on a project I did a couple of years ago called Radar State with one of the guys in the anniversary and Jim, the other guitar. player in the get-up kids. So small world. Well, I love this. Okay, number two, that's actually three stories. I'm going to tell you before we start. Number two is that, unfortunately, the worst guy in my dorm in my first year of college is who introduced me to the get-up kids. Yeah. But not even in the way you're thinking. Like, it was actually very surprising. His name was Josh. I would actually really love to dox him, but I cannot remember his last name because this is like over

20 years ago. Okay. But he definitely was like, like kind of East Coast preppy hot guy. And then we definitely hooked up and he was like, you can't tell anybody that kind of guy. Sounds like a real winner. Absolute gem of a human. But you know what? I forgive him because I love the get up kids so much.

It was kind of a nice trade. I got to have that. I know. I know you don't know what to do. I don't know how to respond to that. You're like, Josh, bitch, don't listen to the ghetto kids ever again. Sorry, our fans can be shitty. I don't know.

Like, I don't know what to say to that. Just this one guy. I'm glad that you, I'm glad that you came. I'm sorry you had a bad experience with someone who turned you on to something that hopefully you like. I loved it. And then my third thing is that maybe 10 years ago, I was backstage in a music festival. I want to say it was in Pomona because my friends, the black lips were playing. And I was talking to, and I was, this is when I used to party, so I was quite drunk.

and I'm talking to another man who I believe was also quite drunk. He was wearing a suit. And I don't know. We're just like talking music, bonding, drunk talking. Somehow emo comes up. And I was like, whatever. I was like, you don't know about emo. I love the get up kids.

Okay. I love a get up kids. And he looked at me and he was like, oh, really? I was in that band. And it was Rob Pope because Heap Spoon was playing. But meanwhile, I did not know that. And then we hugged. And then we hugged.

I was like, no way. And he was like, yes. And I was like, amazing. And I gave him a huge hug. He was wearing a suit? Yes. I guess maybe Spoon was performing in suits at this time. I don't remember.

All right. Right on. Those are my three stories for you, Matt Pryor. You're here not to hear my stories, but unfortunately. No, actually, I am. They said, do you want to hear three random stories that are loosely related to your life? Yeah. Actually, they should be in your book.

I think when you do a second pressing, you should include these in the book. It's an addendum. Yeah, how I'm tangentially related. Yeah. Well, we are here because you did write a book. It's called Red Letter Days. Journal entries. You took them 1990 to 2000.

Did you always keep a journal? And do you still keep a journal? So this is kind of a funny thing. This is a pro tip if you ever write a book. And then they send you what the bio and press release are going to say. And it has a thing in there that says that you've written journals your whole life. And you just kind of go, no one will care about that. it'll be in every single interview that you do.

Of course. We're obsessed. So I used to, it's called journalist, babe. It's in the fucking name. Oh, right. Well, see, that's my bed. This is,

I want everyone to learn from my mistakes. So, yeah, so I wrote journals when I was younger. And then when I started touring, I didn't because it's just difficult to write on the road. I journal a lot now. It's kind of part of my recovery. And, but, A lot of these stories are really more just, like, stories I've told over and over again,

like at parties or backstage or at a bar or something like that. So they're kind of like oral journals, I guess. They're just, there's not really anything that's like ever been written down before. This is the first time I ever wrote any of them down. But they're all things that I've, like, told on podcasts or just said in conversation, with a few exceptions. But, yeah, so the whole journals, thing is kind of gotten blown out of proportion in every interview that I've done.

It made sense to me when I, because I didn't realize that until I think maybe after I had finished reading the book. Because the whole time I was like, I was like, I wonder why this is in present tense, even though I enjoyed it because I actually really like present tense writing, but I was like, oh, that's like an interesting choice. And then when I was like, oh, if it's, if it is cold from perhaps journals or stories, it makes more sense that it would be, because when you kind of write in the present tense sometimes in journals. But perhaps I've been debunked here. Oh, I wouldn't go so far to say you've been debunked.

I think there were two things that I wanted to do. I wanted to write it in present tense just so that it would read kind of like a James Elroy book. Sure. And then also I wanted everyone to have a code name like it was a piece of fiction. And ultimately, when I turned it in, the editors were like, we know who you're talking about. you know, anybody can Google that there are two brothers in your band and they know who they are. But the code names were cool. It kind of gave it like the outsiders. I tried to keep the code names for anybody that like the general public wouldn't know who they were. Like our booking agent. Like they don't, no one knows. Mr. Happy.

Yeah, no one knows him. Unless you do. Oh, you just called your manager, our manager. Right. It's funny because he's, he's our manager again now. And shout out Rich Egan. Yeah. And he's like, he's like, am I in your book? And I'm like, kind of. Because he wasn't our manager at the time that I wrote it. And I didn't really want to name.

I didn't want name drop anybody. But, you know, it is what it is. I feel bad. I have to apologize to Rich Egan. The last time I spoke to him when he was on Instagram, he asked me to rank my top 10 favorite punk bands and I never did it. And then he went off Instagram. And that was quite some time ago.

It's a very Egan thing to do. It's a very masculine thing. I must say, I say this all. time. I feel like ranking things is a male trait. Do with that way you will. I personally think that ranking things is kind of a silly trait. But, you know, what do I? No one at. No one asked me. What are your top 10 favorite punk? No, I'm just kidding. I know. Come on, babe. Who have been? Okay. I want to just, before we get into the 24 questions, I want to tell you the parts of your book that jumped out at me. Okay. The most that like stuck with me. Number one, diabetes camp. I couldn't

stop thinking about that. I was like, not this man having to go to a camp centered around diabetes, but actually the way you talked about it sounds kind of cool. Well, I don't know what it's like for kids now, but at the time, I think it was a good, the intentions were good. It was just, I make you feel less alone. I mean, you know, one of the things that I, like going back and reading all this stuff is like, I didn't like anything at the time. So I was a very angry person. And so, like, hanging out with a bunch of, it just, the thing is, like, at least the rule of thumb at the time seemed to be like, it's fine. You just, it's just a little bit inconvenient. There's nothing really that wrong with you.

And I was just kind of like, fuck you. I'm broken, you know, like. Right. Totally. So anybody who was like, we're all in this together. Isn't this great? I was just like, go hang yourself. So, yeah, diabetes camp was a, it's a memory I had to dig up.

had kind of repressed it, I think, a little bit because I hated it so much. This is like you and diabetes camp, me and theater camp, not happening, but not the right vibe. There's got to be somewhere in the world a diabetes theater camp. We could both suffer. Yeah. That sounds awful. Okay, the dialer, I'm dead. I never had known about this contraption and I like need to know more.

Please tell me a little more about the dialer. Okay, so let me see if I can, my friend, do you know Mike Dubin? Have you ever met him? I don't think so. He's a photographer and he's just a friend, but he actually found a dialer the other day and sent me a picture of it. So I'm see if I can find it and send it to you, which will be great for podcasting. The audio-only podcast, yeah. Yeah, but it's, I can talk while I do it. The, it was basically kind of like, if you picture your cell phone, right, something about that size and it was like a little keypad. with a speaker on it. And then you had to like, I always thought it was like a chip,

like a microchip, but I guess it was like some kind of a crystal or something. I don't know. It was explained to me later. You would have to switch. That's what they called it. It's a witchcraft. You would get,

yes, you had to find a, find a hobbit and a witch. No, you were just like this thing, it would make, basically it was supposed to, what the point of it was,

is that you would enter in your frequently used phone numbers. and then when you were on your phone, you would just hit like number one and it would dial your mom or whatever, right? But if you switched out this, whatever the component was,

it would make the sound of a quarter going into a pay phone. So it would be like, it was a tone, like a deep kind of tone. And so if it was just like, you know, you would go to a pay phone and you dial a number in Boston and it would say,

please deposit $2.30. And so then you would hit the tone, the quarter button over and over again until it goes call connecting or whatever. And it was a way just to, you know, it's a very antiquated thing as our pay phones because even the concept of making long distance phone calls is sort of, you know, archaic anymore. Like no one has to really worry about that. But that was, yeah, there were a couple little punk rock hacks like that, that and Kinko's cards, like for making flyers and stuff.

Like people would go get jobs at Kinkos for like one day Put like $100 on each Kinkgo's card 100 copies of it And then quit and then like hand them out at punk shows Like it for bands to do like flyers or zines That's really cool I just was not aware I realized that how little I know

I said this off my As I say all the time I'm not a woman in STEM But I did not know that's how the pay phone worked I did not know that it was like sound based I didn't know that like it was just like a sound assigned to a number or a sound assigned to the quarter. And then it would be like, okay, bet making the phone call. I don't know of any other time that has actually been the case because I thought it was like the weight of the coin that triggered it. You know, like it was based on like the size and weight of the coin.

But the dialer worked. I don't know why. I just know that it was a game changer. I don't even know how the phone works to be honest. so I shouldn't even be surprised. Okay, number three, your wedding march was faded by the Afghan wigs. I, too, have the mental illness where I find Greg Dooley's music to be some of the most romantic music ever.

I just don't often come across someone else who does to the point that they put it in their wedding. Yeah, I mean, they're just kind of one of me and my wife's favorite bands. And I don't know, I love that song, and it's just, it's kind of got a march. sort of be that you can our wedding was a minute and a half long so like i think that the the wedding march was probably the longest part of it because we hired our sound guy the get-up kidd kidd's sound guy to officiate the wedding and he just kind of went like you yeah you yeah all right let's drink but yeah i i love the afghan wigs i love them a lot even their newer stuff i i really

really like a lot it's really good dula he's a legend i'm really a congregation and gentleman girlie myself through and through. See, I go Black 1165 myself. I love 65. When they get kind of pop, when they're a little all-pop, third-eye blind vibes, love it. But like dark.

You know what I mean? Duly. I mean, he's not possible to make it not Duly-Eage. No, I remember, so like, it was one of our very first tours. It would have been like whatever year that record came out, 97 or 98 of 1965. And I bought that record on vinyl

and the Cardigans Grand Turismo. Is that the name of that record? on the same day at a record store in Atlanta. And to this day, if you ask anyone in the get-up kids, this is kind of gauche. But like the two best records, if you're ever going to be intimate with someone, are those two albums. Interesting. And so, I don't know, they're associated in my mind. But no, I mean, 1965 is so good.

Crazy. So, so good by. 66? Oh, man. That was so fun. I love, I mean, just whatever. I could go on and on. We're not going to talk about the Afghan wigs.

I did a four-hour podcast about the Afghan wigs. Oh, man. If you ever do that again, please call me. I'll do it again all over with you. I have a bit of a network going of different people who are, like Chris Caraba from Dashboard Confessionals, a huge Afghan wigs fan. That makes sense. He and I bonded over.

He used to play Summer's Kiss back in the day. And I drunkenly came out and tried to sing it with him one time, but I couldn't remember all the words. So I'm like, Zahas Kiss. Over. But you covered when we two parted. Yeah. That was one of my wife's favorite songs.

So that was kind of like, you know. I'm sure you're ahead, but you've seen them my curse at Reading. Is it Reading with Marcy Mays? I don't think I have. Oh my God, I'll send it to you. It's what I just got the chills even thinking about it. It's like one of the most insane live. It's like massive Redding Festival like full and Marcy Mays comes out and she sings it.

And it's, oh, it's. just incredible. Okay. One of the best fans at all time. Okay. Let's get into the 24 questions. No, let's just talk about the Afghan Wigs for a while. We honestly could.

I mean, literally I could pull up my Google Doc and I could get real deep. I went the fan site, the like GeoCities-esque fan side of Afghan Wix is called Summer's Kiss. And I really went deep into like every crevice of like every published interview with Greg Julie. I got some information. Did you know that when they made, God, was it? I think it was gentlemen.

That primal scream was also at the same studio. No, I didn't know that. Can you imagine? I just want you to imagine the partying that happened. Didn't? I think they made Black Love in New Orleans, and it was at like... Yes. Anne Rice's house or something like that?

I don't know if it was in Anne Rice. There's some Anne Rice like vampire connection to it. Yes, there was a vampire that they would see floating around the studio. Right. Yeah. That was when Dooley was in his... extremely dark. I'm going to go move to New Orleans and die phase. Very cool. But then he made a super far now. You ever been to his bar in New Orleans? No, I haven't. I've been to his bars in L.A. though,

before I even knew that they were his footsies and shortstop. And I think he has another one too. Did he have anything to do with, what was it called Littlejoy? Was that one of his? No, that was the guy from the strokes. Oh, okay. Well, the R bar, the R bar in New Orleans is awesome. It's a bed and beverage. So you can like get a hotel room above it instead of giving you breakfast they give you drink tickets. And they have like free gumbo every Friday. And it's just, it's dope. It's a great.

I'm not sure I would survive living in New Orleans. I don't know. I haven't been back since like my wife and I quit drinking. We're both kind of like, I don't know if I even want to go back. I mean, you could have like a bignet and throw yourself a little parade in college. All right, Matt Pryor. Are you ready? I don't know.

Are you familiar with this show? We ask the same 24 questions every time. I'm not. I'm familiar with the concept. Okay, great. So you're coming in fresh, fresh eyes, don't know the questions. You're just, I do not know the questions. Spontaneous.

Some people ask for them in advance. Either way, it's hard. So, all right. Number one, Matt Pryor, what's your astrological sign? Pisces. That's right. Of course you are. Of course you are.

Are you at an astrology, girly? No. No, not really. I just know that it's a water sign and I like the water. And I don't know. That's about it. I don't know what the traits of a Pisces necessarily are. It's an incredible placement for an artist because it's very creative, very compassionate, very emotional.

Kurt Cobain was a Pisces. A lot of very emotional people tend to tend to be. It's water. It's the flow. Just, I'm just saying. Of course, you're Piscese, romantic, sensitive, intuitive. Great, great, great, great. Moody.

Perfect. You know, you already know the vibes. I mean, listen, I don't presume to know you, Matt Prior. I've just spent some time with the music and the book now. So just know a thing or two. Okay, number two, Matt Pryor. You're in Kansas, so what are we? We're looking at two hours ahead of L.A.?

Yes. Yes, correct. So it's 4.30 p.m. What have you eaten today? Let's see. I had, so I've been really. really into savory oatmeal in the morning. Hell yeah.

And I've also, I'm kind of been working on this thing. See, now you ask me about food. And so this is going to, this is kind of in depth. I did pick up in the book that you were a bit of a foodie. I've transcended foodie, I think. Foodie's just kind of entry level. I've been trying to explore ways to cook for yourself while traveling on a tour bus. Right.

Okay. So I've discovered that using the rice, like a really cheap, like $40 rice cooker is actually useful for a lot of things. So what I do is I do steel cut oats, homemade bone broth in the rice cooker, and then take my dog for a walk. And when I get back, then I throw in some spinach and let it wilt, and I throw in some cheese and hot sauce. And so I basically make kind of like grits, but with oats. And that's what I had for breakfast this morning. Gorgeous. I love that.

Two questions. Have you ever done miso savory oats? I haven't, but I've got some miso in the fridge, so that's a good idea. I fuck with that very just like a tablespoon of miso in it. Exactly. Right in there. And then it's kind of nice with like a jammy eggs. You know what I mean? And like some like scallions. Just ooh, a little hot talk. I have all. I have all of those things. You're making me hungry. I haven't. It's almost time for me to start making dinner. So almost time for dinner oatmeal. I'll have dinner. Breakfast for dinner's the best. Yeah, it's so good. When we make our own bone broth, do you look down upon me that I do it in my instant pot? No, because I'll do it in a pressure cooker and that's all an instapot is. Right, okay, yeah. I just don't have, I don't have time to sit there for 12 hours. I don't want to burn the house.

Because I already had a crock pot and a pressure cooker. If I didn't have those things, that makes more sense to have an instapot. Like, when we had like negative 15 degree wind chills the other week, I was making bone broth on the stove, just like keeping. it on low all day long just to help heat up the house. Pass the house past the time. Yeah. I just watch the bone broth boil because I couldn't go outside.

Okay. Well, now you made me hungry as well. I'm going to have a rabbi for dinner in case you're curious. Nice. Let me ask you a quick rabbi question since you're a food man. I got into a bit of an argument with my friend, not argument, but he was like trying to shame me because he was like, how long do you let it sit after you cook? and I was like, I don't know, like three minutes covered in full.

And he was like, no, you need to do at least 10 minutes. And I was like, well, I don't want to eat a cold steak. I don't really understand how I'm supposed to navigate. I would love to let it sit for the proper amount of time. But I don't have like, I don't live in a restaurant. I don't understand how to keep it warm. I mean, it depends on how thick the steak is. Usual logic is like at least five minutes.

But if you're doing like something that's really, I mean, ribby is usually pretty thick. It's pretty thick, yeah. I would say five minutes, you'd be fine. I mean, but fuck it. It's your steak. Let it rest as long as you want. I would just say if you're going to cut into it beforehand, have something underneath it to catch,

because it will bleed out. Like, bleed is the wrong word. I put it on a wood. I put it on a cutting board. It does bleed. It fully bleeds. I put, so I have this like cutting board. This is corny,

but it's actually in the shape of the state of Kansas that I got as a Christmas present from my mom, maybe. But it fits inside of a half sheet. sheet pan. So whenever I cook beef specifically, when I let it rest, I put it on this cutting board in the sheet pan so that when I cut it, it catches into the sheet pan. And then I incorporate that into the sauce. If the liquid comes out of the meat, you can just incorporate it into the sauce. And then you're getting that liquid back into your food. So fuck it. I'm learning a lot today. I'm learning a lot. And it's your food. Eat it however you want.

Have you listened to music today? And if so, what was it? I have not. I have listened to the news, to NPR, and to podcasts today. What podcasts are we listening to? I listened to my brother and my brother and me and NPR. A couple different daily, the New York Times. And then learning about Trump and Nikki Haley.

That's always fun. And then I've been listening to a book by the country singer Tom T. Hall that's called the songwriters Nashville. That's about Nashville in the 60s. And drinking on credit based on when your song was going to be a hit for George Jones or something like that. It's a pretty interesting book. For whatever reason, did know about this concept of the people that would drink on credit based on forthcoming song royalties. It's very interesting. It's probably a good thing it didn't exist when I was still drinking.

I probably would have. You'd be like, no, I have this song. It's called I'll catch you. Just listen. I promise you, I'm going to be rich. I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for once my ask cap check comes. Okay, so you like to educate yourself. I love that.

Not me. I'm dumb. And until they make the news a little bit more fun, I'm not listening. That's fine. Too dark. Too dark. Too negative for me.

They need to make a more positive version for me personally. Okay. Number four, Matt Pryor. What is the first song that made a meaningful impact on you as a child, a young whippersnapper? I know you wrote that you liked the doors, but that might not be the first song. Just wanted to bring that up. The first 45 that I ever owned when I was really, really, really little was, do you know, what showbiz pizza is?

No. Okay, so you know like Chucky Cheese, like those kind of places? Oh, absolutely. Charles Entertainment Cheese. Yes, exactly, yes. Before there was that,

there was this place called showbiz pizza, and they had animatronic bears that would like play music or whatever, and they actually, and they would just play, you know, cover songs or whatever, but I had, my first 40th I ever had

was the showbiz pizza band playing Crocodile Rock and Do You Love Me? And so that was the first. So I was really obsessed with Crocodile Rock when I was very, very, very young. Still bangs. Yeah. It's a silly little song.

I sang it at an Elton John tribute thing. A friend of mine has a yacht rock band and they did a full-on Elton John night. So I sang Crocodile Rock. That's a still a great song. I'm really upset. You brought this up and I remember that I was, I'm upset that I'm not allowed to go to Chuck E. Jews that you have to like you have to have to have a child with you. You're not allowed to just, I understand that that is for the safety and protection of the children, but it's like, I want to

play ski ball and get tickets and have the pizza and the cake. Go to Dave and Busters. It's like the same. Here's, I knew you were going to say that, but Dave and Busters is absolutely where dreams go to die. Dave and Busters is a den of sin and it's just filled with people drinking the most disgusting drinks you've ever seen in your life, being wasted. And it doesn't have the same wholesome the energy of Chuck E. Cheese. It's kind of like... David Busters is the hooters of video game restaurants or whatever.

Yes. The one here, it's in Hollywood, and it's like the nightclub. Like, you go there and there's a bouncer and people are dressed up and they're playing like really like aggressive hip-hop music, which is fine. I like that. But that's not the vibe I'm seeking. I'm seeking a sort of a more gentle animatronic mouse band type energy. if anyone has a child I can borrow to be careful what you wish for let me know

I'm not going to watch them or anything I just need them to get me in the door like a fake ID alright well you already kind of answered the question five too which is what is the first album you bought with your own money or shoplifted with your own two hands was it that 45? No that was a gift

the first record I ever bought with my own money I think was So my first obsession in music when I was 13 was like Guns and Rose's Motley crew era like hair metal, like L.A. hair metal. So I think the first LP I ever actually bought was by the band L.A. Guns. It was their first record. Amazing. Shout out Tracy Guns. Yes. Tracy Guns. Yeah.

It used to be kind of a deep cut. It's not really anymore. It's people like know who they are. Yeah, I knew they were because they were on the soundtrack of the film called dudes that for whatever reason I owned the vinyl LP of as a child. Do you remember this film, Dudes? I don't. It has like a, I think Emilio Estevez is in it. It's like a Western, but it has a very hair medley soundtrack. Oh, okay. That's coming back to me now. Yeah. I mean, that was that was my shit when I was 13, 14 years old. It was really good. I, again, around the time that I ran into. Rob Pope, your bandmaid, and was excited to learn that he was in the band that I was telling him about.

I lived in a house in the East Hollywood Hills with a bunch of roommates, and I would go on walks, and I would see the weirdest people. Like, I think Brigitte Nielsen lived down the street, but anyways, one day I was walking with my friend, Sarah, and this, like, very beautiful, busty, older blonde woman kind of pulled over in like a convertible, and she was like, hey, girls, you guys look cool, where are you going? And we were like, oh, we're just like, you know, on a walk. And she was like, you should come by. We're having a party later.

Anyways, the long story short is she was Tracy Guns as either wife or ex-wife. I think ex-wife. Okay. And she had a house there then was having a party. I did not attend the party. Just couldn't help myself, but tell you this story because you brought up Tracy Guns. Well, when we were, I remember when we were trying to sign to a major label in like 1998 or so, we ended up going to the Rainbow Room in L.A.

Sure. Because I really really want it. I really wanted to go there because it was a hair metal like institution, you know? And I saw Cici Deville and Bobby Blitzer from Rat and I like freaked out.

I was just like so like starstruck by it. Like that's the drummer of Rat. Do you know that slash audition to be in Poison and they said no because you don't have the right look and then CC DeVille walked in right after

with like full makeup on and they were like, yes. I think slash auditioned to be in Kiss, too, when he was like 15 or something like that. There's all sorts of, he's like a, he's an interesting dude from what I've. Super interesting. All of Guns and Roses aren't. That's one of my, one of the most, I think, underestimated and like sort of like glossed over bands is guns and roses. They're way more interesting and deeper and more talented than people. Well, and then if you compare appetite for destruction to all the other records of that genre,

at the time, it is like light years ahead of, like, just the way it sounds, the way the songs are structured, the way it's performed. Like, it, it's swings, it's got grooves in it. It's not just, you know, it's more of a rock and roll record than a metal record. It's just, they're a really unique case. And I learned recently that Izzy Stradlin just left because he got sober and didn't want to be around those fuckers anymore. He was so hot. Izzy Stradlin was so gorgeous. He had a good look. Yeah. He really brought to the table his gorgeous face, whereas Axel Rose was an actual genius. Do you know that Izzy Stradlin is distantly, his last name isabel? And he's distantly related to Jason Isbel. His last name isabel. He's related to Jason Isbell. I need to tell Jason Isbell this. Do you think Jason Isbell knows? Jason Isbell was on this program. I'm going to bang his line. Why don't have his line on DMM? I did. You used to drink a lot so things get,

cloudy, but like I feel like I saw an interview with Jason Isbell, and he said that he was distantly related to Izzy Stradlin. Like, they'd never met, but he was like. Yeah, but Jason Isbell would be clowning. Maybe he was joking. That's true. That's true. He could be.

But it'd be a lot cooler if he was telling the truth. So cool. Yeah. You know, we're not here to talk about guns dresses forever, but I'll just say, never forget Jeff McGagan, Punk, Seattle punk legend and brought that energy. Oh, absolutely. And investment guru. Do you know about that?

Yes. Yes. Yes. Was it Amazon? What was it one? No, he took some of his initial guns and rose, when Guns and Rose's blew up, he took like a million dollars and invested in a couple small Seattle companies that turned out to be Starbucks. Starbucks, that's what I was. I think Amazon may have been one of them. And I'm trying to remember with the other. It was something like, but yeah, he's like a millionaire 10 times over regardless of being in Guns and Roses. And the farts. It was definitely not the farts that it was. made him the money.

You never know. They might get that license. Okay. Okay. Sorry, what a, hang on, what a juvenile, the most juvenile band name I've ever heard of in my entire life. The Farts. But it had a Z, so it was kind of like stylistic.

Yeah, but that was also kind of a heavy metal thing too. It was like boys with a Z or something like, you know, like, but the fuck, like, hey, we want to call the band. I don't know. The Farts? Cool. You know, it's just like. So good.

Yeah. I mean, I think they were very young. and it was just like Seattle punk kids, you know. It came to my attention, someone talking about how punk rock is both for, punk rock is both for very, very intelligent people and very, very juvenile people at the same time. And that's an example of the very, very juvenile one. Good band, though, I'm sure. You have the sex pistols on one side and the clash on the other.

Yeah, exactly. The two genders. And they were friends. Okay, number six, did anyone in your childhood ever tell you, you're never going to make it Matt Pryor or something like that like they do in the movies? And if so, who was it and what did you say back? So, yeah, and I revisited this story on the last tour that I did because I have a New Amsterdam song about it that's called Make Me Change My Mind. I used to work at a library.

It was a science and technology library and I worked in the photo lab. And I had a boss there. He was the head of the photo lab. And he was also an aspiring writer who used to make extra money writing early online erotic fiction. That's how he would make his side money. It was a great job, and I had a lot of musicians there because you could basically take time off to go on tour. And so I was like, well, I want to go on tour.

I'm taking three weeks off to go on my first tour, and he goes, okay, you can have the time off. But just so you know, it's not going to work, and you're going to fail, and you're going to come back, and you're just going to work at the library for the rest of your life. He's like, I moved to L.A. to become a writer, and it didn't work out. And now I'm back here in Kansas City,

and that's just how it always happens. no one from this town ever makes anything of themselves. And I was just like, okay, thanks, Ben. I'll be back in three weeks. And, you know, I was very motivated, amongst other things, I was very motivated to prove him wrong. So it wasn't a big dramatic thing. It was more just kind of like, like, he's like, yeah, you can go on tour.

You're going to lose money, but whatever. Do you ever check in on him? Are you ever like, hey, bitch, just wanted to drop in. I'm not sure if you are familiar. Second Wave Emo, babe, ever heard of it. I basically invented that. So I'm going to need you to apologize. No?

Well, first off, I don't really talk like that ever. Nobody talks like that except me, but I'm just, you can put it in your own words. You could paraphrase. Yeah. No, it's not something, no, I haven't. I'll just leave it at that. It's not something I would do. I would honestly.

He knows. He knows. I would send letters. I would send any press I ever got and just a palette. Yeah, I just send him like good reviews. Exactly. We got a good review in Rolling Stone. I sent it to him.

Yeah, but like 2,000 of them. Like you give like a real thick stack. Man, you're vindictive. Remind me not to piss you off. I'm saying. When Darius Rucker was on here, he answered that question, I was like, do you ever send them a palette of the 16th highest selling album of all

time, hoody and the blowfish has cracked rearview to be like, actually, I did make it. I know, no, no. Gloting's unbecoming, I think. They can read it. They can read about me. You're right. The best, the best thing to do is simply live well. I'll consider that when I think about my enemies while I'm revenge for them. Yes. I mean, I didn't make it. So like, I can't really enact this fantasy. I'm a mid-level podcaster. But if that ever changes, maybe I'll change my tune. All right. Number seven, Matt Pryor, when was the last time you lied? I don't know. It's probably been a minute. I've been trying really hard to not lie to get out of things. Like, to just, there's this thing that I, the concept of that no is a complete sentence, just no.

and not, I can't, I have to go to the doctor when I don't have to go to the doctor, but I'm very guilty of doing that. So that was probably the last time that I lied about something, but it's a character default that I'm working on. I see what you're saying about prior, and I've been down this road. And while I agree, we don't need to lie. I do think it starts to get a little sociopathic when you're just like no period to people.

Like there is some like social grace and lubrication. about it. You don't have to be like, no, fuck you. No, fuck you. You know, it's just sort of like, I mean, I get it with my bandmates. I'm sorry, I can't. Yeah, it's, well, it's the same thing. Exactly. Like, it's, it's like we're trying to schedule this. Scheduling anything with the get-up kids is a goddamn nightmare because everybody's so busy. And, and then you throw Egan in on top of it, and it's just like, who knows if he'll even show up. And then it's just kind of like, can we do it at 5.30? And it's just kind of like, I can't do it at 530. as opposed to, I can't do it at 5.30.

I'm taking my pregnant wife to the hospital or something. Right. Right. Some outlandish. I have to. My Dennis' grandmother died and I have to go to the family. Yeah. No, I agree. I think, I mean, you're allowed to just have your space and your time and say I can't. I just like, I like, I like, no, period. Can you do it at this time? No period. That's kind of more your buddy, Rob Pope's style. He would just be more. or like, you want to do this? Like, no.

Whereas I'd be like, I don't. Seems so lovely 10 years ago when we were both extremely great stage at the festival. He is. He's just very direct. Okay. Number eight, Matt Pryor. What character in a book or film do you relate to the most and why?

Can I answer an inverse of that question? Because I don't know. Like the one that you least relate to? Yes. Sure. Holden Caulfield. The Catcher in the Rye is a piece. of shit. I hate that book. I don't think I read it. I think I read it at the wrong age. I've just

read that book and I was just like, this guy is just a whiny little brat. I'm surprised. And, you know, I know it's like an emo trope or whatever, but it's just sort of like, like I do love the outsiders. That's on brand. Pony boy. But, you know, the, I think if I read the outsiders when I was an adult, I probably wouldn't like it. But, see, now I'm trying to think of like a book that I really, really, I've been reading a lot of, I mean, this is corny saying since I just wrote a memoir, but I do read a lot of memoirs. And the ones, those aren't really characters and books, though. I haven't read fiction in a minute.

They are characters and books. Even your book is a character. It's not really you in the end, you know. I guess that's true. There's some distance. Hey, there it is then. That's the character I relate to the most was the one that I wrote. Matt Pryor and Red Letter Days out now on washed up books.

I never refer to myself by my proper name. If you were going to give yourself a nickname like you gave everybody else, what would yours be? This is so dumb. So I don't really have nicknames. Apparently for a while I was called cabbage behind my back. I don't know why. Cabbage? Yeah, I don't know what that means.

That was just something like I, they were like, yeah, we call you cabbage. And I was just like, why? And they didn't have an answer. And I don't know if they still do it. But yeah, it's a, so I was the first person to have kids in the band. And so for the longest time, and it seems to have stuck, is that they call me Pride Daddy, which is a very lazy nickname. Especially when we have Jim in the band who has like 400 nicknames, like Spice Boy Jim, Wicked Supdi, Pacific Rim Jim, Dark Jim, you know, like all these different nicknames. Socki Jim.

Does Jim have like one of those like Sibble like seven personalities sort of situation happening? Is that why you have some of a nickname? Dark Jim is a different personality, but for the most part, they're all still, they're just Jim. He's just, I don't know, he just is a magnet for nicknames. Talks a lot, Red is one of his nicknames. I can't get over cabbage. I can't put my finger on why, but it's rude. It's rude. Yeah. I can't explain it. I kind of feel like, I kind of feel like it's a, it's a weight dis somehow, but I don't really know why. I don't think I smell bad. Do you get cabbage? You know what I mean? I can have a cabbage to be. I mean, I like, I like, I like,

I really, to go back to the food thing, I really like brassicas. I like that family of vegetable, broccoli, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts. Love a purple cabbage. Oh, absolutely. It has a gorgeous crunch to a salad. Make a slough out of it. It's the best. Yes.

Okay, well, number nine, Matt Pryor. So, Pry Daddy is my name. It's fucking done. Pride Daddy is bad. It's a bad one. It's bad. It's a bad. It makes me uncomfortable.

Number nine is what was your biggest sliding doors moment. Sliding Doors is a romantic comedy starling starring Gwyneth Paltrow. Yeah, I'm familiar. I've never seen the film, but I'm familiar with the concept. So this is basically, though, what choice you made, that if you hadn't made it, you wouldn't be here today where you are. Oh, if I hadn't made it. I thought you meant like what could have been if I had made a different choice.

But if I hadn't made their choice. Yeah, it's just a decision that went one way or the other. And had it gone the other way, you would not. I mean, you know, I think there's probably. in a lot of anybody's career, there's probably a couple of different times when you're just like, if I had done,

like we've had opportunities. Like there was a while there that, do you remember that show One Tree Hill? That was on. Babe, do I ever? Did I rewatch it in its entirety last year? That's correct.

Okay. Well, the guy who created that show was a fan and he wanted to use overdue as the theme song of that show. God. My life would be so different. Then it wouldn't be.

I don't want to be. anyone other than I've been trying to be lately. Gavin de Grohl. Yeah, I'm familiar. I know. I definitely know what song they did use instead of ours. But it's, they ended up wanting him to use.

The way it was explained to me is they ended up wanting him to use a Warner Brothers artist. Oh, I see. Because it would be free or whatever. Yeah. And, uh, but I just think about like our career, because the show was successful. So I think our, we would have been the one tree. Hill band at that point. You know what I mean?

Like how Death Cab for Cutie was the O.C. Band, kind of. Or a Phantom Planet. Sure. Yeah. Wasn't that the theme song? For the O.C. I didn't do a lot for their career, though.

I don't know. Or like the shins. The shins in Garden State. Yeah, new slang. What a banger. I think that was a good thing. I think that was God's rejection as God's protection. on that one.

Sure. It's also just kind of this like, you know, I can cry myself to sleep at night on my bed, on my pillow made out of credibility. You know, it's just sort of like, it's not for lack of trying to sell out. You're like, please understand, I wanted our song to be the one film song.

It wasn't that I said, it's like, why didn't you guys ever signed to a major label? I was like, we fucking tried. We only signed a vagrant out of desperation after getting completely blown off. Oh, yeah, an apologies to Richard again. No, no apologies there. He knows.

He was there. I think I like that show better now, knowing that the creator was a Get Up Kids fan. Well, you can thank him. He helped pay for my mortgage for several years, because they licensed a bunch of Get Up Kids and New Amsterdam songs. Back when television paid money.

Back in my day. Yeah. Fucking great show, you guys. If you haven't rewatched lately, It's really, it's an incredible show. There's an absolutely unhinged later season scene where someone, I think it's the dad is waiting for a heart transplant. And then they like, I mean, do you watch the show?

They literally like, rush. I didn't. I was on when I was touring a lot, so I didn't really watch a lot of anything. They rushed the heart through the hospital. Did they drop it? They drop it? No, but that's not even the worst part. That's already insane.

That would never happen. That's not the one where the dog eats it. The dog! A dog comes and eats them. I saw that on like a blooper show or something like that. Psychotic. It's so insane. God bless that show.

So good. Also, I think very slightly religious undertones. Pretty like actually overly religious undertones. 24. Number 10. Matt Pryor. What characteristic are you most drawn to in other people? Honesty and loyalty.

Honestly, perfect answer. No notes. Number 11. Who is the last person you met that you were starstruck by? Steve Earl, who played it South by Southwest, and we did this radio thing. This was in 2019, and Steve Earl was doing this radio thing too, and he was backstage, and I was terrified to go talk to him. And my buddy from, my buddy Rob from Paula Vinyl was like, no, don't talk to him. You'll totally get another chance to be backstage with Steve Rohl. Oh, no. So you didn't talk to him. No, I did. I went up and I went, Mr. Earl.

I just want to let you know I'm a big fan. I'm a band that's playing today. And he's like, great. And that was it. He was very nice. You said, Mr. Earl, what is your favorite track off of 1999's something to write home about? Is it my apology?

It probably would be. That's my favorite. I feel like me and Steve Earl have a lot of a lot in common. You're like, oh, cool. No, that's great. It's a great. That's probably my favorite song off of that record as well. It's so good.

I mean, the whole album is good start to finish. No Skips. Just an absolutely perfect album. But my apology really gets me every time. You know what's difficult about that song is that it starts with just the vocal. And so I always fuck it up. Like you don't come in at the right time. No, just in the wrong key.

Like I'm just like, yo. You know, it's like that. I have to like play the first chord, like let it ring out just so I can find it. It's just to find it. Yeah. I take a tuning fork with me on stage and I hit it. It plays an E and that's how I know where the song starts. You could just put like a little air pod in your own ear of the song itself and then it comes on.

You hear your own voice. I mean, fuck it. At that point, we could just play the record over the PA and just stand there. Why not? Or have holograms like kiss. I would still enjoy it. I would still enjoy my time at that Get Up Kids show. Okay.

Number 12. When was the last time? Matt Pryor that you slid into someone's DMs. It doesn't have to be sexually. It just, just, you know, sometimes maybe you're like, oh, I have this blue check. I'm Matt Pryor of famed Second Wave, you email band The Get Up Kids.

Perhaps I can say hello to this artist that I like or whatever. I don't know that I've ever done that. Like, I don't think, I think it makes me uncomfortable. Like, I think when I had a podcast, maybe I would have maybe tried that. But I don't remember with, yeah, but I don't remember with who. Kyle Canaan. comes to mind. I didn't know him.

Very hilarious. I didn't know him beforehand. And then he and I recorded a podcast where the audio was so bad, I just couldn't use it. Hopefully this one will be better. But no, for the most part, I don't, I don't really do that. Okay. You don't have to. I don't do it either.

I'm not, I'm not really the type to, I don't like to text someone twice. You know what I mean? I have like very firm boundaries around not going where I'm not wanted. Yeah, I think that's part of it. And I just don't really like cold calling people. You know what I mean? Just kind of like coming out of nowhere. Yeah.

But you know what they say? The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Well, but I know people who know people. So I can call up. Yeah, you get Richard Egan on the horn and you say, make this happen. That's hit or miss, honestly. But yeah, no, but it is kind of like, like my daughter wanted to go see Paramore. And I was just like, surely we know somebody who works for Paramore.

they can put her on the list. And sure enough, we did. I'm sure Haley Williams is probably a huge gut-up kids fan. She is. I don't know her. I've only met her. I mean, that's so I've been told. I've only met her one time and was long, long time ago. She's a very nice lady. She seems like a really good person. She seems like a really good person. Is your daughter a Swifty? In as much as we all are in the house.

Whether or not we signed up for it. My wife is the biggest of the group. I enjoy Taylor Swift. Lately, independent of her, I enjoy how angry she's making sports fans right now. It's fucking makes me laugh. I mean, I'm from Kansas City, so it's sort of like, sure, I guess,

if I gave a shit about football, then like maybe, but like just how angry it's making people. It's just kind of pure. Men are so tender. They're just like, I know. How dare my sport be.

sullied by 15 seconds of footage of an international pop star who has, by the way, increased the NFL's revenue by $330 million. And their viewership with women and it maybe gives fathers an opportunity to talk to their daughters about shit. It's really a net positive in my estimation. It absolutely is. And what's more is that like, I don't understand, like, she doesn't really have anything to gain from this.

Except for lasting true love. Well, right. I meant like if you, I think if you were like, she doesn't need the press. It's like, oh, she's bringing a lot of women to football. And it's like, what does she fucking stand a game from that? She's not getting a cut of it. You know what I mean? NFL should send her diamonds, honestly. They should be like, thank you so much, Taylor Swift. I mean, the Kelsey brothers seem like good dudes. I've never met him. But they, you know, they, Travis and Taylor seemed to actually dig each other. I'm very into it from my parisocial. And just the fact that it pisses, it pisses off angry sports fans.

It's just kind of a bonus. Agreed. How do we get on that? You know, my mind is a wonderland. Okay. Okay. 1313. Matt Pryor,

what is the horniest song ever in your opinion? All of 1965 by the Afghan wigs. Honestly, all of the Afghan wigs' entire catalog. It's kind of one of the, those things were like, I don't think I ever really knew, like, you know, of course, I appreciated R&B and stuff growing up, but it was like,

I don't think I ever knew, like, rock bands could be, like, sexual in a way that was, like, not perverse. And they were the first band that was just sort of, at least to my ears, sort of like that. I mean, I loved gentlemen as, like, a 12-year-old, which is

why I'm like this. Like, I am broken. This is something is wrong here. It's not okay. Dooley's one of my, my heroes as a as a songwriter, but it's just like, yeah, he's not, I can't imagine he's the most stable person in the world. I don't think he's a Travis Kelsey in terms of a relationship, if we're, although he is a huge sports fan. I wonder what he thinks about the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelsey situation. Maybe I need to get him on the pod. Okay, number 14, Matt Pryor. What is the biggest money you ever turned down?

recording the Transformers theme song for one of the Transformers movies Wow okay so you did say no to something for for the honor and the credibility of punk music I mean that's giving it a lot I just thought it sounded like a fucking stupid idea You know was it a lot of money it was enough money to do it it was but it was kind of like you know But it was like the Transformers more than meets me robots in disguise, correct, yeah. Yeah. And it never got to the point where there was an actual offer on the table,

but it was kind of like, it came up. And I was just like, no, I'm not even going to take that to the rest of the guys. Because that's just an absolutely no. Oh, I got a good one. It wasn't a lot of money, but it was, we got offered the, what was the name of the tour? It was Blinquenade 2 and Green Day in around 2002, I know exactly which one you're talking about.

And I know that like saves and Jimmy World ended up doing it, but I guess the Blink guys were big fans and they, they, we didn't, we really just didn't want to, we didn't want to do it. And then they laid low ballness, which is usually like a manager or a booking agent thing, not really it. Nobody's like, I love your band. You're my favorite band. I'll give you $100 a night. You know, like no one does that. Certainly not Mark Hoppice and Tom DeLong, who seemed like a stand-up man. I've never met Tom.

I've interviewed and been interviewed by Hoppas, and he seems like a really good dude. Yeah, to me, I'm a huge Blinkwain-H-U fan. That was, like, my first favorite band as, like, a person of my own. Like, this doesn't make sense. Like, a band that was, like, mine, like, I could go see at clubs. Like, before it was, like, all MTV and, like, Nirvana and all that. But this was, like, my existing band that I could go see. So they hold a very special place.

No, and I think that that is not my experience with them, but I appreciate that that is yours. They just, it wasn't, it wasn't, it wasn't giving for you. Wasn't doing it for you. Lovely people, you know, as far as I can tell. My favorite answer to this will always be from Jeff Rickley of Thursday, and I say it every time because I just, it makes everyone feel better. They turned down an American Express print ad for $1 million.

Wow. Which later went to Huba Stank. Never, never had that kind of money on the table. It's a perfect story. Okay, number 15, Matt Pryor. What is the best live show you've ever seen? It clearly wasn't Green Day and Blinkwint-A-2 on the 2002 Pop Disaster Tour. You did not attend.

I don't even think I saw that tour. I mean, I know we've been talking about the Afghan Wigs a lot, but I saw them play on the 1965 tour at the Paradise in Boston with my wife, who was then my girlfriend when she was going to school there. And that was pretty dope. So there's this band from Kansas called Boys Life. I don't know if you've ever heard of them,

but they had this show where they had gotten this nice new van and it was at a van that had like an extended top so it was like the envy of everybody of just like they've got the coolest van. And they went on tour and they played their last show of the tour and they were going to play back in Kansas City and on the drive home, their van caught on fire

and just burnt to the ground. Oh my God. And with them in it. Like they didn't die. But they were like asleep in the van at like a truck stop and it caught on fire. And somebody woke up smelling smoke and they got the gear out. And so they rented a U-Haul, showed up, like riding in the back of a U-Haul with their gear, got on stage and played. And that was like the best show.

And then they all ascended into heaven, basically. You know, like it was it was that kind of thing. That's so cool. But it's funny because our keyboard player, Dustin, is like good friends with those guys. as are we. And he's like, if you tell me one more time

about that fucking show where they burn their van down. But yeah, I mean, that was a great one. Yeah. I'll stick with that.

Two great answers. Number 16. Matt Pryor, when in your life were you the most fucked up wasted hammered trashed? Not a time period. Just like a one specific

occasion. A lampshade on the head. It doesn't have to be a dark one. Maybe there's a funny one. It can be a dark one. It's really up to you. I don't want to color your answer. No, it's, it's a dark one, but it's, it's, it's apropos because it's last year when the

chiefs were in, the only time I've ever actually watched the Super Bowl, like actually watched it was when I was in the hospital last year, essentially, you know, with alcohol poisoning, but I was like in a hospital bed full of IVs and doped up on Ativan and that the chiefs won the Super Bowl that day. So when the Chiefs got to the Super Bowl this year, I was kind of like, well, that's sort of strange. You know, you got, you get a redo. Yeah, I guess so. You know, or if you're a superstitious person, it's like, well, they won it last year where you were almost dying.

But yeah, that was, I mean, that's not a fun story. No, that's not right. That is, you know, I'm 11 months sober now. So congratulations. That's amazing. This year for the Super Bowl, you're probably going to make something super delicious, snacks for the family and just have a different gorgeous experience.

Most likely this year for the Super Bowl, I will be walking the dogs. The whole time? Is it not like four hours long? Fuck if I know. I'll just, I will be kept abreast of

what the score of the Chiefs playing in the Super Bowl is from our band group text. Because I don't know why they can't have a separate thread for the sports. because I don't care. And it'll be like, touchdown.

And then like all these memes. And I'm just like, for fuck's sake, I'm cooking dinner. I don't want to keep looking at my phone. I know I can turn it off. Love it. You're just like,

no, thank you. I don't care about football either. I don't. I'm not a big sports person in general. I appreciate that people like it. It's like astrology for boys. Sure.

Yeah. But I like the Super Bowl because you get snacks. Yeah. It's the only time. My wife despises Velvita, and I absolutely love it. It's one of the God's most perfect foods. It's so del. I mean, I don't eat it because I take care of my health.

The only time I ever really get to have, like, Rotel is Super Bowl Sunday at my in-laws, which I didn't go to last year because I was in the hospital. Because you were in the hospital on out of man, right? Okay. Next question. Number 17 and number 18, Matt Pryor, these are tandem questions. What do you love the most about being famous, and what do you have? hate the most about being famous and don't say that you're not famous. Well, that was the part that

I love the most is that I'm not famous. Clearly to an entire community of Redditors that I recently just looked up, you're famous. Matt Pryor, you will always be famous in the second wave emo community and beyond. Great. Great. Many people were very excited when I told them I was interviewing Matt Pryor of the Get Up Kids. No, no. I post a little Get Up Kids story, a song in my Instagram stories. First, people are like, are you okay? And then secondly, they're like, yes, I love this song. I appreciate that people like what I do and what we have done.

I really, really do. I don't think that I'm famous and more to that point. You know what I really hate about in the field that I'm in as I hate when someone and it's usually like a friend of my moms

will refer to me as a rock star? That drives me absolutely fucking crazy. I'm like I'm not a rock star. I'm a working class musician. I always make the joke that, like, you know you're a rock star when you can wear leather pants and no one makes fun of you.

Sure. And you're not a cowboy. So if I am famous, the thing that drives me crazy is when people refer to me like that. Because it's such a, like, throwaway thing that, like, people not in the music scene at all say. Yeah. And it just kind of drives me nuts and it's like,

yeah, okay, sure. What was the other part of the question? The thing I like about being famous? What do you love about it? Well, I don't know if this is about being famous, again, because I don't think that I am. You know what I do like, though, is that how many people who are old enough now who grew up listening to get a kid who are in the restaurant industry? And you're going to say, you can get reservations.

Well, sometimes, like, you know, or just, you know, it opens some doors. You know what I mean? like it's it uh but honestly i've never really like exploited it except when it comes to food and those pair more tickets uh so that that is something that's that's kind of nice like when you can just say like oh let me hit up graham elliott and see if i can you know or whatever and so i guess that's the perk that's a nice perk um it is very funny to me that you don't like holding cofield i have to say there's a why because i'm such a sarcastic you have you do you have a similar energy.

Probably I don't like him. I don't like being called a rock star. That's phony. Maybe I should go back and reread it. I read it when I was like 22 and I think I was just too old. And I had just started touring too. And I was just kind of like, all this guy does is complain about shit. It's a pretty incredible book.

I have to say. Not that I need to tell you that as it's like all time classic. But it is, it's one of the ones that. I think I own it. I do think I own it. Yeah. people, I think people liked it too. It's like, you know, how Bob Marley and like Kurt Cobain are like, you know, dorm room posters now. Yeah. But it's like, it's like, it's like, Nirvana's still really fucking good. You know, like, no, I know. So anyways. No, I had to go through that with my, my daughter. She's like, oh, he's got a Kurt Cobain t-shirt on. I'm like, well, Kirk Cobain's kind of rad. It's like, you know. You're like, honey, because that guy's a douche, you know. Honey, come say here. Let me tell you a little story. Yeah, just because the guy in my dorm, Josh, was a douche. Doesn't mean. the get-up kids are in a fantastic and wonderful band.

Sure. Number 19, Matt Pryor. Why do you say my full name at the beginning of every question? I do it with everyone, so it's not just you. I just enjoy it, especially with people like you just have a nice, solid first and last name combo. Okay. Yeah.

Do you feel like you're in trouble? No, it's just something no one's ever done that before. And it's kind of like... I have a lot of brain dead vocal affectations and this is just one of them. And unfortunately, or fortunately, people still... still listen to the show. I can't explain it. Mia would be like, that bitch is annoying. I'm not listening anymore. No, I wouldn't say it was annoying. I just didn't know if it was a, it was like a, you know, like a psychological technique that you were trying to disarm me somehow. I don't know.

Is it working? If it is, is it working? I'm not sure it's working. This is me, this is me loose and unguarded. Okay. It actually, it actually is. It's just how I am. I love it. I mean, listen, you come as you are, as our Lord and Savior, Kirkobain one said. Do you have, do you a nemesis. This is a new wildcard that I'm trying out. Most people won't admit to it or say who it is, but I still like to know if you have one. Besides Holden Caulfield? I mean, for the most part, I try not to have that kind of energy. Kind of chalk it up with similar things as like regret where I just like, I don't, there's no real benefit of festering with that. There are people I don't like you know, I don't think I have anyone that I have to deal with on a regular enough basis

that I dislike enough to have to be a nemesis, really. You've curated your life in such a way. I don't know. No, I don't. If I do, it would be something I would be actively working to try and rectify. Sure. Hanging onto that kind of baggage just keeps me up at night. And I don't, I don't need that shit.

resentment is ugly. I do root for having a lighthearted nemesis that makes no sense. Like when I used to go to like a 24 hour fitness or whatever gym, I had a gym nemesis. She did not know. It was a really one-sided type situation. And it's how most nemesies are. Yeah, for sure. Did not keep me up at night. There was a real, really no basis. I just didn't like that she would always take the stair climber and I couldn't be on it. And then she always had a weird Ziploc baggie of gum with her all the time. for whatever reason, that also annoyed me. But it is odd. Yeah, it was odd.

You know, early on, we had kind of an unspoken competition with the promise ring. Oh, good band. Very much so. And I don't know if they felt that way or not. I kind of got word that they did.

And then they had one song that said something about a touchdown against the Chiefs. And I kind of took that as like, I was like, hang on now. but I don't know if that's accurate or not but that's maybe the closest thing we've...

I love this T, this Goss, I love it. It's specifically for me. Second wave emo T. We did an emo week at the Ringer well, it was probably last year and they made the mistake of asking me to contribute and I have an extremely broad definition of emo and no one liked it when I put third eye blind on that list.

No one liked it, but I will defend that that first third eyewblind album is an emo album. I have a very vivid memory of listening to that record. And it's actually not the first Wallflower's record. It's the second Wallflowers record that's their big record, driving into our first show in Minneapolis on our very first tour. That's one of the great albums. You know what?

I think it's better than Bob Dylan. I'll say it. One headline? Gorge. Okay. It's apples and oranges. I don't know. own opinions. I'm a lot to have my own opinions. Okay, number 20, Matt Pryor, when was the last time you

cried? I was thinking about this. I have not cried since I've gotten sober. And it seems like one of those, because I got pretty weepy at the drop of a hat towards the end of my drinking career. Right. And I just thought it was something that came with age. Like, I was just like, oh, I'm getting older. You know, why do commercials make me cry? And I don't know if I don't know if I've just become more jaded or just more clear-headed. But I, you know, a friend of mine, it wasn't a close friend, but someone I knew in passing just passed away. And we are his funerals in a week.

And so I imagine that will be the time that I do. Because it's interesting to like think about crying when you're actually sad as opposed to crying because you have so much alcohol in your system that things just make you weep. Right. It's a little different. A little different. I actually barely drink anymore. I'm not sober, but I barely drink anymore for that exact reason.

Like, it's, I don't, it's not fun anymore. Are you a sad drunk? I am now. I wasn't before. Like, now it's like one, more than one glass of wine. And all of a sudden I'm like, what is my life? So, like, hunched over. I was a sad drunk.

And like, I was a, I was a, you don't say. Yeah. I was a sad drunk and then it got to the point where I was just sad all the time so anyway that was the last time I think that's very cool

yeah well thank you I'm sorry I didn't mean that it is cool I didn't mean to like me anything no and now you can plan your cries for funerals and the like instead of I have to cancel them in exactly number 21 this is perfect

because I was going to change it for you anyways but what you said about regret I'm definitely doing it so I started this question when I first started this show is what is your greatest regret? But I realized that most people don't have regrets anymore, which is awesome. So now I've changed the question to, what is your relationship with the Dave Matthews band? Didn't see that coming.

I know. My relationship with the Dave Matthews band has evolved. Yes. With the exception of Crash, which I think is a really beautiful song about sex. And like it's one of those. Libidinal, yes. Yeah. But it's one of those ones.

where like, I think if your mom sang it, she might not know what it's, like, it's one of those like kind of like a born in the USA kind of thing where it's just sort of like. Oh, it's absolutely covertly, worded. Yeah, but people are like play at their weddings and stuff. Yeah, hike up your skirt.

Like your skin wings. Right. Mm-hmm. Very much so. I feel like the wigs are a bit more overt, though. Yes, true. But yeah, I think I appreciate the Dave Matthews band more having heard interviews with Dave Matthews.

himself. One of the best people alive, David Matthews. He seems like a solid dude. But yeah, I can appreciate it for what it is. He's certainly a very unique guitar player. I was watching some guy on TikTok just kind of breaking down the way Dave Matthews plays guitar. And it's kind of like in the same way. Yeah.

Yeah, and like Ani DeFranco is kind of the same way. It's just sort of like folky, percussive. And I think it comes from just being, you know, having to play by yourself so often. You know what I mean? that you start to treat the guitar as if it's a, you know, a drum. But so, yeah, I don't have anything against Dave Matthews. It's still a little bro-y for me.

That's just the fan base, just like Josh does not represent you, your heart and soul. That's true. You don't get to choose your fans. No, trust me. I know that. Me too, babe. But yeah, I think that, like, when I was younger, I would be like, fucking hate Dave Matthews, but I don't anymore.

And I always liked Crash. Crash with another one of those songs. We're just kind of like, that's a good, say what you want about as other stuff. That's a great song. The banger.

I'm a huge David Matthews band Stan. I think they're amazing. I think they should have a cultural re-reckoning. I think they should be occupying a similar position as the Grateful Dead. I have heard people refer to it as a genre of music where they're like, you know, I like blues. I like jazz.

I like Dave. It's singular. It's a unique. I'm a huge fan. I love to hear that you're open-minded about it. You know what I do kind of. appreciate is like, I don't think the Dave Matthews band is technically a jam band. Like, I don't think they like jam. Thank you. I mean, they do. Yeah, but not any more than like

anybody else. You know what I mean? Like not any more than like we do. You know, and it's just like, but they get lumped into that sort of thing. It's like, no, he's just this singer-songwriter who got this kind of funky, eclectic band. And they're like jazz trained like high level musicians. Yeah, absolutely. Really, really underrated. Okay, number 22. What song would like to hear just before you die? Well, I don't know, because I prefer to die in my sleep. So I don't know that I would hear a song necessarily. Interesting.

But maybe. Well, I guess it could be then the song you heard just before you went to sleep and then died. So my favorite thing about my job is when I write something or are involved in writing something, And it gets stuck in my head before anybody else has ever heard it. And it kind of feels like I'm carrying around a secret. You know what I mean? Like I'm just sort of like, this is a catchy song, and it's stuck in my head. And I want to listen to it again because I really like it.

And I think that other people will like it too. So that gives me a really good feeling. So if I had to pick a song, I don't know what that song is because I haven't written it yet. But that would be my poetic ideal, I guess. It's a great answer. It's a really great answer. Damn. For me, it's going to be my apology.

But a live version where it's sung in the wrong key at the beginning. Exactly. No, honestly, probably mightn't be Dave Matthews band, Lye in Our Graves. It's a really great song. And Dave Matthews' band's songs are long, so it gives me a little extra time. Okay. Number 23, Matt Pryor.

What do you think about me? you seem nice i appreciate your i mean we just met but you you you you seem to have a very quick wit and a good candor and you're good at this job and i appreciate that because i do a lot of interviews with people who aren't um for a minute there when i first started doing the press for the book i was because it's a lot of podcasts and i was kind of like you don't have to be good at interviewing people to have a podcast you know what i mean like it's kind of like, and I don't think it turns out. Yeah, you just need to have, you just need to have a Lipson account or something. And the barrier to entry, here's the thing, barrier to entry has gotten

quite low on a lot of things. And unfortunately, I am of the mindset that it should be higher. And actually things should be gate kept. And actually, there should be some, just because everyone can, doesn't mean everyone should. You know, it's not a very punk mentality, but sorry, I said it. Well, I would say the cream rises to the top. The term gatekeepers is off-putting to me, just because it's sort of, it implies that, like, because I mean, as someone who's been a victim of not getting through the gate, you know, I kind of tend to be like, well, fuck it, I'll just do it myself.

But you're talented. Well, so are you. That's what I'm trying to say is that, like, I appreciate being able to have, a conversation and doing an interview where we can do it back and forth and not have it be awkward and that you think on your feet really well, which I appreciate. Thank you, Matt Prater. The whole calling me by my full name, though, is off-putting to me. I'm sorry.

I can't change it. There's a lot of things about me that are off-putting that I'm unable to change. And that's one of them. Not that you will listen back to the other episodes, but I do it with everyone. There's been actually nobody I didn't do it. I believe you that you do. It's just, it's just sort of like, it's disarming. Like our friend Rich Egan always calls me Matthew.

And I keep telling him, it's just like, I feel like you're talking down to me whenever you say, whenever you do that. He's like, no, I call everybody by their full name. I'm like, okay, Richard. Sometimes it's really funny when you call someone by their full name, like Richard. I agree. David Matthews, you know? David, yeah. Well, I met him one time and he did introduce himself as David.

And thus to put the respect on his name that he, gave himself, I will going forth, always call him David. I think that the name Matthew sounds pretentious, so I just always, because when I started... It's a little downtown abbey. I hear it's also like biblical.

Well, it's my patron saint, you know? Sure. But yeah, when I, my first solo record, I was like, well, do I want to be Matt or Matthew? You know, like, actually making a conscious decision there and I was just like, Matthew sounds stuffy. No, Matt's good, although every man is named Matt.

It's true. I mean, every man is named Matt or Chris is what I've realized. It's like 80% of a particular generation. Sure. It's kind of like how everyone, my daughter's age, has a grandmother's name. Yeah, it's like all of a sudden that people are named like Ethel or like, yeah, yeah, rosemary. That's cute. Okay.

Last question. Uh-oh. Matt Breyer. Number 24. What would you like to plug? I have a new book out. it's my first book of hopefully many. It is stories of my life from 1990.

Well, I say 91 to 99, just because it rolls off the tongue better than saying 1990 to 2000. Or saying the 90s, which just sounds like it's a, it's like that Chuck Klosterman book about the 90s. Yeah, good book. That's on my list of books that I read

towards the end of my drinking career that I'm now rereading. with a clear heart. Yeah, I'm just like, I remember really liking this book. I don't remember anything about it other than that I remember liking it. And there was something about Bill Clinton in it.

That's all I remember. Anyway, a few lines about Bill Clinton. What was the question? What do you want to plug? Oh, my book. I have a book out. That's right.

It's called Red Letter Days. You guys, it's really good. It's written in the present tense, which I quite enjoy. There's lots of little funny anecdotal stories for a Get Up Kids fan or not. I think it's a very interesting book. It's a real lens into the life of a touring musician.

Like you said, a working class touring musician of a certain, you know, genre, walking in the footsteps of Ian Mackay and sort of sidestepping in your own path. That was great. Thank you. You're welcome. Okay. Thank you, Matt Pryor. Come back next week for a new episode of 24 Question Party People.

24 Thanks for listening to 24 question party people and thanks to my guest Matt Pryor. Matt Pryor's new book, Red Letter Days, is available now wherever books are sold. For all Get Up Kids updates, go to the getupkids.com. This episode was produced by Jesse Miller Gordon and Chris Sutton with help from Justin Sales.

Our gorgeous theme song was composed by Heather Fortune. Special thanks to Amanda Pitts, Sean Fennacy, Rob Harbilla, and Instacart. 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