AN AUDIENCE WITH...
KURT VILE
The hard-working slacker talks sativa, forklifts, being mistaken for Kurt Weill and joining Neil Young in outer space
Interview by SAM RICHARDS
“If I had to worship a god, at this point I would definitely worship Sun Ra”
LIKE many of those who are misleadingly dubbed slackers, Kurt Vile actually has a rigorous work ethic. Having just released an albumlength EP entitled “Back To Moon Beach”, he’s about to herd the Violators back into his Philly studio OKV Central for a week of recording before they disperse for the holidays.
“It’s come to the end of the touring [cycle], so I’ve got to capture the band while we have apurpose. We have to do it now or we’ll never capture that version of us, that telepathic thing you gain from playing together all the time.” Vile says he has some “snippets” of new song ideas, “but it’s also a lot of ‘Let’s see what happens’ because you can say for miles what you’re gonna do, but you never really know. Everybody just has to get together.”
For now, Vile is excited to find out what the Uncut readers want to know. “I love it, I’m ready. Because these days, I look out into my audience. That’s the final instrument: when you’re not afraid to look your fans in the face, you know? So I’m stoked to hear their questions…”
Is Moon Beach areal place or just somewhere in your mind’s eye?
John Ninkovic, Melbourne
I guess alittle bit of both. Neil Young said he can go to outer space whenever he wants, and I feel the same way. You go to outer space and get lost in your guitar or a hypnotic groove. That’s how I play music–I’m here, and then I’ve gone to another planet and come back. So Moon Beach is just a place where you can relax and you’re spaced out, making music.