I love your questions and the answer about maturity and evolution is a theme I hear over and over again from the artists and creators I talk with. It seems as if our spirits remain constant, yet our expressions grow over the years.
I learn from you by reading your interviews. I actually have one today with Pigs X7 band members. Maybe we can collaborate soon?
Oddly enough, while the name is familiar, not sure I ever listened to Dramarama...this great interview has inspired me to give it a try. 1985 for me was about Killing Joke, Bryan Ferry, LL Cool J, The Replacements...I'm sure these guys fit in there somewhere! Also, your question about "meeting over a playlist" reminded me about how utterly pathetic social is on Spotify. You can't "meet" anyone on there! Lala was the only streamer that got it right...until Apple bought them and stripped them for parts.
What’s this thing with us music lovers having had that feeling of being uncool, especially at that problematic age of 11-14. No matter the decade, the country, the culture, social class, sexual preferences, and many etceteras: this is something I often read about and can of course relate to. Fortunately for most of us life quickly picked up pace, but regardless of how short-lived that feeling may have been, it still finds a way of lingering, or creeping up on us, from time to time.
So, as always, thanks for another great piece, and for connecting so well the personal with the informative with the musical.
I love living in Denver, but I'm an Angeleno 4LYFE and this article about Dramarama really takes me back all the way to growing up in LA and listening to our great radio stations including KROQ of course with Rodney Bingenheimer who broke them wide open and Richard Blade whom Easdale mentions.
Besides KROQ there was also a radio show on another station every Sunday morning Breakfast with the Beatles hosted by Chris Carter. You would think there'd be a lot of repeats, but I never heard any Beatles track more than once on that show! I just read, it's on KLOS and Sirius now, and the longest running radio program of its kind (💯 Beatles) IN THE WORLD.
Anything Anything is Dramarama's best song bar none, no question but 6 years later What Are We Gonna Do blew my mind. It worked on so many levels. Just wow. To this day I can remember when Earth Day is, because of that song.
Thank you Kevin for this amazing interview, loved it! Long live Dramarama!!
Growing up in L.A. and listening to KROQ, I remember hearing this all the time! I know I saw them once in some multi-band day festival in the '80s but it's all a blur! Blur being a band I never have seen live yet. Great interview. And the quotes from Christgau made me smile. "...a band that rocks without hyphens." Love it.
Loved the spotlight on Dramarama and the interview. I came to the band late, after a friend put "(I'd Like to) Volunteer, Please" on a mix CD for me. I was able to find a copy of Vinyl after that and then worked my back from that. Bought Everybody Dies directly from the band when that came out too. I think Vinyl is one of the unheralded albums of 1991.
Elliott Smith. Yeah! I have to give these guys a listen.
Let me know what you think!
I love your questions and the answer about maturity and evolution is a theme I hear over and over again from the artists and creators I talk with. It seems as if our spirits remain constant, yet our expressions grow over the years.
I learn from you by reading your interviews. I actually have one today with Pigs X7 band members. Maybe we can collaborate soon?
You bet!
Oddly enough, while the name is familiar, not sure I ever listened to Dramarama...this great interview has inspired me to give it a try. 1985 for me was about Killing Joke, Bryan Ferry, LL Cool J, The Replacements...I'm sure these guys fit in there somewhere! Also, your question about "meeting over a playlist" reminded me about how utterly pathetic social is on Spotify. You can't "meet" anyone on there! Lala was the only streamer that got it right...until Apple bought them and stripped them for parts.
+1
That "patheticness" is a large part of why I started this project in the first place.
Kevin, you are the antidote to patheticness! (You can quote me on this for your publicity materials.)
My new branding! lol.
What’s this thing with us music lovers having had that feeling of being uncool, especially at that problematic age of 11-14. No matter the decade, the country, the culture, social class, sexual preferences, and many etceteras: this is something I often read about and can of course relate to. Fortunately for most of us life quickly picked up pace, but regardless of how short-lived that feeling may have been, it still finds a way of lingering, or creeping up on us, from time to time.
So, as always, thanks for another great piece, and for connecting so well the personal with the informative with the musical.
Of course; I'm glad you liked it! No idea why we all have that in common. Maybe it's just a rough age all around.
Maybe. Sports (and how good you are) play a big role as well. I got into sports later in life and always feel it would have helped a lot as a kid.
Definitely! I loved soccer, but was a lot better in my head than in reality.
😂 I hear you!
I love living in Denver, but I'm an Angeleno 4LYFE and this article about Dramarama really takes me back all the way to growing up in LA and listening to our great radio stations including KROQ of course with Rodney Bingenheimer who broke them wide open and Richard Blade whom Easdale mentions.
Besides KROQ there was also a radio show on another station every Sunday morning Breakfast with the Beatles hosted by Chris Carter. You would think there'd be a lot of repeats, but I never heard any Beatles track more than once on that show! I just read, it's on KLOS and Sirius now, and the longest running radio program of its kind (💯 Beatles) IN THE WORLD.
Anything Anything is Dramarama's best song bar none, no question but 6 years later What Are We Gonna Do blew my mind. It worked on so many levels. Just wow. To this day I can remember when Earth Day is, because of that song.
Thank you Kevin for this amazing interview, loved it! Long live Dramarama!!
I'm glad I could take you on a trip down memory lane! :)
Growing up in L.A. and listening to KROQ, I remember hearing this all the time! I know I saw them once in some multi-band day festival in the '80s but it's all a blur! Blur being a band I never have seen live yet. Great interview. And the quotes from Christgau made me smile. "...a band that rocks without hyphens." Love it.
He's such a grump, but his reviews are such a fun rabbit hole to go down.
Loved the spotlight on Dramarama and the interview. I came to the band late, after a friend put "(I'd Like to) Volunteer, Please" on a mix CD for me. I was able to find a copy of Vinyl after that and then worked my back from that. Bought Everybody Dies directly from the band when that came out too. I think Vinyl is one of the unheralded albums of 1991.
I can't argue that! Bad timing and getting caught up in a year filled with killer new music.
This is a great interview! Love that the questions aren't stereotypical.
Thanks man! I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)