As the days go by ...

Official business: I repeat: It's not looking good for an interview, but I expected as much. I set myself a deadline of June 1 for the piece and it's now May 29.
Risky business: David Byrne has quite the interesting website. One entry, in particular, caught my attention. I hear he's been daisy-chaining huge structures together, turning them into musical instruments (somewhat like Neil Young did in the 70s at his California Ranch in the Redwoods, only there he turned a barn into a left speaker, and his house into a right and proceeded to row into the middle of a lake and press play).
This experiment, however, sounds fun. The guy (a Scottish ex-Pat who dropped out of two art schools on the east coast) has way too many effects pedals, which is a nice problem to have. So, he's putting them to use in a "mandatory art exhibit." If you're wondering what the MM connection is here, Isaac is a big fan. Even stole the idea for this MTV spot from this intro made by Byrne from Stop Making Sense.
Another observation: Why would MM put up Fly Trapped In A Jar on their Sony site. That song, of all in their recent catalog, is pretty inadequate in my opinion.

Still no word from the front

Well I'm sorry but I'm not
interested in gold mines,
oil wells,shipping or real estate
What would I liked to have been?
Everything you hate
- "The Union Forever," by The White Stripes

Looking bleak ladies and gents. Looking bleak.

Everytime you think you're walking you're just moving the ground

With two-and-a-half weeks to their St. Paul gig, I'm left without a definitive answer on whether Isaac Brock is even doing interviews this tour cycle. They go back on the road Friday, so I suppose it would be logical to assume if I don't hear back by then, I'm probably not going to get a sanctioned interview.
I could go all guerrilla journalism and try and get one (either backstage, somehow, or outside) at their June 5 St. Paul gig. But I e-mailed their publicist saying if Isaac isn't talking, any band member would suffice. Maybe that was the wrong thing to say, hope not, though.
She agreed to send me Love As Laughter's latest release, due June 24. They're signed to Glacial Pace (lead singer was also in a band with Isaac).
Lunchtime!

Even odd numbers

Zoned out during council and spewed this out.

Under tables wobble like moving lips
Fingertips drip from dirty partnerships
He speaks up after swallowing a pill
Filling your head like a fire drill
Delicious budgets weighed down with ink
Even odd numbers and the kitchen sink
Pull back the drapes see the yellow sun
Checks bounce like a trampoline
Doing it again until its done
Even odd numbers fall to none.
No ism like skepticism
See so much light through this Chevy Prism
He finds percentages don’t add up
To a precise business decision
Even odd numbers make long division

I read a lot of books on tape

I'm probably not going to get a whole lot of research done this weekend. Gig tonight at Dinkytowner, gig tomorrow at Shannonpalooza 3 (co-worker's house party, beer provided).
Still planning on the interview to run in Reveille before the June 5 show. However, I read an entry in Dre's "Harper's Bazaar" last night (don't ask where or why I was reading this), and the horoscope said "Accept that after the 26th inevitabilities will not be changed." WTF? Not sure what that meant, but I drank it down half-empty.
It's looking like, if anything, this interview will be a Pyrrhic victory.
As for the tour, MM is still planning on a June 5 stop at the Xcel Center opening for R.E.M.
• I'm wondering about MM's tour habits (why they are still using a bus, how that affects their dynamic, if the bus has a name, if they read a lot of books on tape ... that sort of thing) and whether this is the "biggest" and most lucrative tour yet (alone, they're charging $35 a pop before surcharges).
• The gigs with REM are sporadic - with the bands playing together for only about half of the dates between now and July 4. Odd. Can't really call MM "tour support" considering R.E.M. had never seen them perform live before. Interested in how all this came about. Also, I see they're playing Red Rox and a very special (meaning lucrative) gig here May 27.
On a personal, band-related note: We go on at 12:30 tonight for some reason. I gotta called "old" because I said that's pretty late. Then when you think about it, most bands go on a 10 p.m. AT THE LATEST, with most starting around 8:30. If you're Phish, DMB or George Clinton (whom I'm going to see at 1st Ave. May 27) you can expect a 3-hour show. Everyone else it's probably around 2. So FU all ya'll haterz.

A call to Reveille

Looks like Reveille Magazine (online) will run the Q&A with Brock. So that's cool. Probably do the interview sometime during the week of the 25th ... hit me with any (good) questions for Brock like this one:
Yes, Mr. Brock, what relation, if any, are you to the noted 19th C. British major-general Isaac Brock "The Hero of Upper Canada"?
On another note, who knew the Mouse was friends with Heath Ledger?

Stike 1 and 2

So I pitched the idea of a MM interview to the PiPress and City Pages. PiPress editor say thanks but no, while City Pages' said sounds like a great article, but we've already got plans. I'm not going to pitch the Star Tribune. That means Reveille Mag (an online zine) is about my last hope, unless anyone else has any suggestions ... did some shopping on Up Records last night.
The moral of the story is basically everything is up in the air and I've got to get some real work done, son.
Not sure how I can really get an interview if I've got no where to run it ...

A pitch to the PiPress

Kathy:

So here is the thing: I would assume you’ll be running a precede featuring R.E.M. before their June 5 show. They have a reputation for playing great gigs in St. Paul. However, other bands on the bill – notably Modest Mouse – have never rocked the River City. Readers might be interested in who they’ll see (considering the 73 price tag).

So, I’d like to do an interview with Issac Brock of Modest Mouse as an addendum. I'm in the process of setting this up with the band's publicist (she said it shouldn't be a problem).
If Isaac isn't available, I should have enough ammo to successfully distill a story out of another band member.

Background
As denizens of rock clubs from First Avenue to Station 4 can attest, the band is, in many ways, notorious.
Their 10 previous Minneapolis performances, in the last 10 years, have run the gamut: eye-popping pop-punk-funk blowouts; truncated and drunken, drugged spectacles that ended with fans demanding their money back.
But they have never played St. Paul.
Every Modest Mouse show has its guarantees, June 5 will - in all likelihood - be no different. A literate, sweaty, frenetic and electric front man will lead the best six-man, two-drummer rock group, to hit St. Paul since the Grateful Dead rocked the Civic Center in '81.
Brockandroll
Brock, 32, has gone from living (and recording) in a shotgun shack, to having a beefy major label contract and an album (their most recent We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank) debut No. 1 on Billboard.
He's been arrested - not charged - for attempted murder and rape. He perennially gets in fights he can't win, and is well known - perhaps unfairly - for hating journalists. That is because, he says, many ask the same, recycled questions.
I, however, have done my homework and am looking forward to getting him on the phone. But who knows? Perhaps he will be in a bad mood– might make for a better story.
Besides:
In 2004, Brock started his own label, Glacial Pace Recordings, and initially signed a strong singer-songwriter (Twin Cities’ Mason Jennings). Much like when the Beatles began Apple Records, their anchor (singer-songwriter James Taylor) soon jumped ship. Jennings has since signed with longtime friend Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records label.
Nonetheless, Brock, guitarist Johnny Marr (formerly of The Smiths) and the rest are, no doubt, gathering material for Modest Mouse's 11th release.
Should be a good one ... let me know what you think.

Steve Pease is a reporter for the Downtown and Southwest Journals in Minneapolis. He lives in St. Paul's Capitol Heights neighborhood, subscribes to the PiPress and loves listening to great American rock music through vintage headphones.

MMBD4,5,6,7: Apparently this isn't a daily publication

Update: Just heard back from MM publicist - she'll try to set the interview up. I have a May 29 copy deadline, so hopefully it's sometime before that. Still not sure who I will be interviewing, however. I've requested a MM press kit and any recent Glacial Pace releases.
In other Modest Mouse news (Ha!):
Joe Sr. brought up an interesting point I've been struggling with long before he brought it to the attention of this blog:
When interviewing someone you admire, whose musical style you admire, how do you remain objective? Furthermore, with someone as volatile as King Mouse Isaac Brock (a man who has twice publicly threatened to beat the ass of this guy after he wrote an unauthorized biography of the band -- compiled from magazine and print interviews) how do you ensure that what you write will be the truth and nothing but the truth?
The fact remains: we're all human. But I have a job to do. Whether or not Isaac, or the rest, prefer it, I will write the truth. Sometimes it is very hard. Sometimes I don't manage to keep my thoughts, feelings, impressions out of my writing - and sometimes (very rarely, though) that is warranted.
In an authorized biography, however, my thoughts, feelings, impressions, what I can glean would - for the most part - be left behind in editing. That is not to say I won't impart the sights, sounds, smells of (albeit indie) rock stardom.
Chapter title idea: Ungster suggested I name a chapter "Three-inch Horses, Two-Faced Monsters" after the tune on Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks. The tune is delta-blues inspired. Sounds like an offshoot of Ugly Casanova stuff. The album is an obscure one, but a very deep one. Probably as melancholic as the band gets. I like the idea.
To get back to the original point, I'll try my best to give an honest and accurate portrayal of my subject. To avoid, at all costs, becoming tendentious. Sure, I'll use "tricks of the trade" to persuade the boys in the band to lend me a hand, but it's not meant to be an expose or a snapshot in time. It's meant to be personal and comprehensive. I initially thought about it being a compendium of sorts.
Eureka!

MMBD3: NPR post

Came across this by accident. Wasn't searching for Modest Mouse lyrics or anything, however numerous people posted brockandroll's lyrics as their favs. I have a hard time remember lyrics, funnily enough. So this thread hit home.
The entire back section of the book is going to be lyrics, I think.

MM Blog Day 2: interviews, press passes, Foshay Foshow.

It was a gorgeous day in Downtown all day. Went up in the Foshay, and can honestly say, few views are better than the one I saw today. Spent a lot more time researching and on the phone than I probably should have. But I have to get the ball rolling, and I'm going to do this by getting an interview with Isaac or someone else from the band one way or another. I spoke briefly with Joe Plummer (second drummer); Jeremiah Green (original drummer) and Eric Judy outside the Orpheum Theatre last December. They seemed somewhat open to the idea of me writing a proper book on the band.
Anyway, today I ...
* Contacted the media personnel at the XCel Center in preparation of MM's upcoming tour stop in St. Paul on June 5. They've played in Minneapolis a total of 10 times over the past 10 years - and never in St. Paul. NME is reporting that they're headlining, however TicketMaster is still requesting $75 (R.E.M. prices). Weird. As far as getting that elusive pass, I'm apparently third on the list for a press pass behind the Star Trib and Pioneer Press, spokeswoman for the X said. Apparently it works like this - no later than 48 hours before the show I'll hear whether or not I have a press pass (which is actually just a ticket). 
The touring company (most likely TicketMaster) determines who gets press credentials. Daily newspapers usually get priority. 
My photog at the paper isn't available to go ... anyone want to shoot some photos of the show?
* Yesterday I contacted MM's manager, Juan Carrera. He was helpful, passing along my information to MM's press agent in N.Y. I e-mailed her and called saying I'd like to do a piece as a preview for their June 5 show. Followed up with a phone call - haven't heard back.
* So, hopefully I'll hear back tomorrow from my favorite publicist. Here's their publicist's  site by the way. Kind of cool.
* After signing Mason Jennings to his burgeoning Glacial Pace Recordings (an umbrella of Epic/Sony) Isaac Brock has apprently lost the Minneapolis-based singer-songwriter to Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records label. Jennings' "In The Ever" is due out this month.
This is news to me, but apparently it's months old. According to a Feb. 21 on his MySpace, Jennings writes " We have been friends for years and this record seemed like a perfect one for them to put out. (Just a note to say that I am very grateful to my friend Isaac Brock and Epic for working with me on my last record. There are definitely no ill wishes there. A change just felt right.)" 
*Nonetheless, Brock and fiance/co-general label manager Naheed Simjee continue to work with Love As Laughter in the studio.
* Due to the apparent mugging of our music writer at the Downtown and Southwest Journals, I'll be taking over music duties, at least for the short term. This is in addition to my latest beat (bridges), not to mention my others (City Hall, County Board, Library Board, transportation, food features -- next up is Tank Goodness cookies (thanks, Heather)).
The unfortunate "accident" (it wasn't really an accident, it seems. dude has his face beat in, jaw broken, eye socket smashed ... so be careful walking south from Azia after dark) may, by some dark twist of fate, actually help my chances at interviewing the band. 
* On a lighter note, I'm trying to think of a good title for the book. So far I've got: "Spitting Venom: The story of Modest Mouse," as told to Steve Pease.
I really like the idea of including the phrase "as told to." I'm currently reading "The Tracker: The Story of Tom Brown, Jr." as told to William Jon Watkins. 

That's it. Goodnight and Good Luck.

In the beginning ...

It all started one sunset afternoon while sitting shotgun in Cory Gwin's Honda Civic with gold rims. The car was the color of the inside of an avacodo - with sparkles.
He had just returned from Atlanta where he had heard this new band called Modest Mouse.
"Sweet name," I thought to myself, immediately conjuring an image of Mighty Mouse.
Cory popped the burnt compact disc into his top-of-the-line Pioneer player - the type that featured the fold-down faceplate.
Little did I know that was a watershed moment in my life.
From the first song "3rd Planet" the lyrics had me mezmorized and the music had me spellbound. Never before had I heard such melancholic music ... especially none that had been so beautiful, boastful; so sad and yet uplifting simultaneously.
Seven years later I haven't been able to sake those first moments. I haven't been able to pry away the grip of Isaac Brock's youthful voice, his jangly, jaded guitar, Eric Judy's smooth bass and Jeremiah Green's outstanding, and funky high-hat work.
They made a fan out of me and many others. Perhaps, mainly for me own etification, I'm going to write a biography of the band - the biggest undertaking of my short career as a writer/journalist/et al.
This site will be dedicated to process of writing the book. As of yet, it has no working title, aside from "Working Title," doesn't have the approval of the band, its management or their friends, family, inumerable bands they've played with or the others whom I hope will help me weave this golden narrative.
It's gonna be a lot of hard work, take a lotta love and a lotta luck. But I've convinced myself I'm in it for the long haul.

Stay tuned.