Ep. #1069: The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis

Buck 65 makes a rare reappearance to discuss his excellent new album, Do Not Bend, musical brevity, Joe Pernice inspiring him to start an insightful Substack, writing jokes and stories that wind up as rhymes, befriending the late great Biz Markie and hanging out backstage at a Beastie Boys show, meeting Lou Reed but being low key about their creative kinship, acquiring the four-track he once used in the mid-1990s to create new music but also incorporating Ableton, obvious and oblique pop culture references, when you don’t know where the words come from, why it’s healthy to listen to your own work, difficult time signatures for rappers, a loving celebration of vinyl record culture, many future plans, a hidden phone number, and much more. EVERY OTHER COMPLETE KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO PATREON SUPPORTERS STARTING AT $6/MONTH. This one is fine, but if you haven’t already, please subscribe now on Patreon so you never miss full episodes. Thanks!Thanks to the Bookshelf, Planet Bean Coffee, and Grandad’s Donuts. Support Y.E.S.S., Pride Centre of Edmonton, and Letters Charity. Follow vish online.Related episodes/links:Ep. #1069: The Messthetics and James Brandon LewisEp. #1068: Sahan Jayasuriya on ‘Don’t Say Please: The Oral History of Die Kreuzen’Ep. #1065: Brian Raftery on ‘Hannibal Lecter: A Life’Buck 65 on Bike For Three! (2009)Ep. #1037: SloanEp. #1026: TortoiseEp. #906: Joel PlaskettEp. #895: Al TuckEp. #858: Cadence WeaponEp. #800: Buck 65Ep. #770: Adam Horovitz from Beastie BoysEp. #272: Gord Downie [Archival; May 2010]Ep. #117: Charles Austin of the Super FriendzEp. #13: Sloan’s Jay Ferguson & Chris Murphy & Photographer Catherine StockhausenSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/kreative-kontrol. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Buck Meek is here for a talk about his charming, confessional new album, The Mirror, coming up in Wimberley, Texas and people’s misconceptions of the Lone Star State, the vibrancy of transient college towns, how his grandmother’s death and caring for his grandfather galvanized his family and inspired aspects of The Mirror, writing songs about communication, teaching, language, speech, parenting, and family, pondering duality, mid-life, and overcoming societal inhibitions, a unique recording studio set-up, ambience and intuitive expression, being a participant in Bob Dylan’s Shadow Kingdom film and recording project, upcoming solo and Big Thief tour dates, other future plans, and much more.EVERY OTHER COMPLETE KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO PATREON SUPPORTERS STARTING AT $6/MONTH. Enjoy this excerpt and please subscribe now via this link to hear this full episode. Thanks!Thanks to Blackbyrd Myoozik, the Bookshelf, Planet Bean Coffee, and Grandad’s Donuts. Support Y.E.S.S., Pride Centre of Edmonton, and Letters Charity. Follow vish online.Related episodes/links:Win a Buck Meek February 2026 Prize Pack!Ep. #1041: Ryan DavisEp. #1034: Sean Wilentz on Bob Dylan’s ‘Through The Open Window’Ep. #1025: Esther RoseEp. #981: The Minus 5Ep. #975: DeerhoofEp. #910: The Hard QuartetEp. #864: Mary Lattimore and Walt McClementsEp. #821: Kurt VileEp. #769: Jana HornEp. #692: WilcoEp. #586: Spencer TweedyEp. #467: Susan RogersSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/kreative-kontrol. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brendan Canty, Joe Lally, James Brandon Lewis, and Anthony Pirog return for a Valentine’s Day discussion about Deface the Currency, the excellent new album by The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis, what led them into a studio with engineer Don Godwin fresh off of some tour dates, the noisier, aggressive aspects of this record, social currency and community-building in music, the significance of the names of their instrumental songs, my dog Indiana Bones, how authenticity is freedom, exciting updates about their individual pursuits, upcoming tour dates, other future plans, and much more!EVERY OTHER COMPLETE KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO PATREON SUPPORTERS STARTING AT $6/MONTH. This one is fine, but if you haven’t already, please subscribe now on Patreon so you never miss full episodes. Thanks!Thanks to Blackbyrd Myoozik, the Bookshelf, Planet Bean Coffee, and Grandad’s Donuts. Support Y.E.S.S., Pride Centre of Edmonton, and Letters Charity. Follow vish online.Related episodes/links:All Things Konsidered: The Beatles AnthologyEp. #1056: ‘Plenty for All: The Art of Rick Fröberg’ with Sohrab Habibion & Johnny TempleEp. #1046: Jim White and Guy PicciottoEp. #1001: Thanya IyerEp. #946: James Brandon LewisEp. #900: Fugazi and Jem CohenEp. #887: Janel and AnthonyEp. #845: The Messthetics and James Brandon LewisEp. #811: Joseph ShabasonEp. #583: Ian MacKayeSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/kreative-kontrol. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sahan Jayasuriya is here to discuss his book, Don’t Say Please: The Oral History of Die Kreuzen, loving living in Milwaukee, benefitting from the reverence that artists like Beastie Boys and Nirvana exhibited for their own influences and favourite musicians, discovering that people like Neko Case, Matt Sweeney, Dave Grohl, and David Pajo all love Die Kreuzen as he was writing a book about them, what compelled him to tell this story and his perspective on the band’s trajectory, legacy, potential reunion shows and reissues, renewed interest in his own band Good Night & Good Morning, future writing prospects, and much more.EVERY OTHER COMPLETE KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO PATREON SUPPORTERS STARTING AT $6/MONTH. Enjoy this excerpt and please subscribe now via this link to hear this full episode. Thanks!Thanks to Blackbyrd Myoozik, the Bookshelf, Planet Bean Coffee, and Grandad’s Donuts. Support Y.E.S.S., Pride Centre of Edmonton, and Letters Charity. Follow vish online.Related episodes/links:Ep. #1014: SwansEp. #960: Kim ThayilEp. #953: Steve Moriarty from the GitsEp. #927: Papa MEp. #910: The Hard QuartetEp. #905: Duane Denison from The Jesus LizardEp. #812: Michael Azerrad on ‘The Amplified Come As You Are – The Story of Nirvana’Ep. #770: Adam Horovitz from Beastie BoysEp. #764: MudhoneyEp. #673: Sonic YouthEp. #614: Lou BarlowEp. #217: Do You Compute – The Story of Drive Like JehuEp. #112: Britt Walford of Slint and WatterSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/kreative-kontrol. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During Family Day in Canada, my wife and kids and I gathered around our kitchen table to discuss our shared experience watching all nine episodes of The Beatles Anthology documentary series. Please enjoy two parents and their 14- and 11-year-old children reflecting upon what we learned and liked about the Beatles, including who loves John, Paul, George, and Ringo the most. One correction: contrary to what I stated during this talk, Elvis Presley did in fact perform outside of the United States of America for a run of shows in Canada, sorry. Featuring music produced by Levon Khanna.EVERY OTHER COMPLETE KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. This one is fine, but please subscribe now on Patreon so you never miss full episodes. Thanks!Support Y.E.S.S., Pride Centre of Edmonton, and Letters Charity. Follow vish online.Related episodes/links:All Things Konsidered: The Best Albums of 2025All Things Konsidered: JID, Sloan, Julianna Riolino, Live showsAll Things Konsidered: ‘Let God Sort ‘Em Out’ by ClipseSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/kreative-kontrol. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elizabeth Nelson returns to discuss the Paranoid Style and their new album, Known Associates, life near Washington D.C., a recap of our recent discussion about the Replacements’ Let It Be reissue, a brief overview of American paranoia, her penchant for wordy lyrics and how that impacts her as a singer, some of her favourite sincerely humorous songwriters, Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer” and Bob Dylan’s “Love and Theft,” her love of musicals and nodding to other people’s songs, why I think she might dig Carolyn Mark, playing rare shows, other future plans, and much more.EVERY OTHER COMPLETE KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO PATREON SUPPORTERS STARTING AT $6/MONTH. This one is fine, but if you haven’t already, please subscribe now on Patreon so you never miss full episodes. Thanks!Thanks to Blackbyrd Myoozik, the Bookshelf, Planet Bean Coffee, and Grandad’s Donuts. Support Y.E.S.S., Pride Centre of Edmonton, and Letters Charity. Follow vish online.Related episodes/links:Ep. #1040: The Replacements’ ‘Let It Be (Deluxe Edition)’ with Peter Jesperson, Jason Jones & Elizabeth NelsonEp. #1034: Sean Wilentz on Bob Dylan’s ‘Through The Open Window’Ep. #1026: TortoiseEp. #963: DestroyerEp. #951: Mark Ibold, Scott Kannberg, Jeffrey Lewis Clark, Jed I. Rosenberg & Brian Thalken on ‘Louder Than You Think: A Lo-Fi History of Gary Young and Pavement’Ep. #924: Lance Bangs and Bob Nastanovich on ‘Pavements’Ep. #895: Al TuckEp. #894: “Weird Al” YankovicEp. #646: They Might Be GiantsSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/kreative-kontrol. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Longfellow is here to discuss life as a lazy student and his creative writing academic pursuits, how and why he got into comedy and music as a kid, growing up with different step-parents and step-siblings and what his kinfolk think about him making jokes about them specifically, why he’s uncomfortable being compared to Norm Macdonald but why he reminded me of Norm when he was on Saturday Night Live, insights about how SNL works and why Lorne Michaels knows what he’s doing, how he actually got on the show in the first place and his background as a sketch writer and performer, what we both got out of reading a recent Lorne Michaels biography, his perspectives on not being asked back to SNL this year after three seasons and personal highlights from his time on the show, what fans can expect from his Just for Laughs Vancouver show on February 13, a new stand-up special and other writing and performance plans, and much more.EVERY OTHER COMPLETE KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO PATREON SUPPORTERS STARTING AT $6/MONTH. Enjoy this excerpt and please subscribe now via this link to hear this full episode. Thanks!Thanks to the Bookshelf, Planet Bean Coffee, and Grandad’s Donuts. Support Y.E.S.S., Pride Centre of Edmonton, and Letters Charity. Follow vish online.Related episodes/links:On Loving Norm Macdonald: A RemembranceSteve Martin and Martin Short (March 2019)Ep. #1058: Paul Myers on ‘John Candy: A Life in Comedy’Ep. #1016: Abby GovindanEp. #950: Gianmarco SoresiEp. #855: Mikey DayEp. #829: Robert SmigelEp. #826: Steve Albini and Fred ArmisenEp. #789: please don’t destroyEp. #770: Adam Horovitz from Beastie BoysEp. #556: Sam JayEp. #472: Kevin NealonEp. #439: Bruce McCulloch and Paul MyersEp. #434: Simon RichEp. #322: John MulaneySupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/kreative-kontrol. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brian Raftery is here to discuss his excellent new book, Hannibal Lecter: A Life, the Burbank Burger King from Back to the Future, what exactly prompted him to explore the origin story and pervasiveness of Hannibal Lecter, his mysterious and seldom-interviewed creator, the best-selling author Thomas Harris, why people love fictitious and apparently also real-life antiheroes, a rundown of the history of Lecter in literature, television, and film beyond The Silence of the Lambs and why Brian Cox was such a compelling Hannibal, how the character is scarier the less we see of him, a great Patton Oswalt bit about prequels, the underrated NBC series Hannibal, why Donald Trump may have started saying, “The late, great Hannibal Lecter” at his political rallies, whether we may ever hear from Harris and Lecter again, Brian’s future plans, and much more!EVERY OTHER COMPLETE KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO PATREON SUPPORTERS STARTING AT $6/MONTH. This one is fine, but if you haven’t already, please subscribe now on Patreon so you never miss full episodes. Thanks!Thanks to the Bookshelf, Planet Bean Coffee, and Grandad’s Donuts. Support Y.E.S.S., Pride Centre of Edmonton, and Letters Charity. Follow vish online.Related episodes/links:Ep. #999: Cory HansonEp. #900: Fugazi and Jem CohenEp. #888: WandEp. #705: Patton OswaltEp. #467: Susan RogersEp. #182: Scott Thompson answers Exclaim!’s QuestionnaireSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/kreative-kontrol. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lance Sampson from Aquakultre returns to discuss his new album 1783, the time I saw him request and receive chicken wings while performing on-stage and why his friends and family often engage in their own version of Hot Ones, how his research about the history of African Nova Scotia or Black Nova Scotia led him to write songs, why he engaged in this research initially and what he learned about his home province, his fascination with historical fractures and community-building, police and cultural erasure, archival recordings and eeriness, working with producer Erin Costello and the sound of this record, a family singalong and the motion picture Jaws, what’s next for 1783, other future plans, and much more.EVERY OTHER COMPLETE KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO PATREON SUPPORTERS STARTING AT $6/MONTH. This one is fine, but if you haven’t already, please subscribe now on Patreon so you never miss full episodes. Thanks!Thanks to the Bookshelf, Planet Bean Coffee, and Grandad’s Donuts. Support Y.E.S.S., Pride Centre of Edmonton, and Letters Charity. Follow vish online.Related episodes/links:Ep. #1047: Lonnie HolleyEp. #1036: OvernightEp. #1033: ShadEp. #800: Buck 65Ep. #727: AquakultreEp. #706: JOYFULTALKEp. #610: Cadence WeaponEp. #598: AquakultreEp. #408: Jeremy DutcherSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/kreative-kontrol. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julia Steiner from Ratboys returns to discuss their new album, Singin’ to an Empty Chair, processing the death of comedy legend Catherine O’Hara, writing songs inspired by her first experiences in therapy, working with producer Chris Walla and songs that combine session work at a rented cabin with those recorded at Electrical Audio, Steve Albini’s drum sound, anxiety, dogs, and Indiana Jones, our shared love of the Beths and Miriam Toews, addressing empty chairs and the time Clint Eastwood did that, Jimmie Kilpatrick, Thrush Hermit, and Joel Plaskett, going to a songwriting camp with Blake Mills, tour dates, other future plans, and much more!EVERY OTHER COMPLETE KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO PATREON SUPPORTERS STARTING AT $6/MONTH. Enjoy this excerpt and please subscribe now via this link to hear this full episode. Thanks!Thanks to Blackbyrd Myoozik, the Bookshelf, Planet Bean Coffee, and Grandad’s Donuts. Support Y.E.S.S., Pride Centre of Edmonton, and Letters Charity. Follow vish online.Related episodes/links:Ep. #1058: Paul Myers on ‘John Candy: A Life in Comedy’Ep. #1050: Jimmie KilpatrickEp. #1045: The BethsEp. #1044: Steve Albini (2008)Ep. #906: Joel PlaskettEp. #904: Mac McNeilly from The Jesus LizardEp. #812: Michael Azerrad on ‘The Amplified Come As You Are – The Story of Nirvana’Ep. #806: The BreedersEp. #796: RatboysEp. #611: Cloud NothingsEp. #502: Shotgun Jimmie! Thrush Hermit!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/kreative-kontrol. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.