SUPERCHUNK (1990, Matador)

Jack McCook (Original Superchunk guitarist): (continued from "Tossing Seeds" page) Not long afterward, we recorded our full-length, also at Duck Kee. I recall it being identical to the 7" experience except protracted. It started on a Sunday morning - which lasted for about twelve hours - and finishing about a week later. On that Sunday, we recorded all the songs live, then returned for a few hours every night that week to add stuff, tweak it, etc. Though my memories of it are vague, I recall wanting a "solo" or "lead" somewhere in there. And though my ability and interest in playing solos and leads was weak, my ego and need to play them was that of some virtuoso. Ergo, I played the solo in "Slack Motherfucker." All I did was play the first part of a lead in a silly Replacements' song (called "Kiss Me on the Bus") - that I'd just learned the night before - which I didn't even like. Then I just sort of let it fizzle-out when it didn't work with the song anymore. Mac picked-up my slackmotherfuckaredness in the over-dub. My only other memories of that are how hot Laura looked and how all of this was going to effect my burgeoning career as a softball umpire.

Jim: Of course, I didn't play on this one. I remember a weekend during my last semester at Fairfield University in Connecticut. Andrew Webster (he late of Tsunami) and Mac came to visit me. On the Saturday, I believe there was something I had to do on my own and so I had to leave my guests to their own devices for a couple hours. Mac had brought with him a new tape of his band; (they'd just recorded it over the Christmas break down in North Carolina). He left it in my car, and told me to give it a listen while I drove around. I did that. Gave it more than one listen, actually. Later that night, I remember standing in The Deli (located on the ground floor of Gonzaga dorm), waiting in line to buy a cheese sandwich (which back then were called Cheapy Cheeses, because they only cost a buck). We'd been drinking, if memory serves, but that hardly seems the point. Anyway, I said to Mac then, I said, "It kills me to admit it, but I really like that damn tape. I mean I really like it." Or something along those lines. Up to that point, you see, there had always been a war of wit going on between Mac and I. You know what I'm talking about. Insults traded back and forth. Comments like "I'm gonna beat your ass" flying through the air. Typical bullshit communication that guys in their early twenties use with each other (or that people in general use, I suppose). After listening to the first Superchunk record I had to get all gooey. That, or be dishonest. Anyway, that's the story of the beginning of my involvement with the record. Less than a year later I would move to Chapel Hill, join the band because Jack didn't want to tour, get a job at Kinko's, and start living the indie rock dream. Br, I mean nightmare.