Dial M for Motherf*cker ( fanzine Trenton, NJ)
Feb 1991.

Milton Wayne waxes poetic with NC's Godsend. Milton interviewed Superchunk before their show at the Kyhber Pass in Philadelphia on Feb 12, 1991.

M: Mac McCaughan: gtr, vocals, main songwriter

L: Laura Ballance: bass, backing vox

S: Milton Wayne

S: I had you guys pegged for a NY band.

M: People think that because I went to school and lived up there, and we play up there a lot. Gerard will call us up and set up something and we'll drive the 10 hours to play a couple of shows. Now we've overkilled the NY thing. We played Maxwell's, Knitting Factory, and CBGB's all in one week.

S: Saturation.

M: Yeah, but the shows kept getting better. CBGB's was the best. We were the last band at 2 am out of 6 bands and we thought it would suck but it was great because people stuck around from Teenage Fanclub, who were on before us.

S: How were they?

M: They weren't too great because of the different equipment they were using but the new EP on Matador is great.

S: Tell us about your first record.

M: We played a few shows and recorded our first Chunk single that had "What Do I", "My Noise", and "Train From Kansas City". That was during my Xmas break in my senior year. We pressed 500 of them, the reason we pressed so few is that we had to borrow money and had no idea how it would do and it was only the second vinyl release from Merge records. 200 of them were on gold vinyl, the limited edition thing was because nobody knew about us.

S: How does Chapel Hill treat you now?

M: More and more people come out. There are great CH bands that have been around awhile, Zen Frisbee being one, and people ignore them except for 30 or so who still come out. Last time we played 230 people came out, which is pretty good. I was amazed.

S: Does your performance change with that?

M: I don't think so. The first shows were kind of weird. I think we played well in CH and the Cat's Cradle is a great place. I'm amazed when 200 people come out to see a local band. I'm kinda afraid that sometimes nobody will show up.

S: So how did you hook up with Gerard?

M: I sorta knew him. Because I went to school in NY I met him at shows and stuff, and I had friends in Boston who knew him. I've always been pestering him with tapes of other bands like the Slush Puppies and the Chunk singles.

S: So you're a Conflict reader?

M: Yeah. So he proposed a deal with Homestead before he left. When he said he was leaving we were like, 'great, no record deal'. But he played the tape for Chris Lombardi, who started up Matador, and Chris said, 'great, I wanna put it out'. So, we went with Matador and Gerard ended up coming to Matador. When we signed with matador, it was just between Chris and us, Gerard didn't come 'til later. It wasn't like Gerard took us along with him, but that he came over.

S: So what is up next? Are you planning on staying with Matador?

M: I don't know. I think. Right now we have a 7" coming out on Merge, our own label, and one on Matador. Our 7" just came out and the Matador one will be out in a month or so, maybe longer knowing those guys. After that we'll probably make another album or two with them as well. So, awhile. I have no problems. The longer we stay with them the more prepared they'll be to do promotional stuff, and their name will be better known.

S: have you guys done any radio station interviews on this tour?

M: (Laughs) We've done a million too many.

S: So I'll ask a stupid radio question·where did the name come from?

L: Oh, that's not stupid.

M: That's the only question that's not, Laura you tell the story·

L: Well our drummer's name is Chuck and when he signed up for his phone somehow they thought his name was Chunk.

S: Everything came in that way?

L: Yeah, phonebook, calling card, everything and we were looking for a name, and it's really hard to do so we said "Chunk." Our name was Chunk for awhile until we found out about a band from NY also named Chunk. They're like a noise band or·I don't know·

M: Kinda weird jazz. They're on one of those live at the Knitting Factory releases.

L: We played up there New years 1990 and there was some confusion over who was actually playing. So we talked to them and they wanted us to change our name and they'd been around longer so we did it.

S: What else do you do outside the band?

L: For a while I was in school. I just finished in December and I work at a Kinko's.

M: We get flyers printed for the band for free!

L: Shh, Shhh!

M: We pay for everything! We also run our own label Merge records.

S: I'm unfamiliar with it but I don't collect singles. I let my friends get them.

L: Good for you! That's my attitude, there's too many out there.

S: Look at Subpop alone·

M: And most of what they put out is crap.

L: I listen to someone else's singles before I buy them.

S: Is your sound changing?

L: Probably, I mean, listen to that first Chunk single, it's pretty different.

M: It's getting more thought out.

S: Ah, you're becoming musicians!

L: Nah, I'm not a musician. I'll never be.

M: When we recorded the first album we had to do it when I was home on vacation from school so we had to come up with 10 songs in one week. Now we have more time to think up songs. The new stuff is more·expansive, if you will.

S: Have you checked out reviews of your stuff?

M: Yeah. The ratio is pretty good for good to bad. Pretty much good press. The one thing we always get, which I don't understand is the Dinosaur Jr. comparison. And some say we're trying to cash in on "College Rock" whatever that is. I have no idea.

S: That's the job of the David Geffen Company.

M: I think we just put out stuff that we like to play.

L: It really depresses me when I hear that about the "College Rock" thing.

M: As if we have this grand plan·

L: ·Let's make lots of money!

M: Yeah, Gerard paying us each a stipend of $1,000 a week to do this tour!!! (Laughs)

S: So what do you do?

M: I work part time at a record store and part time at Kinkos. Jim works full time at Kinkos and Chuck doesn't have a job right now. He used to repair computers.

L: He's a smart guy.

M: He's a math major.

S: What about you guys?

L: I was an Anthropology major. Very useful.

M: Jim is an English teacher. He's not teaching now, but he was.

S: What is life like on the road for Superchunk?

L: Not too glamorous.

S: Are you guys influenced by New Zealand bands?

M: I don't know. I really wish when I listen to Live Dead Clean, that we could have some songs that repeat over and over and over. It's hard to write songs like that.

S: So what are you influenced by?

L: I like scum-rock.

M: Laura listens to anyone who uses a Wah-Wah pedal and tries to sound like the Stooges.

L: We don't sound anything like that.

M: I listen to a lot of NZ bands. I like punk bands like the Buzzcocks and Gen X, plus things like the Stones and a bunch of others. A couple of our new songs are real poppy.

S: Who writes the most?

L: Probably Mac.

M: I'll write two parts and ask Jim to add another part. We go awhile with nothing and they sort of come in groups. It's a lot easier for me to think of music than words so we'll have a lot of music without words.

S: Where do you get the words from?

M: Umm·sometimes it'll be from something someone else says and you can think of a story that goes with it, and you have no idea what they were talking about.

L: It's better to have songs that don't relate to you at all.

M:·but a lot of them are.

S: How often do you practice?

L: Not enough.

M: We practice in my kitchen once or twice a week.

L: A very small room, once at the most.

S: What are the other members of the band like?

M: Jim is sort of a curmudgeon. He sort of prematurely turned 50 or something. He'll do anything, he'll play anything. He'll martyr himself. Chuck is sort of going along having a good time playing the drums not realizing how bad his feet smell.

S: What was your first tour like?

M: We toured with Seaweed and Geek.

S: Where was your first show at?

M: Our first show was in Asheville, NC. It was horrible, the place was leaking water.

L: It was terrible.

M: Nobody was there, it was just awful.

S: So what's it like being the girl in the band?

L: Oh, I hate that question. It's pretty much like being a boy in a band. Nobody treats me differently, I carry just as much heavy shit as anyone else.

S: So do guys hit on you at shows?

L: Yeah, but I try to avoid it. I feel that some people don't talk to me because I'm the girl in the band. A lot of people come up and talk to Jim and Mac and they won't talk to me.

S: So what got you into playing the bass?

L: Mac. He was like, "you wanna learn?" and I was like "uh·ok" I really wish I could play guitar, It seems to be fun but I really enjoy playing the bass too. I play a lot of stuff but I have no clue what notes I'm playing. Sometimes I'll ask how a song starts and Mac will be like, "on C" and I'll be like, "where's that?" I also have a problem with down and up. Up means something totally different to me than it does to Mac.

S: You used the term "Young Rock" earlier. Expand on that.

L: It's a Chapel Hill term, did you ever hear of it?

S: No.

M: It's hard to explain. It's like really loud guitar·

S: There's so many terms being used like pop-punk, power pop, power core·

L: But Young Rock is better.

S: I agree. Thanks for the interview.

M: Thanks for the beers.