Tim Harrington
Les Savy Fav singer on their first studio set in 14 years
How come you’re back now? We generally play when the opportunity seems fun and it makes sense with our offstage lives. What got the writing started was, a couple of years ago, we were invited to play Primavera Festival in Barcelona. Harrison [Haynes] wasn’t able to make it, so we asked Thursday’s Tucker Rule to sit in. It meant a lot more rehearsals than normal, and that got the juices flowing. A few months later, Syd [Butler] started going on about writing new stuff. Tell us about your new album. It’s our most cathartic and personal. I’d gone through dark, difficult times, and when we were writing, I struggled to find a way to process that in a way that made sense. Part of what came of that was me personally bringing a stronger voice to the arranging and musical side. I took on a producer role and spent a huge amount of time chopping up parts and sketching things out. We recorded 90% in my apartment attic. It’s like walking into my brain, and it gave me a stronger vision for what it was going to be. Of course, I’m a crackpot, so that vision is a bit raving lunatic. Still, there’s a raving-lunatic cohesion that we’ve not had in the past. Were there any amusing episodes during its creation? Frequently. We realised that these weren’t demos. They were the tracks we wanted to put out, which was wildly liberating. We spent 10 months just playing, messing around, then I’d slice and dice. A super playful process, where we tapped into a kind of curiosity that we had 20 years ago.
What happened during the interregnum?
Living life, kids, jobs. Our normal lives mean a lot to us.
I decided I was going to be a successful picture book author, and live a whimsical, creative life, where I’d get paid to stay childlike forever. I’ve spent most of my life indulging a Peter Pan fantasy. I wrote two cute as fuck children’s books, then I didn’t get another contract. “Once upon a time, there was a guy who was totally broke and lived in the attic of his home, like a lunatic, while his wife and kids looked up the stairs and wondered what was going on?” My sense of self was tied up in an addiction to chaotic messes and disdain for ‘normal’ life, and that smashed into the people that I loved. Figuring out how to square those things was rough. Harrison and Andrew [Resuland] got graduate degrees, and Syd and Seth [Jabour] played on TV for Late Night With Seth Meyers. What’s been the standout moment?
Getting help. My wife, looking at her basket-case husband having a scary nervous breakdown, was like, “You should go to a shrink.” Wow, I’m glad I did. It turns out that I’m bi-polar, which explains 30 years of weird, amazing, horrifying behaviour. I got me the meds that I needed to make “unpredictable artist” and “stable adult” balance to make music.
Who’s been the biggest inspiration?
My wife. There’s a lot on the record about the dark places we went through: conflicts, doubt, despair, faith, hope, and joy. The first and last tracks are appropriately bi-polar. Guzzle Blood is about hopelessness. World Got Great is so optimistic it’s scary.
What do you put your longevity down to?
We’re a band of fans. We don’t tour like a normal band and get invited to festivals. One of the first things that we want to know is what other bands are playing, and if we’ll have time to see all the ones we like!
What would a biopic tagline be?
We Were There When The World Got Great!
What’s next?
No idea, though I’ve gotta walk my dog.
Les Savy Fav Oui, LSF CD, LP are on Frenchkiss, 10 May.