ALL BACK TO MY PLACE
Rob Benedict
Rain: What music are you currently grooving to?
So I make myself playlists every season. Just putting together my spring season playlist. Okay. I'm constantly going for new artists. Right? That's my thing. Like, I want to know, like, what's happening, like, *right now*. And so this is my wintertime playlist -
Have you heard of “Pedro the Lion”? It's one guy, basically. There's a song called “Modesto” that I was, like, in love with. And that's pretty great. There's a band called “Lucius”, I really like. “My Morning Jacket” has a new album out. “Father John Misty” has a new album out. There's an artist named MJ Lenderman that had a great album out, at the end of last year. But I think my, like, overall, like the band that I'm like, I just been pretty obsessed with for about a year now is the band “Idles”.
Rain: Yeah. Know that band well. They're from my hometown.
Rob: Yeah, they're from Bristol, right?
Rain: They're from Bristol, yeah. I literally saw Joe, in a coffee shop about a month ago.
Rob: That's crazy.
Rain: And just around the corner from me, there’s a street art that’s a stencil of the whole band.
Rob: Wow, wow. That’s insane. Yeah. Yeah, I think they're...just love, like, the message is so positive and, like, forward and accept everybody, and yet they rock their faces off, you know? I also like, “The Fontaines D.C.” record a lot.
Yeah, those are two of the best records of last year. So those are heavy in my rotation.
Also, “Idles”, after the Grammys, apparently they played this, this gig down the street from me. The Silverlake Lounge. It's this pretty small venue. And “Louden Swain” has played there before, but even for us, it's small. And “Idles” did surprise show, and it looked amazing. I was like ‘How did that happen down the street, I had no idea”. I would have tried to go. I mean, I probably would have not gotten in because it was *packed*.
Rain: Yeah, yeah, they're definitely kind of big Bristol heroes. Them and Banksy are our cooler claims to fame. And I actually thought of you when I saw Joe in the window of that coffee shop. I was like, ‘I have to remember to tell Rob’, because I remember you mentioned them before on the podcast.
But getting back to the questions-
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Idles' latest album, TANGK
Fontaines D.C.' latest single, It's Amazing To Be Young
Rain: What, if push comes to shove, is your all-time favorite album?
Rob: Oh, Jeez. It’s really hard to pick *one*.
Rain: Rich picked two, so feel free to do the same.
Rob: I mean, I think about, like, an album that I could have on repeat, like on it on a desert island, like, over and over and over again and never get sick of it and “Radiohead” “In Rainbows” is that for me. I can listen to that over and over and over again.
And then I would say, Prince, “Sign O’ The Times”. My favorite Prince album and one of my favorite records of all time, and it's a double album, and he played every instrument on it. So it's it's a work of art and so, so good. And again, I could listen to it just nonstop. So I'll go with those two.
Rain: What was the first record you ever bought? And where did you buy it?
Rob: I bought it, at this record store in Columbia, Missouri. It was called, like, Fifth Street Records, and it was a 45, and it was the song “Dirty Laundry”. By, what's his name who did, “The Boys of Summer” He was the drummer for “The Eagles”…
Rain: Don Henley.
Rob: Yeah, Don Henley, “Dirty Laundry”. That was my first thing, I remember.
Rain: (Laughing) The reason I am laughing is, I am drinking a (mocktail) right now, which is called “Dirty Laundry”. What are the chances?
Rob: That's wild. That is *so* weird.
Rain: Beth was just teasing me about what it was called and how unappetising that sounded. It’s not very good, to be fair.
Rob: That's amazing. So wild.
So yeah, that was the first. And then soon after, if not, like, the same week I bought “Jessie's Girl”, Rick Springfield. Who was the first concert I saw, too.
Rain:
Oh, really? That's a nice con memory one. That song will always make me think of conventions.
Rob: Yes, exactly. Yeah, that was my go-to.
Rain: I love that.
Rain: What do you sing in the shower?
Rob: A lot of times if I sing in the shower, it's either I've got an earworm of some random, either like a baby song that we've been singing to the baby or…Ruth is a big earworm person. She'll have a song constantly stuck in her head, usually some sort of 70s disco song or something. So that'll get stuck in *my* head. I'll sing that, or a song that I'm working on of my own. You know, if I'm working through a melody, I’ll start singing it and working it out in the shower. So yeah, usually it's, it's that - either whatever earworm is in there or, the song I'm working on.
Rain: What musician other than yourself, have you ever wanted to be, if any?
Rob: Eddie Vedder. Yeah. I just, always loved his command of the audience and how he can take, like, literally an arena and have them, like, right *here* (motions to his hand) and yeah, you know, he makes it look so easy. And he's, he's obviously really well prepared. Like, you know, he has it set like he's going to talk about this after this song and how that relates to the city he's playing in. And yeah, I think he's a really just a competent frontman. And he sings with such energy and passion.
So, you know, as a singer, especially, you know, I just envy him, and as a frontman, but obviously he wouldn't be him without the people that came before him that he was so heavily influenced by.
Rain: Sure.
Rob: But, you know, in terms of my generation. And he was that for me.
Rain: Yeah, he’s definitely a favourite of mine. But I’m glad you don't swing from lighting rigs.
Rob: No. But I think about it. I think about it. The closest was, you know, climbing up the drum set and jumping off the drums.
Rain: That is enough.
Rob: Yeah, yeah. But. when we play, when we play clubs, I have to be careful, because it's low ceilings. So I'll jump up on the drums and be like ‘clunk’.
Rain: Every time you do it. I'm just ..(covers face with hands). I think just because I'm so clumsy, I mean, I can’t walk a straight line without tripping over. You know, when I walked across the stage at Exit/In that time, I mean, I was just like, ‘I'm going to trip for sure’. There's just wires everywhere and just knowing how crazy the floor is, any time you do that, I can’t watch.
Rob: Yeah, it's nuts. And you’re caught up in it because it's the songs playing and you're feeling it. ‘I can do anything’, you know? Yeah. So it is. It's pretty dangerous. I fell, I just fell once that I remember. Well, I fell pretty bad on a Saturday Night Special and really f*cked my arm up. But, that was just that once. But my biggest thing is the edge of the stage. I never want to fall off the edge of the stage. Yeah. Because a) everyone will get on camera…
And also you just you'll get, you know, really hurt you know, that's how like, Dave Grohl broke his leg, fell off the stage. So I'm always like, when I go to the front stage, I'm with my toes. I'm, like, touching, like feeling for it. You know what I mean? Very carefully.
Rain: Yeah. Especially, at SNS, because everyone's sitting down. You fall, you’re falling flat on your face.
Rob: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. No one's going to catch me, no.
Rain: I mean, I can remember, Seb doing his kind of crowd-surfing, and everyone would catch him. But yeah, with SNS…I’ll always lament that they're still seated. It's one of those things…
Rob: We're constantly talking about how we can adjust that and, and still be fair to people who paid who are sitting.
Rain: It’s difficult with the gold passes and stuff. I remember I had a conversation with Rich. God. It must have been when Creation came to the UK? So what..2018? And he mentioned then the issue of the show being included in the passes. Obviously, if someone's paid for front row, you can't all of a sudden take that person’s seat from them.
It’s a shame it can’t be separate from the passes, I think. Because, while they for sure intersect in places, there are often two very different areas of the fandom - the J2 crew vs us pit dwellers.
And that’s not to say that it’s not lovely when Jensen sings at SNS, of course. “Everybody Hurts” in Nashville was seriously special.
Rob: That was cool. I enjoyed that one.
Rain: And talking Saturday nights -
Rain: What's your favorite Saturday night record? Or what was it? Because presumably you might not have big Saturday nights so much since Margaret came into the world..
Rob: Like when I'm going to like pre-party or like go out?
Rain: Yes, I take it to mean ‘What are you going to put on to get you pumped before you go out?’
Rob: Right, right. Wow. I'm trying to think.
Sort of “up” dance kind of stuff, like “LCD Soundsystem”. Anything by him I really love, yeah. “Call The Police”. That’s a great song. And “North American Scum” is a fun song.
So, yeah. I love “LCD Soundsystem”. And “Daft Punk”. Those are the stuff that I used to listen to. I still do, yeah, I still do. To get me pumped up. Ready to be ready to rock. Ready to go out.
Rain: Do you listen to music before you go out to play a gig?
Rain: Last one – What’s your Sunday morning record?
Rob: I guess that would have to be vinyl. I love vinyl. I have a turntable set up and, my favorite Sunday thing to do is light incense, make coffee, play some vinyl. And, I love listening to old stuff that was *meant* to be listened to on vinyl.
“Abbey Road” is one of my favorite records of all time. And, so I put on something like “Abbey Road” or “Let It Be”. Those old “Beatles” records. Yeah, I’ll go with that. “Abbey Road”.
Rain: That sounds really lovely. When I was a kid, we had, you know the old 70s radiograms, this giant piece of wooden furniture with the radio and turntable inside? And Sunday morning, that was always the thing. Read the papers and spin some vinyl.
Rob: I used to get the paper too, I don't anymore, but I used to get the actual paper. Yeah, it's the best. It's not the same when you're just scrolling with your thumb, you know what I mean?
Rain: It's absolutely not the same. And then you realize how you've become completely attuned to that when you're reading a magazine. The writing's too small, and you're trying to, like, make it bigger with your thumb and finger.
Rob: (Laughing) Yeah. Yeah, exactly, exactly.
Photo Credit: Alyssa Fried
Rob: Not really. I kind of clear head usually. Unless it’s the songs we're playing. Yeah, like, especially when we're playing new songs at SNS. You don't want to cloud your head with too much, you know, other stuff. So, Yeah, usually it's like the songs were playing,
But I do get really, like, jazzed about, and inspired by other concerts. Yeah. I saw a lot of concerts last year and, and all the good ones always make me motivated to do a show, to play it right, to perform, you know?
Rain: Definitely, definitely. Live music, I think is my greatest joy. Beth and I have seen some awesome stuff over the last year or so, and it’s always such a highlight in our lives. We went to Stevie Nicks last summer and that was just insane.
Rob: She's amazing. She's still got it. She's still got it.
Rain: Still so cool. Exactly. It was amazing. And she was supported by Brandi Carlile. And that was just…
Rob: Oh my God.
Rain: You think I fangirl over Rich? You need to see me watching Brandi Carlile.
Yeah… (dreamily) she is just incredible…
Rob: Did you happen to see any of the Saturday Night Live stuff last weekend? She played and did the music portion of it. I watched it twice. Talk about inspiring. Like, she's just perfect. Yeah.
Rain: Yeah. Absolutely insane.
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