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Black Ties And Symphonies With BERT McCRACKEN From THE USED · HEAVY Music Interviews

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: I'm here with none of Alivan Bert McCracken from the
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: used Hi Berd. How are you going?
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: Hey?
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: How are you great? Great?
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: I'm really good. I'm so excited.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Oh me too. I've been a huge fan since I
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: was a little emo kid, so this is really cool
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: for me.
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: So that's awesome.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: And look, you guys have played absolutely everywhere. What does
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: it feel like knowing that you guys will be stepping
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: out on stage at the Sydney Opera House.
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: This has been a dream in the making since I
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: first came to Sydney in two thousand and five and
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: saw the Opera House from the outside. So it feels otherworldly.
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: It feels unreal to be able to do what we're
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: about to do.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, it's so crazy. And does a venue like
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: this change how you approach a set emotionally or even sonically.
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: Definitely? We have to make this a special, beautiful, theatric
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: moment for everyone. The inside of the Opera House is
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: so gorgeous. It lends itself to you know, beautiful, not
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: necessarily somber, but romantic environment.
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: Yeah, definitely. And it is a black tie event. Will
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: you be wearing a black top?
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: Thirty percent dressed up to the nines.
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: Yes, yes, wicked. And is there a particular song you're
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: most excited or even nervous to play in that space?
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: The Burden? The Worm lends itself really well to a big,
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: giant orchestra, and we've kind of rearranged the songs in
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: a way to kind of fit make the best performance possible.
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: So yeah, I can't wait. It gives me goosebumps just
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: thinking about it.
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: Yeah, definitely, especially with that intro. I imagine you've got like
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: full cello or.
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: Violin, Yeah, full orchestra, full choir. It's gonna be magic.
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's awesome. And what's the most unopera housed thing
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: about the Used playing there?
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a good question. I think that the the
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: Used is kind of allowed itself to fit into many boxes,
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: but I think that this is just another color of
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: the Used, another another side of the US that has
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: always existed but we've yet to be able to express.
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, definitely. And do you feel like you're still
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: writing for the same person you were way back when
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: or has that changed?
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: Yeah? The writing is is still the same same process.
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: Name name brain me h. Yeah.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Yeah, that's awesome. And how do you protect your
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: mental space while still being that open on stage.
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: I don't it's impossible too. Yeah, you just have to
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: let go. You have to be wide open and present
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: and in the moment and not guarded and not with hell,
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: not holding anything back. I think that it's just the
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: stage of the space to just be free.
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: I think, yeah, yeah, you never get concerned about what
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: those close to you or people around you might think.
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: Yeah up there, it's like the magic of the music
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: shines through and it's just all about that moment.
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, definitely, And it's still this is something I
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: really want to talk to you about. It kind of
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: really blows my mind that the last notebook even exists.
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: What was your first reaction when you realized you'd found it?
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: Overwhelmed with joy? Been looking for it for quite a while,
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: so the fact that somebody knew who had it just
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: made my life so excited.
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's crazy. My copy is actually in the mail
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: on the way. I can't wait to get it. But
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: was there anything in there that felt a bit confronting
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: or too vulnerable to share?
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: There's a lot of stuff in there that's just like
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: random writing that's a bit personal and a bit.
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: Word.
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: Yeah, vulnerable is a good word. But it's been so
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: long and it feels like a totally different lifetime ago.
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: Yeah that it's Yeah, it's all me in there. It's
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: good to just put it all out.
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, that's it. That's it. And was there anything
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: that you almost didn't include? That's in it? Now?
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: Once once I got the journal back and looked through it,
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: I knew the whole thing was. Yeah, let's put the
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: whole thing out exactly how it is.
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: Oh that's awesome. And what are you listening to or
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: reading at the moment? I know you're a big reader.
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: I've been back into Roberto Bolano. He has a book
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: called two six sixty six that is amazing. I've been
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: actually listening to the Dungeon Crawler Caral series on Audible.
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: Yeah it's super fun.
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, fun.
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: There's a there's a band I've been obsessed with for
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: like the last nine months called vien Nova. They're a
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: German band. Yeah, they're really really cool. To check them out.
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: Yeah, okay, I will, I'll check. I'll put that on
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: my list after this.
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: And I agree.
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: Are you finally an Australia You've got your Australian passport.
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: Now finally I'm a citizen.
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yes, thank goodness, thank god.
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: It only took thirteen years.
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: Oh my goodness, that's crazy. What's your favorite piece of
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: Aussie culture so far? It could be TV.
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: Food, beans on toast. I know that's kind of a
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: British thing, but Ozzie used to do it as well.
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: My little my little daughter's obsessed with some beans on toast.
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: I think it's the cutest thing in the world.
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: Isn't it so easy to make for them?
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's good to go.
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I've always thought your lyrics make incredible tattoos. Have
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: you ever thought about what line of yours you'd want
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: people to carry with them permanently?
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: Hmmm? I think the Peace to Think chorus, when you
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: kind of let yourself be in that moment and forget
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: about kind of the cringe of the whole lets see
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: of the vulnerability of the statement. I think that here
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: I am, it's in my hands. I'll savor every moment
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: of this. Is is pretty special.
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: It is and it's not cringe. Don't say that ever, place,
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: and thank you for the starting my next tattoo.
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: I think the most beautiful things are always cringe, So
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: you got to cringe to you got to cringe to
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: get there?
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: Yes, yes, I totally agree. You know what, And like
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: I always say that I was an emo kid, and
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: I used to be so like awkward and insecure about that,
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: but now I'm like, no, it was a cringe time,
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: but you know what, I'm proud of it.
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: That's me. I'm proud of it.
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly, Yeah, exactly, And it's awesome. Oh and what
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: do you want people walking out of the opera house
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: to feel after your step?
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: When I go to an amazing show, I leave feeling
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: inspired and creative and on fire. Hopefully people feel the
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: same thing.
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: That's absolutely wonderful. What's something that fans often misunderstood about
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: you or the band?
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: That's a good question. I think the user has always
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: been very open and honest and kind of put everything
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: out on the table. I don't think that there's any
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: kind of misunderstandings. I think that people I think we've
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: been on the same page for twenty six years now.
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, definitely good answer. And one last one. Do
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: you ever feel like your past self is kind of
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: watching what you're doing now?
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: Yeah, of course that's a that's a really good way
• 8:12
  Speaker 2: to put it. Yeah, my past self was a bit
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: more erratic and combustible than the person I am today.
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: And it's amazing to see kind of where where I've
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: come and where I've been and where I am now.
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: Amazing feeling so much growth, hascitating.
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: Yeah, there's been, there's been an amazing amount of world
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: changing growth. We're excited to be where we're at right
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: now in the in the world and beautiful, beautiful place
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: to be.
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: We're so so happy that you are here. And but
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: thank you so much. We cannot wait to see the
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: US play. I think it's in just under a.
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: Week, Yes, Sunday. Yeah, say getting close.
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: Yelp me too. I cannot wait. Thank you so much
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: for your time today.
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: Yeah, thank you for your time. Appreciate it.
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: Thank you.