Matt Berninger of The National
Not Fascists, Artists
After two albums slid below the public radar, Brooklyn quintet The National sprung Alligator (2005) and Boxer (2007) on startled rock fans nationwide. Pieced together in 1999 by five friends from Cincinnati, The National’s ascent via Alligator offered the band members the opportunity to make music full time -- and it was an opportunity they seized. Now, they’ve quit their day jobs and hit the road, tearing around the world on tour, all the while trying to evade the fascism boycott campaigns pitched against them. Wait…fascism boycott campaigns? The National’s vocalist, Matt Berninger, spoke with SF Station about, among other things, that strange twist of events.
SF Station (SFS): How’d the name "The National" come about?
Matt Berninger (MB): Seven or eight years ago we figured we needed a name. We decided we needed a name that was meaningless. So we went with the simplest thing. It worked on some level, but people couldn’t really find our website. "The National" is so generic a phrase and it brought up all kinds of sites.
Then we went to Europe and people thought we were affiliated with right-wing nationalism. A lot of people asked about our politics, especially in Germany and France. And in Germany, people boycotted our show because they thought we were some kind of nationalist group or something. I guess we didn’t really think that through. But we’ve found some fans, I guess -- maybe they all think we’re fascists.
SFS: What influences you guys? What are you listening to? What are you reading?
MB: We all have different record collections. We have different music backgrounds, too. Bryce comes from a professional music background. I was a college rock kid so I listened to The Smiths, Tom Waits, Nick Cave. We’re such a collaborative band and no one’s really in control, so it’s hard to trace any significant influences. We take inspiration from wherever we find it -- movies, overheard conversations, books. Eventually, we collage it all together. I’ve never been able to sit down and write a lyric, really. The real work is in the corrections and in finding the connections, which is a slow process.
SFS: Speaking of collaboration and writing songs, what’s The National’s process for composing?
MB: It’s a collaborative process. The other guys are always feeding me bits of music. I listen to it over and over and over in my head trying to put lyrics to it, trying to sing to it. No one comes with a presented, finished song. It’s really not controlled by any one person. The egos are strong, but there’s no captain. Nobody really owns the songs or is precious about any original version. It’s frustrating sometimes, but it’s the way we put music together. We chop songs up, try them different ways -- like I said, it’s a slow process, trying to discern something from little ideas.
SFS: How do politics influence your work? Both of the recent albums seem somewhat political at times.
MB: We don’t really think about politics when we’re making the music, but it’s definitely there below the surface. Alligator is more desperate. It was written around the time of the election, when Bush won for the second time. “Mr. November” sort of expresses a desperate frustration with things. Boxer has a different mood, it’s more escapist, more resigned, trying to avoid thinking about how bad things are.
It’s about not thinking about things and not taking responsibility -- sort of an internal reflection on responsibility. It sort of asks, what does it mean to be a good adult? What does it mean to be a kind, responsible person versus someone who just lives to fulfill desires, someone who has no responsibilities? It’s a pretty bleak scene out there politically, but I’m optimistic.
It’s been a long time, though. Right know I’m standing next to the Grassy Knoll -- you know, THE Grassy Knoll -- and thinking about how much that assassination changed the course of history. It’s hard to say where history’s going next, but I’m optimistic.
SFS: How’s touring? What does the future hold for you five?
MB: Well, we’re touring through the end of the year for sure. It’s exciting, we have good crowds every night. In a few months, we might start writing on a new album, but I don’t really know what the future will be exactly. We’re just trying to making music we want to listen to ten years from now.
The National perform at The Grand Ballroom w/ St. Vincent on September 29th. Tickets are $22.50.
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