Luna's Final Shimmering Light - Pt 2

By: Brett Hickman

Monday February 21, 2005

When the band announced it was breaking up on the heels of its most compelling full-length release in quite some time, 2004's "Rendezvous", Static was compelled to speak with Wareham.
Brett Hickman: How do the other members of the band feel about this coming to an end or was this a unified decision?

Dean Wareham: We had a meeting and discussed it. Nobody was surprised or objected. Sean might be a little more conflicted by it. We are all getting along.

It's interesting to see a band recognize that they may be out of things to say as a unit and end it in an amicable or mature way.

We could keep going, yeah. The question people ask, "Why are you breaking up?" and I'm like "Why should we keep going?"...and I think that's an equally valid question. Just because? Because we exist and then we eke out some sort of living?

There are some bands that blaze a real quick trail. Like your original band, Galaxie 500, you were only around for a few years, yet the legacy of the band has lived on and inspired a lot of people.

It's nice. I don't think any of us would have expected it.

Do you feel that that band is more recognized now than it was then?

Absolutely. We sell more records now...that box set did pretty well.

How do you feel about something that you did years ago is still being discussed and being scrutinized in the same way that some people discovered Nick Drake or the Velvet Underground...

It's nice. I got this e-mail from our website, I did this e-mail interview with a fanzine. This girl in Sweden was like seventeen and she was at this indie festival and at the end of each night at like 5 in the morning people would listen to Galaxie 500 records and watching the sun come up. That was cool. I wouldn't have expected it.

A nice capper, then?

So much of this music is disposable that it's nice to think that it can last a little bit longer. I guess I've heard people say that they're in bands because of Galaxie 500.

What I love about both bands, is that your voice is a constant. It's so cool to listen to.

DW: Thank you.

I did really love "L'Avventura". Very sweet sounding record. Perfect for rainy days.

I'm as proud of that as I am of anything else I've ever done.

How was working with Tony Visconti?

It was great. The whole record was disorganized. First I was going to do a solo record of covers, and then it changed into something else. Then we met Tony and we played him these recordings that to us we're demos, we weren't sure, he said "They sound great! We'll just work on these." He's such a positive force in the studio. He's made so many records he knows exactly what he's doing, he knows how to solve any problems that come up. He works quickly which I like. He brought something to each song, too.

How was the recording of the final album for everyone?

With this album it was recorded more like our early albums were. I think the tendency as they make records is to more and more complicated, spend more and more time adding instruments and arrangements and this and that. With this record we made it quickly and pretty much live. Basically, we set up in one room. The producer had been to see us play and was like "You guys are a really good live band and that's what I want to go for." It's hard to explain, but if you pay the attention to getting all four of you in the room with no separation whatsoever with microphones up to mic the sound of the room, and keep the bass, drums, and both guitars from that. Most people nowadays are just getting a drum track somehow, sometimes it's just on a loop and then stretch that into a song and then add instruments one by one. The result can be great, but you don't get the feeling of a band in a room. That's what makes this record more intimate feeling. I don't think all of the band needs to be there all of the time, though.

What sort of things interest you outside of music?

DW: Politics. Not that I'm involved in politics. We're all involved in politics in some way. Actually, Americans are not very involved in politics. Our democracy has been Stolen in many ways. Many of the important decisions are not made democratically. Financial decisions are not made democratically in America. But they affect large numbers of people. Anyways, politics, movies, golf...

Really?

I don't play very often. I don't have time, too busy.

Is there anything besides music that is a passion?

My son. I've been doing a little bit of acting. I was on "Law & Order", I had two lines. I had a role in an indie film that hasn't come out yet. The male lead in a film called "Piggy," by this woman who co-wrote "Buffalo 66." Film business, like the music business, is in a spot of trouble. Like the music business, there are too many films coming out, too many people going into film school, just like there are too many bands.

Is there anything you hope for the legacy of Luna?

We're also doing this DVD, it'll be on Rhino. It'd be nice to do a best-of Luna, perhaps with B-sides. I guess you have to work on the legacy yourself. We're making a documentary about this last tour. We'll know what it is when it's finished. Like Galaxie 500, you sort of have to make an effort that you make sure that you put your records out there. The legacy...The legacy is just the records, that's all you can really ask for. It's nice when people walk up to you and say that the music has helped them through hard times and that it meant a tremendous amount to them. It means more to me right now when people say that to me than anything else. That's the legacy of Luna.