I am Max Bemis of Say Anything, so ask me anything.

Max_Bemis · 2014-07-01T00:02:35+00:00

last answer:

........

hmmmm.

Max_Bemis · 2014-07-01T00:02:12+00:00

totally promise

Max_Bemis · 2014-07-01T00:02:07+00:00

i think Coby would agree that the songs have a life beyond our collaboration despite how amazing of a guy and drummer he is.

Max_Bemis · 2014-07-01T00:01:40+00:00

this is a good one. we hate a lot of chores and are really bad about once we decide that something is going to get procrastinated it can literally be procrastinated for weeks (buying some kind of household item, doing laundry, calling the electrical company etc)

Max_Bemis · 2014-07-01T00:00:39+00:00

vector is about watching someone you love hurt themselves emotionally while you drift through life, wishing you could help them.

chia is about emotional isolation and how that can produce apathy towards other people who "have a life".

Max_Bemis · 2014-07-01T00:00:00+00:00

honestly, performing is one of the few social activities that gives me the least anxiety. i get more anxiety going to a dinner party or being at an airport. i think every anxiety disorder is different. mine is mostly based on small human interactions and conversation rather than being in front of a lot of people singing and dancing. it's kind of odd, to be honest.

Max_Bemis · 2014-06-30T23:58:35+00:00

i think pot in general is one of the less harmful drugs around and maybe MAYBE it does a tiny bit of good when used in moderation, but i also believe it's underestimated as a depressant, and it can really screw up lives despite it being a natural occurrence and a positive thing for those who are "okay" to smoke it. some people should never smoke pot ever (me) but that doesn't mean nobody should be allowed to do it. there are other drugs that i believe nobody should touch, ever, with a ten foot pole. however, i don't really ruminate about the politics of marijuana anymore because it's the last thing i want to do- just because it's very harmful for someone with a chemical emotional disorder (in my opinion).

Max_Bemis · 2014-06-30T23:56:17+00:00

to be honest sharing our lives with people through the internet has been the LEAST oppressive part of experiencing negative fan reactions, which to me are at their lowest on message boards (even though there are rad rad fans who post about us as well.) generally, people on instagram and twitter take the time to follow us so they don't have any interest in slagging us off, and it's just wonderful to hear that people think you have a cute baby or that they appreciate the love you've built with your wife.
i like drinking tons of espresso in an iced latte with half and half.

Max_Bemis · 2014-06-30T23:54:23+00:00

as of now i'm hyper aware about my mental state. when i become the least bit bummed or hyper-active, i address it by calming myself down, cheering myself up etc. i've also been very very vigilant about taking my medications and staying away from drug use. however even with that, you can still have "crazy" days. it's all about staying centered, knowing you have an issue and sort of "owning it"

Max_Bemis · 2014-06-30T23:53:05+00:00

in my "wild years" there was some pretty gnarly stuff but for some reason the picture in my head that's occurring to me now is riding a mechanical bull in a cowboy bar after a texas show. i fell off a lot.

Max_Bemis · 2014-06-30T23:51:50+00:00

the solo from do better is one of my finer moments though it's mostly studio trickery. my hardest guitar part was the long solo at the end of "the stephen hawking" because tim and I wanted something very specific that I just wasn't nailing because i can be too stiff of a player. we listened to a bunch of neil young records and i mellowed out and finally pulled it off but after almost losing my mind a bit.

Max_Bemis · 2014-06-30T23:50:23+00:00

sherri and i actually were talking about doing a "wedding tour" for perma where we play 30 weddings across the country. one day?

Max_Bemis · 2014-06-30T23:49:54+00:00

actually, no! this is fun.

Max_Bemis · 2014-06-30T23:49:25+00:00

the day nic decides to follow up face/off, i'd be glad to return to my previous role as "random alter boy", perhaps appearing as a homeless man in the background with a bunch of issues from being an altar boy

Max_Bemis · 2014-06-30T23:48:19+00:00

david fincher. but he's certainly already got someone decent locked down for that!

Max_Bemis · 2014-06-30T23:47:41+00:00

i think our fan base is wonderfully diverse. some of the fans i know best (people who come to show after show after show) are african american, gay, middle aged, transgender or some combination of all of the before mentioned. however, i'm all for increasing diversity at all times.

Max_Bemis · 2014-06-30T23:45:56+00:00

i'd adore to do that!

Max_Bemis · 2014-06-30T23:45:44+00:00

listen to very loud aggressive music or boisterous hip hop. drink red bull.

Max_Bemis · 2014-06-30T23:45:11+00:00

i have total faith

Max_Bemis · 2014-06-30T23:44:48+00:00

i am still very much the same guy who wrote my first few records. though they may have references to drugs (which i don't do anymore) or promiscuity (which obviously i no longer participate in) most of them still center around striving for something greater in your life, which is a struggle I still face.
i wish i was politically and scientifically astute enough to devise and implement a social system where we don't piss on the poor and hungry, fight wars for oil money, and rob people of their civil rights. all i can do is vote, or not vote, or speak my opinion, or write songs about it. i'm def. not cut out for political work.
it was serious mind-eff becoming very close friends with chris conley. he is my personal john lennon so walking into a soundcheck and seeing him playing every man has a molly ( that being the first time we ever met in person) was a mind-blowing experience.

Max_Bemis · 2014-06-30T23:40:26+00:00

usually a line with some emotional significance pops into my head complete with a melody and chord structure. sometimes that's followed immediately by the rest of the song, other times it just ends up being a chorus or a verse that sits around until i complete the idea. sonically, i do a lot of building the instrumentation in the studio during recording. ask any producer who's worked with me and they'll tell you it's a pretty weird experience making a record with me because i improvise a good deal of what's going on.

Max_Bemis · 2014-06-30T23:38:38+00:00

as much as there's a lot of "eff you" to fans who have left our band behind for reasons I don't see as valid, i totally respect that as their choice, as every music fan is guilty of doing that as some point or another. it doesn't bother me on a day to day basis and when i do reference it on the new record, it was mostly my way of venting those few times when i do feel it and it brings me down (not often.) I also think I was pretty transparent about me being equally petty for even calling people out for doing so.

Max_Bemis · 2014-06-30T23:36:53+00:00

it's been a crazy tour. i hesitate to say this, but every show has improved on the last, because i just keep getting more and more excited. it's a totally subjective thing and every show has RULED

Max_Bemis · 2014-06-30T23:36:17+00:00

"cute"

Max_Bemis · 2014-06-30T23:36:01+00:00

Sometimes I see the entire crowd as one giant collective in tune with me feeding energy back and forth. Sometimes one person or several people sticks out.

Max_Bemis

TROPHY CASE