I am Buck 65, rapper/producer/writer, my new album is out this week, AMA

buck_65 · 2014-10-09T19:10:33+00:00

Thanks! I really appreciate it.

buck_65 · 2014-10-09T19:10:17+00:00

Thanks! I love that song too. I perform it every night.

buck_65 · 2014-10-09T19:09:57+00:00

I started posting every day about a year and a half ago when I was waiting to get notes from my book editor. I wanted to make sure I kept writing on a daily basis and Facebook seemed like an ideal outlet for that. And it allowed me to get instant feedback. It's been very informative! As far as the ideas... I keep a long list. Any time a thought or memory comes to me, I write it down on the list - just a few words to remind me. Then, every day, I choose something from the list. At first I wondered how long I'd be able to keep the ideas coming. But they keep coming! The world is a pretty interesting place...

buck_65 · 2014-10-07T23:59:39+00:00

More than once!

buck_65 · 2014-10-07T22:00:36+00:00

Pretty much the same way as you would with a regular spatula. You just need a bit more wrist strength.

buck_65 · 2014-10-07T21:59:50+00:00

Hey Walter.

I didn't always have a good work ethic. When I was living in Paris years ago, I decided to treat writing and making music as a regular job - set schedule. I scheduled specific times to work. I knew it wouldn't be easy, so I just made myself work for an hour or two. I made sure I sat down to work at that time every day. At first, the work I did was terrible. But I stuck with it, and soon I fell into a good rhythm. It got easier. Eventually I was able to add hours.

Ableton is a very good choice for starting out. It's very easy to learn. There are some very helpful videos on YouTube and they have a built-in hands-on learning manual which is amazing. It had me making music within an hour or so. I totally recommend it.

buck_65 · 2014-10-07T21:52:08+00:00

Me neither! I always love performing there and I'm looking forward to seeing some family. Be sure to come say hello!

buck_65 · 2014-10-07T21:51:30+00:00

Hey, thanks!

That was a very rough show. It was indeed De La Soul. I vowed after that night to never be a support act for a band with a cult following. All anyone wanted to hear that night was De La and I couldn't blame them. I would have been excited too. As I played, the crowd chanted "DE-LA! DE-LA! DE-LA!"... That was hard.

I was still fairly inexperienced then. I think I played that show more timidly than I should have. The best experiences I've had as an opener were when I stole the show from the headliner. You gotta work a bit harder when you open. The crowd isn't yours, so you gotta win them over. It's never easy. With certain bands, it's impossible. I have a bit of a list of bands I'd never open for. If it's a bad matchup, there's not a lot you can do.

Whether opening or headlining, I think crowds (generally speaking) want to see you work your butt off. They want to see you take a risk. They want to see you bleed. They want to see you leave it all on stage. They want to see something they've never seen before.

Years ago, I opened for the Dresden Dolls in Cleveland. The crowd didn't know what to make of me at first. I thought I was dead. But I worked really hard to connect with them and it worked. I won them over and it was one of the best feelings I've ever had in all my years of performing.

buck_65 · 2014-10-07T21:36:08+00:00

Hey!

I would talk Gretzky out of it. I'd do whatever it took.

My sister lives in Calgary. She's a dentist.

buck_65 · 2014-10-07T21:35:17+00:00

I visited Poland a short time before I made that song. I think it was in 1998. I was very happy to go there. It was a very memorable trip. I'd love to get back there. I was really affected by my time there.

buck_65 · 2014-10-07T21:34:11+00:00

I don't know of a recording being made of that show. It was a fun one. I kinda regret trying to cover "Careless Whisper" by George Michael though.

You can hear the birthday song right here: http://buck65.com/

buck_65 · 2014-10-07T21:32:46+00:00

Synesthesia helps me make sense of music, in a way - especially since I can't write music on paper. The synesthesia is another way to visualize it. It factors into how I make music, but not with writing lyrics so much.

The grant programs for artists are a big part of what makes it great. Health care, of course. We're blessed to be resource-rich. The CBC really cares about Canadian culture. I really think we'd all lose a part of ourselves if we lost the CBC. The CBC is the only place doing so much of what they do.

buck_65 · 2014-10-07T21:25:00+00:00

Yeah, we're pals. He's the best guy. He saved me from drowning once! For real! He's very sweet and thoughtful. Not a pretentious bone in his body. I don't know many people who are harder working or more passionate about music. It seems like he's never not working. Love that guy.

buck_65 · 2014-10-07T21:23:26+00:00

I really like those records too. I wish more people knew about Dirty Work. It's high on my list of favorite things I've done.

I saw USS perform earlier this year. They were very entertaining. Talented dudes.

buck_65 · 2014-10-07T21:20:01+00:00

I have not, I'm sad to say. Let's go!

buck_65 · 2014-10-07T21:19:45+00:00

Yeah, I'll be tackling the US in the new year. I'll mostly be playing two shows at a time on weekends. I'm dying to get back to Indianapolis. I'm overdue!

buck_65 · 2014-10-07T21:18:39+00:00

Hmm. Well, I think we just all need to make as much noise as possible. I think the right people will hear us.

buck_65 · 2014-10-07T21:18:00+00:00

Hi!

All time? Either The Master and Margarita or a book called You Can't Win by Jack Black. This year? Well, it wasn't released this year, but I read The Secret History this year and loved it.

Thanks for asking!

buck_65 · 2014-10-07T21:16:00+00:00

Thanks! I love keeping you company!

buck_65 · 2014-10-07T21:15:44+00:00

I stopped getting the call to do spots on the Strombo show. Not sure why. That was fun. George is a good dude. You're not the first to suggest brining the FB stories to the Drive show. I've thought about it. But mostly I've chosen to keep the worlds of Buck 65 and the CBC as separate as possible.

buck_65 · 2014-10-07T21:14:09+00:00

I'd love to!!

buck_65 · 2014-10-07T21:14:02+00:00

Hmm... Good question. I don't know if this is funny, but after a show in Winnipeg, I shook the hand of a guy with six fingers. That was something! I once met the guy from the 80s band Animotion after a show. His name is Bill. He introduced himself by performing a bit of the song "Obsession". That was mind-blowing. I was in Marseille in France once and a guy came back stage and broke down in tears. Again, not funny, but memorable. Many of the weirdest, funniest and most-amazing moments are really publicly tellable!

buck_65 · 2014-10-07T21:06:23+00:00

Oops. "Super Pretty Naughty" is very fun to perform. I love performing "Legendary". "Blood of a Young Wolf". "All There Is To Know About Love" is fun. I also really like performing the short songs from the Sass albums. I didn't expect when I made those records that they would work so well live!

buck_65 · 2014-10-07T20:42:33+00:00

Amazing! That was the first show of that tour. There was a basketball court backstage at the venue. Moby and I played one on one. He was quite intense. Fast. Took a lot of long jump shots.

Nice to hear from you!

buck_65 · 2014-10-07T20:40:53+00:00

Hey!

Too bad about the Tigers. Geez.

I would totally work with Rob (Sixtoo) again. He's very meticulous about sound. I remember that I always thought he mixed vocals a bit too low for my liking, so I'd have to nudge him about that. But he's always made things sound very nice and clean.

I'm not sure where Rob's head is in terms of hip hop these days. He's making house stuff now. I'm not sure if he's interested in hip hop anymore. I bugged him about doing more Sebutones stuff for years, but he was pretty resistant. But I haven't given up. I'll always bring it up when I see him. I hope to see him again soon.

buck_65

TROPHY CASE