Yo La Tengo's new album has the trio reimagining songs they love by other artists; Regal Cinemas steps up security measures at movie theaters; Emmy-nominated actor Titus Burgess from "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"; Neil Young's Pono needs money
Yo La Tengo reveals the stories behind its new album of covers
The alternative rock band Yo La Tengo was founded 30 years ago by Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley, and for the past 24 of those years, the married couple has been joined by bassist James McNew. This week, the trio releases its latest album, “Stuff Like That There,” mostly a collection of songs by other artists that particularly resonate with the band.
When Kaplan and McNew joined us on The Frame, they shared stories behind some of the songs on "Stuff Like That There." We also asked them — given the rapidly changing nature of the music industry — about their take on all things digital, etc.
Interview Highlights:
James, I want to ask you about some of the bands you cover on the new album: Great Plains, Antietam, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Cure, The Parliaments, Sun-Ra...that's like a musical dartboard. It would seem totally random to most people, but I suspect there's an organizing principle to that selection. What would you say that is?
McNew: I think it's mostly things we love and songs that are important to us personally. Sometimes you just hear a song and it's like, Wow, how does that go? Let's figure out how to play that, just for pleasure. [laughs]
Ira, what does the song "Friday I'm In Love" mean to you? Why did you choose it for the album?
Kaplan: I love the way Georgia sings it. We learned it and played it years ago, once, and then a few years later we played it again, but literally by accident. We were at a radio station in London and we were asked to take some listener requests and somebody wanted to hear that song, not knowing we'd ever played it. So we quickly had to remind ourselves how it went, and that version in particular just seemed so off-handedly lovely to me, just hearing the way she sings, that it never left my brain.
James, we've got a song for you: Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry." Your cover features a very spare, simple arrangement. What does that song mean to you, lyrically and musically?
McNew: It immediately conjures up memories of the three concerts when we opened for Johnny Cash in 1994. It was completely otherworldly to be welcomed into the Cash family and be treated with such hospitality and warmth, and yet their audience was not that psyched with what we were doing. It was still completely unforgettable.
I believe we were covering a song by The Byrds in Atlanta, and I looked over across the stage to Ira, but Ira wasn't standing where I thought he would be. Instead, I looked directly into the wings and saw Johnny Cash standing there, watching us play, and I think my whole system shut down. I may have stopped playing for 10 or 15 seconds because I just didn't know what to do, and when you're faced eye-to-eye with The Man In Black, I think it's best just to back away.
What's the creative experience that you get the most pleasure out of today, having been together for so long? Ira?
Kaplan: Well, a big part of it is not knowing the answer to that, and just keeping your eyes and ears open to see what happens on a given day. Almost a year ago, we found ourselves on a stage in England, backing Yoko Ono. It was unbelievable — there we were, the Plastic Ono Band.
We're in the midst of a tremendous amount of upheaval in the music business. What do you wish your fans would do when it comes to consuming music, that would most benefit the bands themselves?
Kaplan: I don't really like to prescribe behavior for other people. It's very exciting when we do stuff and encounter people who care about it a great deal, and we do have that experience all the time. That means a lot, and if people express it by writing us an email, by talking to us when they see us in public, by clapping at a show, by not talking at a show...
But you included the word "business" in your question, and I know that we are in the music business. A big part of our ability to stay in it is to do as much forgetting that we're in the music business as we possibly can. I think we're pretty good at not focusing on that stuff.
Do you want security checks in movie theaters?
In July, James Holmes was found guilty of the first-degree murder of 12 people during a 2012 midnight screening of the Batman film, “The Dark Knight Rises." Holmes was later sentenced to life in prison.
That attack in Aurora, Colorado wasn’t the only recent example of theater violence in this country.
Two people were killed and nine others were injured at a theater in Lafayette, Louisiana in July. And earlier this month, a man with a hatchet attacked theater patrons in the Nashville area before he was shot and killed by police officers.
In the wake of those incidents, the Showcase Cinemas theater chain in the Northeastern United States recently said that it was banning moviegoers from bringing in backpacks and packages. And Regal Cinemas — the nation’s largest theater chain — has begun inspecting moviegoers’ bags.
Regal is not saying much about the decision to increase security other than a few lines on the company website.
We were curious to see what this increased security means for the average movie patron, so we sent Frame contributor Robert Garrova to the Regal L.A. Live Stadium 14 to see what measures are actually in place.
Here’s what we found:
1. Regal is checking bags
Here’s what they have posted at the box office:
We didn’t see any metal detectors or pat downs, just bags, purses and backpacks being checked. We did notice a theater employee who seemed to be checking that the theater’s exits were secure during the movie.
2. Regal and other major chains are keeping quiet on their security measures.
We reached out to Regal’s spokesperson and did not receive a reply. Other major chains, including AMC, did not respond by the time of this posting. Groups like the National Association of Theatre Owners and the Motion Picture Association of America declined to comment.
3. Theater owners may not be talking about their safety measures, but some of them seem to be thinking about it.
The National Association of Theatre Owners of California/Nevada branch has posted notice of an upcoming seminar, “Emergency Response - Active Shooter Workshop.” The event page says the seminar will take place at Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood. The National Association of Theatre Owners of California/Nevada declined to comment on the seminar, citing that it would be a members-only event.
4. No, this is probably not a snack check.
Theater chains make a lot of money on concessions. But when we packed some snacks, they weren’t confiscated.
What do you think about increased security measures at movie theaters? Take the poll below.