Interview: Dismemberment Plan

interview bushman

How does one even put their finger on a band with an aura of pop mischievousness like the Dismemberment Plan. I don’t know how you can even call some bands pop after you’ve heard the Plan. Their newest album and probably their best album to date, “Change,” came onto the music scene as if the cure all for the lackluster puddle of mud we call pop. With Justin “I Never Fucked Britney” Timberlake and Agril Lavine on the television I might want to make my own dismemberment plan, but Travis Morrison and company keep me sane.

Where on the musical spectrum do you place The Dismemberment Plan?
Travis Morrison: Geez. I don’t really think of music as a spectrum, with a needle that goes back and forth. It’s more like a big miasma. With no coordinate system. That goes on infinitely.

I think the first verse of the “Sentimental Man” on your new album “Change” which reads, “there’s no heaven and there’s no hell, no limbo in between – I think it’s all a lie, just a white light out to velvet black, and back to neutral grey – that’s all when we die” sort of sum up what your band stands for. How do you feel about this?
You have every right to make every conclusion you want! I don’t like telling people what the songs mean, though. You know, I never liked finding out that Madonna isn’t singing “you’re feeling in my pants because I’m crazy for you.” Mystery is good.

Do you believe in what your band sort of preaches to its listeners? It’s almost like having a spiritual revolution in your own mind once you try to understand The Plan.
Well, I hope we’ve made connections with people that want to hear some serious stuff, some art and some real emotions and fire. We’re a passionate band, definitely. I don’t think we’re any kind of mental Rubik’s Cube, though, I actually think we’re pretty surface-y and clearly-stated band.

Do you fear normalcy?
No. I fear stagnation, but who cares what the norm is? The truth can be shared by millions, or by eight people, or maybe just one person knows. So I don’t think about whether or not I stand out or seem different, I just try to respond to life honestly.

What is the most misunderstood part about the plan?
Well, as much as I avoid the topic, the notion that we’re emo is funny to me. I always thought we were an eclectic pop band, like Blur or Bowie or the Beatles, but… what can you do about that kind of thing?

How big of a fan are you of hip-hop music?
Huge. Enormous. Impossible to overstate. It changed my life.

Do you do any drugs?
Very occasionally, and no hard stuff. I’m just not that interested. I enjoy a drink and I am certifiably dependent on espresso. My attempts to smoke dope are never particularly transforming–nothing seems to happen and I go to sleep. I do look forward to getting old and content and doing LSD in some secluded beach house, though. I’ve been fascinated with what I’ve learned about clinical research into LSD and I’d love to try that, especially once I’ve really lived. I’m glad I never tripped with fuckup college buddies and then spent three hours trying to navigate four city blocks to get to the 7-11, though, and it seems like LSD could be somewhat counterproductive for an adolescent. I mean, life is trippy enough for a 17-year-old.

What type of musical process do you normally use?
I walk. Exercise. Gets the brain wandering and the blood flowing. Something repetitive.

Has it been a long tough road for the band since the “Is Terrified” days or earlier?
No. I’ve loved every step of the way. There were struggles but they make it that much richer when the good stuff comes down the pike. This was the life I wanted to live.

What is your favorite part about being alive?
Interviews!

How important is it for you to be original?
Very. But I want to be original and relevant to people’s lives. Not one or the other.