When we were doing noisier shows, they were fun, but we were trying to be really obnoxious and it wasn't like we were trying to make good music. I mean, I'm happier when we have smoothed out a little bit. I think that the spirit of the noise and experimental stuff is still there, but it's easier to do when you're a freshman in college.

Andrew VanWyngarden

Categorized in : Mean Fun College

I don't think it is too good especially with music to worry about authenticity, it can get in the way of doing something which comes naturally from your own head which is the most authentic thing [of all].

Andrew VanWyngarden

worry way thinking

I don't feel too comfortable talking about politics and media as I feel like I don't sound too smart.

Andrew VanWyngarden

smart media talking

I think that love is just as important and prevalent and real as it ever was.

Andrew VanWyngarden

real love-is thinking

There was this large group of people that we were talking about on the first album - "The Youth" - but we didn't really know what to tell them. We still don't know what to tell them, but we want to make it seem like maybe there's something we know that they want to know, too.

Andrew VanWyngarden

youth people

I don't think it's necessary to worry too much about being authentic. I think a picture taken on an iPhone and then filtered through something to make it look like it was taken on a Super 8 camera can be just as authentic as something taken on a Super 8 camera, if it's capturing something real or beautiful.

Andrew VanWyngarden

taken real beautiful

I have a bad habit of picking up books about drugs, but that's better than having a drug habit, I think.

Andrew VanWyngarden

drug book thinking

If you're conscious you must be depressed, or at least cynical.

Andrew VanWyngarden

cynical conscious ifs

Usually when I write lyrics I try to read a lot and listen to a lot of other stuff. Some of my favourite lyricists are like Lou Reed, kind of the classics - Bob Dylan and stuff like that.

Andrew VanWyngarden

bob writing trying

We like being ridiculous and I think that's lost on a lot of people, or they think we're coming from this super serious angle, and that's too bad, really.

Andrew VanWyngarden

serious people thinking

Even big-bird gets sad sometimes

Andrew VanWyngarden

big-bird bird sometimes

I think things like YouTube and Twitter are really cool and really good in some ways, but the fact that the news is cutting to a YouTube clip on national TV, I think is really weird.

Andrew VanWyngarden

news cutting thinking

It's not like we wanted to get really political in terms of specific causes, but I think a lot of the lyrics deal with paranoia and feeling like "the man" is in control somehow.

Andrew VanWyngarden

political men thinking

We were thinking about how other people deal with this career on every song. We got to meet people like Thom Yorke and hear him say how it's never normal when fans just come up to you. It's always a strange job. We don't want to come off like we're pitying ourselves for having this job because it's really amazing in a lot of ways. But there's a lot of stuff that comes with it that we're not really comfortable with.

Andrew VanWyngarden

song people thinking

Maybe we're just stupid and don't realize you can't make music that sounds like a chase scene from a 'Scooby Doo' cartoon and have people take you seriously.

Andrew VanWyngarden

cartoon stupid people

We think about strategies in pop songs to make people listen to them and be like, "What the hell was that?" But then they have to listen to it again.

Andrew VanWyngarden

song people thinking

We like the idea of being a little divisive without making it into some kind of philosophical musical approach, and maybe we can convert some people to our view of the world.

Andrew VanWyngarden

philosophical musical people

Here's what I think. I think that a lot of days, for me recently, it's like every split second the whole universe is created and destroyed. It's like constantly collapsing and reforming. And I think a lot of people feel that. I think that love is the answer and that's the only thing that matters.

Andrew VanWyngarden

love-is people thinking

I'm proud of the lyrics because I take a lot of care in writing them. I try to make it so people will want to go in and get really into the lyrics. I hope there are different corners to them, with lots of levels-without sounding pretentious.

Andrew VanWyngarden

writing trying people

I think that especially in the U.S. there's this kind of sensationalizing of news - and making it almost like CNN and stuff are entertainment networks.

Andrew VanWyngarden

cnn news thinking

I love movies and I think that we wouldn't ever stop making videos just because people aren't watching them. I think that's just kinda sad. It would be cool to spend a lot of money, but we'll always make videos just for ourselves.

Andrew VanWyngarden

being-cool people thinking