Briston Maroney on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, His Pre-Show Spotify Playlist, and Playing Outside Lands in San Francisco
Photo by Rebecca Bloch
[UNPUBLISHED:] How does it feel to be playing Outside Lands?
[BRISTON MARONEY:] It feels amazing. This is my first time here and it’s already a really unique vibe. It seems very one-of-a-kind.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you have a song you’re most excited to perform?
[BRISTON MARONEY:] I always love playing our song “Fool’s Gold” at festivals because we always get a little jammie with it and it’s my grateful dead moment.
[UNPUBLISHED:] You released the deluxe version of your album Sunflower earlier this year, has your perception of the project changed since you first released it?
[BRISTON MARONEY:] That’s a really good question! Totally, I think having the complete body of everything out has allowed me to see it completely for what it is. I feel like everything being laid out has helped me analyze the type of person I was at the time and now I am someone new.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you have a favorite song from the album?
[BRISTON MARONEY:] I think the one that is probably most fond to me is “Sinkin’” It’s the first track on the album and one of the first I wrote for the record. It sums up that period of time for me but “Still Cool If You Don’t” has really grown on me.
[UNPUBLISHED:] You recorded the original album live at Third Man Records, what was that like?
[BRISTON MARONEY:] That was crazy! It felt like it happened really quickly and it’s so strange to take someone that we worked on for so long and then to run it from start to finish for forty minutes after working on it for two years. It was really cool to have that documented and to compare where were at now. It’s just cool to see the whole timeline.
[UNPUBLISHED:] We know you’ve been touring recently and will continue into the fall, do you have any favorite spots on tour?
[BRISTON MARONEY:] I love this part of the country! The Pacific North West is my favorite. Seattle is always one of my favorite cities to hit and Portland as well. We’ll be in the South for the next run and I’m really excited to go to Athens, Georgia. It doesn't feel like it belongs where it is and it’s kind of removed from everywhere else but I’m still really stoked about that one.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you have any items you can’t live without on the road?
[BRISTON MARONEY:] I always have this backpack. What is in the backpack changes every day but I like just having a bag that has an assortment of random shit in it. It just has a bunch of Sudoku books and boring shit. Having my trusty backpack is always nice.
[UNPUBLISHED:] You also recently released the music video for your song “Paradise” - it reminded us a lot of what a music festival looks like, what was the inspiration behind the video?
[BRISTON MARONEY:] That was totally a motivation because we had just recently played Bonaroo and I was in this phase of wanting everything to feel like a music festival. I wanted the video to feel like Bonaroo and it was really heavily influenced by that.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you have any memorable moments from shooting the video?
[BRISTON MARONEY:] It was so hot that day and I just remember standing in that field the whole day. The song was also on repeat the whole day because we were filming and there was a period of time when they were fixing the lights and the song was still on repeat. I thought there was a purpose behind the song behind on repeat for two hours while they fixed the lights and at one point I asked the director if someone was timing something to the song and he said they weren’t. We were all so confused and covering our ears from it being on for two hours straight. I didn’t want to hear this song ever again.
[UNPUBLISHED:] I saw you have a pre-show Spotify playlist, what’s a song that gets you the most pumped to play from that playlist?
[BRISTON MARONEY:] There is a lot of 90s Hip Hop on it that’s just super chill and makes me feel really cool even though I’m not. There are some MF DOOM songs that I love. It’s hard to pick a favorite.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you have any pre-show rituals?
[BRISTON MARONEY:] We always huddle in a circle and I always make up a little chant on the spot. We basically just yell one word over and over - it’s always something really stupid. It’s really fantastic.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How do you think your sound has changed over the past couple of years?
[BRISTON MARONEY:] I would like to think I’m less afraid of being honest. I think sonically, I just want it to sound like I have accepted that not everyone is going to like everything that I do. I think when I was younger I was really optimistic that it wouldn't be the case. I was convinced I could make music that everyone could like and I feel like I was selling myself short at certain points. For making stuff in the future, I have embraced that the things that are special to me will not be special to everybody but trying to honor that no matter what. I think I’m maybe more confident even if that means I’m more reserved.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Your music reminds us a lot of a coming-of-age film if you could have your music in one film which one would it be and why?
[BRISTON MARONEY:] Oh my god. Oh shit. Dude, this is so cliche but I think growing up, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was one of my favorite movies of all time. That soundtrack influenced me a lot so I think that realm of movie would be it. There is also this movie called The Sasquatch Gang, and it’s so good. It’s the same people that made Napoleon Dynamite but before Napoleon Dynamite came out. It’s on Youtube for free. That would be my dream.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What would it be if you could give your younger self any advice?
[BRISTON MARONEY:] Just to like stop worrying about what other people need from you. You could do everything in your power to give people what they ask for you and at the end of the day, they can still not accept it if they don’t want to. You’re going to fail in life and I try now to fail doing what I want to do and fail doing what I think other people want me to do. Just tell myself to not be afraid of everything.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Whose set are you most excited to see at Outside Lands?
[BRISTON MARONEY:] I’m stoked to see Jelani Aryeh and Wet Leg. I also want to see Backseat Lovers. Oh shit, I didnt know Mitski was here, gotta see her. I have to see my buddies, Mt. Joy. Okay, Mt. Joy and Mitski are probably my big two.