An Interview with Nick Harmer of Death Cab for Cutie

[This interview is from the Fall 2003 issue of Halftime. Heather Sorrentino assissted in the writing of questions and I transcribed the whole thing, which took a very, very long time. Given that it's an older interview, you'll notice the mention of Michael Schorr and not Jason McGerr.]

Taxis Are Not Coffins. by Heather S. and Ryan P.

Pack it up, pack it in, let me begin: Death Cab for Cutie is one of the best bands in America right now. Though arguable, it’s clearly unquestionable. In the group’s short history, they’ve ridden a wave of 7" singles, a million performances and three full-length records that culminated in last year’s opus, "The Photo Album."

Regardless of their success, the boys of Death Cab – guitarists Ben Gibbard and Chris Walla, bassist Nick Harmer, and drummer Michael Schorr – are nice, and therefore, approachable guys. It’s not too uncommon to find Gibbard at a Sonic Boom in-store, where Nick can be found at the register, probably shooting the proverbial shit about metal or about how Weezer stole his Muppet idea. Recently, Nick sat down and played a game of 20 questions with us. Here are the terrifying results:

1. Where did you go to high school?

I went to Rogers High School in Puyallup, Washington. I don’t want to talk about the details, but you can imagine what my younger years must have been like.

2. Do you believe that Pabst is the new King of Beers?

I have always believed that Pabst is the benevolent dictator of beers.

3. Why did you want to play bass instead of a six string like other sex machines?

I am going to let you in on a little secret…the bass players have always and will always be the sex machines…guitar players are all show…it’s the quiet ones you gotta watch out for…and I am not a very good guitar player, so switching from six tiny strings to four big fat ones seemed easier to navigate musically…

4. Would you let Andrew WK give you dance lessons? Why or Why not?

Absolutely. What Andrew lacks in style or grace, he more than makes up for in energy and doing something with shit loads of energy can make the easiest, dullest task look kinda cool. Like shopping for groceries…imagine what it would be like if people bought groceries like Andrew WK danced…or we all raced around the store like it was a competition not unlike the Tour de France.

5. What do you look for in a groupie?

The ability to make me blush.

6. Who do you think would win in a fight, Muppets or Fraggles?

Fraggles. Without a doubt. The Fraggles are the working class, blue collar puppets of the puppeteering world. There is no doubt in my mind that they could knock the stuffing out of the soft urban bellies of the Muppets any day or night.

7. Would you ever consider having Bruce Willis do guest harmonica on a Death Cab song?

I would love to see my old pal Bruce again…shit, it’s been what? Fifteen years since I told him to his face that Hudson Hawk sucked after he told me to fuck off for asking his autograph…seriously, true story, I was like twelve or thirteen.

8. Are you involved with any other bands besides DCFC?

I play with Juno, and I am trying to get a metal band off the ground…I want to be called MOLTEN LAVA…

9. How do you feel about having your video on MTV2 and MTV.com?

If it helps in any way to meet Britney Spears or Pink, I am so down….

10. What is the best tour you’ve ever been on?

Hands down, the Death Cab VS. The Dismemberment Plan tour earlier this year was amazing. So much fun and great shows to boot…I will always remember that one.

11. How does the word "emo" make you feel?

"Angry."

12. Where do you see Death Cab in the next five years? (musically, individually, etc.)

I hope that in five years we will all, both collectively and individually, be in a place of creative security…What I mean by that is, I long for [a] day that we are all able to provide for our responsibilities and needs in our adult lives, while still being able to live creative lives centered in the arts….I long for a time when I don’t keep waking up in cold sweats thinking, "Shit, what am I gonna do next? And what am I doing now?" American culture/society has been extremely efficient at convincing citizens that artistic endeavors are by nature irresponsible and full of hot air; that in order to be a true contributing member of our world, you need a "real job" and a "mature life"…I would love to find myself in five years, still without a "real job" and yet able to provide for myself and friends without worry. A pipe dream, I know.

13. Given that you had a bigger contribution on "The Photo Album" compared to past records, do you feel that this trend will continue on as you record more records?

I really hope so. Up until "The Photo Album," Ben has been responsible for the majority of creative input into the band, but I feel that in order for Death Cab to continue to grow and explore newer musical territory, we need to tap everyone’s creative input and work harder at synthesizing all our musical visions…we are in such a good place right now, personally and creatively that I do not think that it is a question of "will more of us get to contribute more in the coming albums," but instead, "what form will our contributions take?"

14. Name your top 5 bands to tour with on your dream tour?

a. Radiohead
b. Low
c. Botch
d. Godspeed You Black Emperor
e. Iron Madien

15. Who are your top 5 favorite bands that have inspired you to make music?

a. Low
b. Pixies
c. Talk Talk
d. OLD Metallica
e. REM

16. What are your favorite restaurants or sightseeing stops when you’re on tour?

I love to eat at Taco Johns, which is this great taco fast food join that mysteriously seems to stop at the Rocky Mountains…Death Cab eats there as much as we can, in fact, on one tour, we ate there for four meals in a row – dinner one night, breakfast, lunch and dinner the next day…suffice to say I puked in the parking lot after my third meal…also, I/we love the Waffle House chain…nothing cures a hangover better than a plate of their waffles, eggs, and two strips of bacon…other than that, we don’t do too much sightseeing or roadside attraction stops…unless of course it is just too weird to skip.

17. Where are your favorite places to play?

I love playing New York City, Boston, Chicago, Austin, and San Francisco…the crowds there seem to be the coolest and most friendly…plus, I just love wandering around those cities; so much to do and see…I wish I could live in all of them simultaneously…

18. If you weren’t playing music, what do you think you’d be doing?

I would be living in Los Angeles trying to make it as an actor. Seriously. Acting is my other secret love and I would die to be a part of the "Hollywood magic" that fills so much of my life…but that is what I like to think I’d be doing, in reality, I would probably be doing something lame, staring out of the window, wishing I was in a rock band….

19. Walla has been mooned by someone I know, have you ever been mooned, mooned someone else, or been flashed by a fanatic member of the audience?

Damn I wish. I think people are scared of me. People are all like, "Damn, Ben and Chris are so cute, I am going to flash them, but that guy over there on bass is kinda evil looking and scary." I have never mooned anyone myself, but I sometimes have an uncontrollable urge to take all my clothes off and run around naked on stage…thankfully to date, I haven’t…but you never know, someday I might just snap….

20. And finally, why are you so cool?

Awww, get outta town. Maybe what makes me cool is that I own my geekiness. I readily admit to collecting comic books, action figures, and 1950’s toasters…I admit that I have never been cool or stylish or sexy, yet I really would like to be someday….when I was young, my mom said that I was like a good wine that was going to get better with age….I don’t know if I am getting better, but I am secure and confident being the dork that I have always been.