art by Justin Peroff

Broken Social Scene
mar 4th 2003 - email interview with Brendan Canning by Barbara H

hi! could you introduce yourself ?

Brendan.Canning

What happened between Feel Good Lost, which only featured yourself and Kevin, and You Forgot It in People, on which eight more members are credited ?

Actually...there are many more on Feel Good Lost if you check the liners...That record was made and then the band was based around the feelings, not only that record evoked but also KC Accidental...Okay, is this confusing. First came the recording project KC Accidental...they played shows which I wasn't involved in...enter Kev & Bren, some of Brendan's friends and BOOM!...NOW A BAND...You forgot,etc is based around the songs that were written by various versions of BSS over 2000 and 2001.ummmmm...yeah.

For how long has the new line up been playing together ?

The line-up that will do the upcoming N.American tour has been a constant for about six months...but of course, members continue to weave in and out.

How long did it take to record You Forgot it in People ?

seven months...on and off

Obviously KC Accidental was named after Kevin and Charles' band, but why did they choose to do so ?

choose to do what? if you mean name the song...Well, it is largely a composition Charlie brought to the table. A reject from Do Make Say think, if you will.

The songs are really different from one to another, who wrote the songs in You Forgot it in People ?

Everyone in the family. Some more on others, and some less.

What about the arrangements, for example, the effects put on the singer's voice on Anthems for a Seventeen Year-old Girl, did you already have these ideas in mind before recording or were they a result of experimentation inside the studio ?

Experimentation is a big part of what we do. Arrangements, effects, interpretations were all done in studio. Songs are never so set, which makes for a great deal of excitement when recording. Who the hell wants to read a script.

What about the live shows ? Are there ten people on stage every night ?

The last show we played.. our BIG Toronto show was fourteen in total. It was terribly exciting.

Do the songs sound more chaotic or in contrary more simple, as far as arrangements are concerned, when you play them live ?

We have been trying to reproduce these songs live which is fairly new territory for us. But generally, the songs are not TOO far from how they appear on the record.

What are the next plans for the band ?

SXSW, touring around that...coming home and begin work on our guitar player Andrew Whiteman's record, and then begin to record the next BSS record. There is also a b-sides collection, or unreleased material if you will, we will release. Also, You Forgot it will be released on vinyl.

now, here are ten silly questions :

"Was you ever bit by a dead bee ?"

no

What becomes of the broken-hearted ?

they stay home and surf porn sites...or die lonely...or pick up the pieces and begin a spiritual awakening that will help them find love again...or record some semi-sad instrumentals on their 8-track.

Where's the party ?

In the words of Paul Stanley of KISS from KISS ALIVE 2, well, you know.

Batman or Spiderman ?

Spiderman...a real superhero for the people who doesn't live in a goddamn Mansion, have a servant named Alfred and house-boy named Robin.

Favourite and worst favourite drug of the moment ?

That question would be slightly more pertinent a few years ago. For the moment, booze and marijuana. And they're not so bad...Actually, let's put hash in first place because last night's marijuana joint has left me so sluggish today, it could very well ruin my soccer game tonight. Vive Thierry Henri.

What is your favourite pick-up line ?

Once I said, So...Do you wanna go cause some trouble sometime. That's the only one that I felt was just earnest enough to work...and it rolled off the tip of my tongue with ease and comfortability.

what was your dream job as a kid ?

Soccer player until 14...then rock guy. I used to daydream in church, how instead of mass, it would be a great venue for a gig. Of course, I didn't use words like gig when I was 12. But you get the idea.

what do you look like when you wear a tuxedo ?

I'd have to dig out my prom photos. And I remember having an especially bad haircut...so your answer is probably better now than I did back then.

What freaks the hell out of you ?

touching metal bars on public transit. totally gross.

Who is your hero ?

If someone can single-handedly prevent all the senseless killings that will take place from now until I die, then that person will be my hero. Until then,........

thank you very much !

Thank you for the questions