In short
Cass McCombs discusses his album Interior Live Oak, his creative process (dream journaling, minimal editing, “talking is lying”), his relationship to phones and music consumption, and life in New York vs. Baltimore/Berkeley. The hosts also riff on late-night TV controversies, pregnancy painkiller myths, and general pop-culture conspiracies.
Guest background
Cass McCombs is a long-running “legendary” musician (the hosts reference him since the late 2000s). He lives in New York, has spent time in Baltimore and Berkeley, and has toured extensively across the U.S. He’s known for songwriting that blends personal experience with character/composite perspectives.
Key claims
He rarely edits lyrics, prefers “play it as it lays,” and says he doesn’t seek new music—he mostly makes it. He blocks distractions to remember dreams and treats writing time as sacred. He’s grumpy but not outwardly resentful; he uses songwriting as an “engine” to express feelings.
Notable examples
Lungfish (Baltimore punk band) myths and their loud practice space; his “firmly rooted” seated performance preference for acoustic; his salad-bar “lettuce for days” approach; and his truck-stop/road-trip routine (Flying J, Country Pride).
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VORapture Discussion
0:46 to 2:56
The hosts discuss the concept of the rapture and its cultural implications.
Pregnancy and Tylenol
2:57 to 6:01
The hosts dive into discussions about Tylenol use during pregnancy and its implications.
“taking tylenol i mean i was looking up uh what you're not so there's a long list of things you officially and unofficially that you're not supposed to consume while you are pregnant.”
Late Night Television Dynamics
6:02 to 8:00
The hosts analyze the current state of late-night television and its hosts.
“It's just sort of the perfect combination, uh, for, for podcasting.”
The Illusion of Autonomy
8:01 to 10:00
Discussion on the autonomy of late-night hosts and their influence.
Introducing Cass McCombs
10:01 to 11:10
The hosts introduce their guest, musician Cass McCombs, and discuss his work.
“What if this whole thing was orchestrated just to get ratings back on late night television?”
Introducing Cass McCombs
12:36 to 13:40
The hosts introduce their guest, musician Cass McCombs, and discuss his work.
“Support for today's episode of How Long Gone comes from Square.”
The Importance of Mental Health Support
14:00 to 14:34
Discussing the gap between mental health support and seeking help.
“The gap between believing mental health support and actually seeking it seems like a problem to me.”
Cass's Connection to New York and Baltimore
15:26 to 16:28
Cass shares his experiences of moving between New York and Baltimore.
“I'm just, you feel like you're making a lot of excuses right now.”
Discussing Baltimore's Music Scene
16:28 to 17:55
Exploring the influence of Baltimore's music scene on Cass's life.
“Lungfish is a rock and roll band for those who don't know what, like late 80s kind of DC punky kind of vibe, right?”
Personal Connections to Music
17:55 to 18:40
Cass shares personal anecdotes about his experiences with music.
“Like they, it is, it's mutualistic, you know, like they, they use it to induce an altered kind of consciousness.”
Show all 40 chapters
Living in Abandoned Spaces
18:40 to 19:35
Describing living in unconventional spaces and their vibe.
Performance Styles and Posture
19:35 to 21:04
Discussing the dynamics of performing while seated or standing.
“Have you ever come close to levitating on stage for any of your performances?”
The Complexity of Bob Dylan's Performance
21:04 to 22:58
Exploring the nuances of Bob Dylan's live performances.
Music Consumption and Creation
22:58 to 24:46
Cass reflects on his relationship with music as a creator.
“I mean, I don't even know really about new music, like all new, across everything.”
The Balance of Music and Silence
24:46 to 26:18
Discussing the need for peace and quiet amidst creativity.
“If I have to watch something for the show, I will.”
Daily Life in New York
26:18 to 28:00
Cass shares his daily routine and artistic practices in New York.
“The Incubius record will mess up your creative process when you're in the middle of writing a new album, if you hear it in the grocery store.”
Daily Routine Insights
28:00 to 28:37
Discover Cass McCombs' morning habits and lifestyle while not on tour.
“That's why people have to have a little machine by their bed playing pink, brown and white noise frequencies.”
Dreams and Distractions
28:37 to 30:03
Explore how writing down dreams plays a role in Cass's creative process.
“You're not looking at Instagram notifications.”
Setting Boundaries
30:03 to 31:01
Learn about the importance of setting personal boundaries for creativity.
Technology and Communication
31:01 to 31:41
Cass discusses his relationship with technology and texting habits.
“Well, it doesn't come so easy to all of us, Cass.”
Perspective on Texting
31:41 to 33:27
Insight into Cass's preference for in-person interactions over texting.
“I'm just like, oh, do you have any games on your phone, Cass?”
The Value of Music and Reading
33:27 to 34:28
Cass shares insights into what he values most in life beyond music.
“To me, it's just a distraction and a waste of time.”
Texting Style and Communication
34:28 to 35:13
Humorous insights into Cass’s texting style and how it reflects his personality.
“Or do you ever have fun as somebody who's a master of writing lyrics?”
Music Career Reflections
35:47 to 37:04
Cass reflects on his music career and the choices made along the way.
“Yeah, you know, pointy fingers, you know, kind of typist.”
Life Choices and Regrets
37:04 to 37:56
Discussion on past choices in school and career paths.
“You could be working at the Toyota dealership right now, but instead forced to tour the world with the music and the art that you love.”
Grumpiness and Creative Expression
37:56 to 39:52
Understanding Cass's grumpiness and how it influences his lyrics.
“Was there ever a point in your life when you were like a dick just in general?”
Writing and Character Development
39:52 to 42:00
Exploration of how Cass's personal experiences shape his songwriting.
“I mean, I write songs about friends, and then sometimes they're composites, they're characters that I kind of create.”
Exploring the Depth of Lyrics
42:00 to 43:19
Cass McCombs discusses the meaning behind his lyrics and the creative process.
“Yeah, you could add some pictures if you want.”
The Creative Process and Its Challenges
43:20 to 44:59
Cass talks about the unique moments of inspiration and the difficulty of recapturing them.
Substance and Creativity
45:00 to 46:39
A discussion on the use of substances in the creative process and its effects.
“Well, no, I mean, I don't really, you know, I've explored, you know, like I'm a seeker, like a lot, you know, but I mean, these days, I don't know.”
Love for Touring and the Road
46:40 to 48:29
Cass shares his love for touring and the experiences of traveling the U.S.
“After talking to you for 40 minutes, Cass, I cannot imagine you on tour.”
Food Preferences on the Road
48:30 to 50:19
A light-hearted conversation about favorite truck stops and food choices during travel.
“Like that is just too, it's sensory overload in every way possible.”
Nostalgia for Berkeley and Music Scene
50:20 to 51:54
Cass reminisces about his time in Berkeley and the music culture of that era.
“You put a little something on top, though.”
Career Reflections and Job History
51:55 to 53:39
Discussion on past jobs, freedom from work, and what it feels like to be a full-time musician.
“So you can live cheap, just kind of hang out at the park all day, smoke some cigs and make some music and life is a dream kind of vibe.”
Ricky, Sugar, and Fucked Up Jobs
56:00 to 56:42
Explore the meaning of 'Ricky' and share experiences of odd jobs.
“You know, I think the Ricky means that we're using a small amount of syrup.”
The Frugality of Musicians
56:42 to 57:30
Discuss the financial realities faced by musicians and their lifestyle choices.
“I said, I'm never doing this shit again.”
Building Character Through Work
57:30 to 58:37
Reflect on the value of working various jobs to build character and humility.
“Yeah, and mad respect to the people who are working.”
The Many Uses of 'Peace'
58:37 to 1:00:09
Investigate the cultural significance of saying 'peace' as a farewell.
The Anti-Slang Perspective
1:00:09 to 1:01:14
Cass McCombs expresses his views on slang and its implications for communication.
Final Thoughts and Lyrics
1:02:21 to 1:02:42
Reflect on the final thoughts and lyrics shared at the end of the episode.
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:02Turn it up! Storm has zero sugar and 200mg of caffeine, so you can turn that workout up a notch. Good energy in, good energy out. Energy for life.
0:32how long gone uh chris black in berlin at my favorite hotel chateau royal here um just sitting by the window beautiful crispy fall day here in germany the country i'm most ready to leave uh jason what's what's what's good with with my man on the west coast it's ranking high on the
0:52Jason Stewart:top 10 list of countries that you want to leave right now actively and currently i'm i'm good i'm good i just finished sorry i'm two minutes late my morning dog walk ran a little late uh you know with the rapture going on and i saw they played portola i had to dump out all my are you talking about yeah the amount of the amount of the raptured versus the rapture i've been seeing on my timeline it's a real millennial pickle you know which one is which which one is which there's the house of jealous lovers there's the house of yeah expired life on planet earth i don't know i mean the rapture the biblical rapture that we're talking about is supposed to be happening today i think they're supposed to drop it at noon pt uh and then the rapture the the dance punk group who i think wants to come on how long gone just is uh just kicking off their little their bike uh reunion not a reunion but you know a welcome back rap welcome back rapture so did you ask your mom if she took tylenol and that's kind of why you are how you are or did you are you just assuming she did uh i haven't checked in with mom yet i mean you know i she loves when i hit her with the you know hey this girl i'm dating want to know what time i was born you know like that kind of stuff like it's now i don't know jason i don't know everybody call your mom and ask if she took tylenol while she was pregnant because i think it'll explain a lot for those of us who are sort of searching for answers still i've i've seen some people posting screenshots with their mom like they're like mom did you take tylenol during your pregnancy with me and then they would be like no and then they're like well you know then just hit him with like five question marks like what are you talking about and then the mom is like maybe it's because like you hang out with shitty people and play video games all day it could be but it could be because you play call of duty and hit whippets in a in a couch that could be it's not don't blame you can't blame your parents for all of your problems you know you just can't no i'm and and taking tylenol i mean i was looking up uh what you're not so there's a long list of things you officially and unofficially that you're not supposed to consume while you are pregnant.
3:12Jason Stewart:Tylenol is one of the ones that said it was safe. It said ibuprofen was the dangerous one, raw fish and unpasteurized milk. There's all kinds of things, hot tubs and saunas and cold plunges and stuff that makes sense. So no ibuprofen, no Tylenol, acetaminophen. what are my is it just acetaminophen acetaminophen so that means what if rfk is like oxycontin is okay like let's move like if you if you are pregnant and experiencing pain move away from the standard tylenols and advils pablo a couple of 30 have you ever thought about a a dilaudid drip i mean i i think that if he was paid enough by big drug companies he would say whatever.
4:04I mean, I know that he's obviously fighting the good fight and just, you know, he is on the front lines of, of keeping America healthy. But as we know, most politicians, no matter which side they fall on, can be bought. And I think that OxyContin has a sort of deep history of buying off people. You know, and if doctors, you know, there was a point where doctors were saying, this is fine for you. It's not addictive at all. I feel like we could get, I feel like we could get RFK there, you know, low millions. Oh, yeah. I don't think it would take. Yeah. His. I don't think it would take that much.
4:40Jason Stewart:Even with his new job title. Yeah. I just saw yesterday there were Trump was being interviewed, you know, just like questions from the press around that. And a reporter said, I recently saw an Amish man on a podcast. He didn't know what ADHD was. What, you know, and then he's like, what do you think the Amish are up to? And then Trump just says it doesn't, that doesn't exist in the Amish community. Wow. That was from when an Amish teen was on Theo Vaughn's podcast. Theo Vaughn. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I saw that. I saw that. I saw that. I was talking last night at dinner with my friends, Sven and Jeremy, who live here.
5:16And they had both seen Joaquin on Theo Vaughn. And I was like, Joaquin Phoenix on Theo Vaughn is as good as podcasting gets.
5:26Jason Stewart:When was that? I didn't even know that happened. Fairly recently. But it's just such an odd couple. Better than Matthew McConaughey on Blocks featuring Neil Brennan? See, I missed that. I didn't see that either. I mean, Matthew McConaughey is trying to recreate the brain by being like, I want to train something to know how I think and speak. And people are like, yeah, bitch, you have that. It's your brain. You should try to use it. Look into thinking. Look into it. Joaquin is just so, I don't know. He's getting a kick out of it. Theo's getting a kick out of it. but he's also like a big fan and sort of like reverent to this like, you know, genius actor.
6:02It's just sort of the perfect combination, uh, for, for podcasting.
6:06Jason Stewart:I'd be curious to see how, how old Theo tiptoes around the mind of Joaquin. I mean, Joaquin's mind is twisted for sure. There's no doubt about that. And I think Theo's mind is twisted. They're both twisted in very different ways, which I think can, can work. 1000%. Um, let's see what else we got going on here. Kimmel is back. Jimmy Kimmel, his four-day suspension. Well, the question. His red card has been revoked. Yeah. My question now is, is he going to be bitch-made and go back and keep it, go Fallon mode and start playing Twister, you know? Or is he going to be like, oh, you shouldn't have let the dog out the cage again.
6:51Jason Stewart:Right, right. You know, and come for him. That's the real question. I think he's taking a week. I think they're going to give him a full week and then he's going to come back. But I don't know if – I think he thinks he has that dog in him. I don't know if anyone else does. I mean I know that he has that dog in him and I think it's just a matter of if he's ready to retire from this and move on to what his next thing is. But also does – I don't want to go too conspiracy theory dark, but does he even have – the option to be fired. Will they just make it so he just says what they want him to say? No, no.
7:37Jason Stewart:He won't be... His plane is uncrashable because the powers that be have deemed it so. You know what I mean? They have to at least give him the illusion of complete autonomy. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, I mean, you know, he has the illusion of whatever. you know like when you like when someone's on suicide watch you know what i mean they're just sitting there someone's watching him to make sure he doesn't kill himself because he we can't have that you know is somebody are they gonna are they just gonna control it since his even though it's jimmy kimmel live it hasn't been live since the first day it was on the air whatever 20 years ago however many years so they can control whatever he does and says on that show right well i also think that if if they want to get rid of him they would rather let him hang himself you know what i mean like it's better if he goes out and fucks up again they're like well we you knew what was going to happen this time like you don't you you this is on you now look it would be amazing if he if he did that and and went fucking just went up there and said the same exact joke or or uh an even more offensive joke but then they would just fire him and then that's it you wouldn't be able to have his um you know tearing a photo of the pope on live television moment he wouldn't be able to i mean he wouldn't be able to go you know joker 2 mode they would just never would never air it they wouldn't air it i i do believe that but i i just wonder if the if he i don't know my whole thing is does he have the nuts to do anything i don't think he does and i don't think it matters if he does anything like who gives a shit like what what you know like what difference does it make if he like takes a stand like i don't know i don't think anyone i guess what i'm saying is i don't think anyone's looking um to a late night uh talk show host to sort of be their leader uh politically or otherwise i think you were right up until about a week ago and now everyone is forced to have to i mean look to a late night no one with a brain no one with a brain i think people are worried about everyone i mean i've seen a hundred tweets of people saying like well I never thought this day would come where I have to politically align with Jimmy Kimmel from the late night television.
9:47Jason Stewart:But you don't. But that's the thing. Nobody wants to do it. The day didn't come. That's the thing. It's like, who cares? Who cares? Okay. Well, here's my last as we're approaching our interview with our guest today. The last conspiracy theory that I've got. What if this whole thing was orchestrated just to get ratings back on late night television? so he can come because like he's supposed to be back today on tuesday over under that his ratings double i would i would put good money that more people are going to watch today's tuesday episode of jimmy kimmel you know higher ratings than he's gotten in years and is that is that something that he crafted is that something that no that eiger crafted who knows i wish i wish these guys were that that diabolical did cooper do that over and over at effects who who did this who did this who did it all right we have a guest today um cas mccombs is a is a legendary musician his new record interior live oak uh came out pretty recently in august it's good um i've been listening to it um but he's i mean he's been kicking around i mean i feel like i've been listening to cas mccombs since 2007 or something before you had nuts hair on your nuts before I had nuts.
11:05So let's tap in with him and see what he's up to. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That sounds right until you actually do the math. I'm not great at math, Jason. For most businesses, shipping is that thing. What is it actually costing you? Because if nobody's questioning it, it's probably costing way more than it should. Thank God ship station makes switching easy and the savings are immediate.
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12:17Jason Stewart:So the sooner you switch, the sooner you start saving money and time. Get started with ShipStation today and get 60 days free at ShipStation.com with code HOWLONG. That is ShipStation.com, code howlong, ShipStation.com, code howlong. Taxes and fees do apply. Support for today's episode of How Long Gone comes from Square. You're probably familiar with it, Jason. You spend money. The business, Square is the business platform that helps sellers become neighborhood favorites. Whether you're gearing up for a busy season or just trying to keep up with everyday demand, Square keeps your business running smoothly from payments and POS to online orders, inventory, staff and more all in one place.
12:57You can focus on your customers, not that pesky to-do list.
13:01Jason Stewart:Yeah, Chris, I see people using Square every day. I could be at a restaurant and their slick little iPad POS system is running. It's all sleek. There's no weird wires and crap everywhere. It's all chill. Or you go to some cool band, underground noise concert, and you want to buy their t-shirt with barf all over it. Boom, tap to pay with Square. It makes it easy. We're embracing this beautiful cashless society. And we have so much to do. Like you said, we're busy shipping orders and doing inventory and firing people. So Square's offering How Long Gone listeners up to$200 off their Square hardware when you sign up at square.com slash howlong.
13:45Jason Stewart:Again, that is square, S-Q-U-A-R-E.com slash howlong. Start with Square and build a setup that grows with your business. This episode of How Long Gone is brought to you by BetterHelp. BetterHelp's 2026 state of stigma report surveyed 2 ,000 proud Americans and revealed that 85 % of Americans believe getting support is wise, yet 74 % say society discourages people from doing so. Hell no. That's BS. Yes, that's absolute BS. The gap between believing mental health support and actually seeking it seems like a problem to me. And I think in our circles, Jason, everybody's encouraging everybody to get help in any way they can.
14:27Jason Stewart:Yeah, in any way you can. And nowadays, we don't have any friends that we can lean on or family. We don't want to talk to them. And that's where BetterHelp comes in, Chris. Over 30 ,000 therapists are able to chat with you about whatever is going on with your life, work stress, relationships, whatever it might be. and just talking to anyone about it will help open up those breakthroughs because you got to kind of get there yourself and a professional will help you get there much faster than one of your dumb family members. And this works, an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars for live sessions with BetterHelp based on over 1.7 million client reviews.
15:09Jason Stewart:So don't let stigma stand in the way of support. Start therapy with BetterHelp. They make it very easy. Sign up and get 10 % off at betterhelp.com slash how long. That is better, H-E-L-P.com slash how long. Cass, you can be honest with us. Do you have a shirt on? This is not the sexual dance. I'm just, you feel like you're making a lot of excuses right now. I'm fully dressed. I'm fully dressed. All right. All right. Fully dressed. We appreciate the honesty. We appreciate the honesty. Are you coming to us from New York? New York, yeah. Okay. I like that you live in... I feel like most people leave, and it seemed like you came and never left.
15:51Oh, I've left. You know, it kicked me out many times, you know? You're saying not self-imposed, or you're saying that you fell?
16:00Jason Stewart:The city and its people have asked him to leave a few times over the years. Yeah, different mayors. just economically like yeah especially when i was younger you know it was like just unmanaged well i first came here and then i moved to baltimore you know to survive and then kept coming back kept leaving yeah i mean anything you know what baltimore living in baltimore is a great motivator to move to new york you know what i mean that's a great that's a smart system it's more affordable an hour away it's within reach i love balta do you baltimore is superior to new in lots of ways okay this is big let's let's okay other than other than crabs let's name a couple please cast yeah i i didn't know that you were a baltimore apologist i don't need a hundred just two uh okay well um well the music world um lungfish to say one is you know there's so many great great bands from um baltimore you know in my time the oxes were were very lovable band okay So you put a little Old Bay on that Lungfish.
17:08Jason Stewart:We grilling it, frying it. How are we going to do it, brother?
17:16Jason Stewart:Lungfish is a rock and roll band for those who don't know what, like late 80s kind of DC punky kind of vibe, right? Yeah, they were on Discord Records, you know. And yeah, they were fabulous, you know. Very loud and transcendent, you know. There's lots of legends that surround them. I mean, some people say that I've met people who've said that they've seen that Dan Higgs is the singer. You know, people have claimed they've seen him levitate on stage, you know. Oh, wow. I have not. Chris Angel, mind freak type shit. I think he's actually, I don't know. There is something otherworldly going on with their music.
17:55Like they, it is, it's mutualistic, you know, like they, they use it to induce an altered kind of consciousness. I mean, that's exciting to me. I love that. Yeah, that's a pretty interesting, I mean, that's a very cool sort of myth to have about you as a band. Because I've, as many myths as I've heard over the years, that's one of the better ones. Yeah. That also seems sort of plausible somehow. They also, like, used to practice where I lived in Baltimore, and I was like a late riser. So they would, I would be woken up by the walls vibrating.
18:28Jason Stewart:Really? That's not really a legend, you know, it's just the fact. That's just something that happened to you a while ago? that's every day baby that's just me yeah i bet you've you've probably you have you lived in did you live in some shitholes in baltimore like houses with shows type type houses or more just like you know four or five guys uh well yeah the one of the places this place in particular it was an abandoned grocery store oh wow and they recorded bands and stuff but i don't think we ever did shows there well abandoned grocery store so did you guys build out rooms and stuff because this was i grew up in atlanta and there was a big there was these there's something called the warehouses you know and there were different warehouses and all these guys would like build their rooms and we would have shows there but there'd be a kitchen a shower and five guys would live there or whatever one would have a mini ramp was it like that kind of vibe or was it very normal right no no it was it was uh it was busted but they had built it out uh you know before my time like a couple years before i came in so you didn't have to do it you didn't have to get a nail gun out you just kind of brought in a mattress i like when you ask was it normal when you guys lived in the abandoned grocery just normal how people normally i just mean i just i just mean i think sometimes that can be like a squat vibe or sometimes it can be like strangely more sophisticated than you think it would be it is all i'm trying to say the queer eyes guys come in and then you know what color do you want the drapes to be i don't know it's gonna clash with the tile in the bathroom Okay.
19:56Jason Stewart:Have you ever come close to levitating on stage for any of your performances? I don't think so. More of a seated set? Firmly rooted. Firmly rooted. What do you think about guys that sit down on stage? Can anybody do it except J. Spaceman? Who else gets a pass? Dylan? I do it. If I'm playing acoustic guitar, I prefer to sit down to play acoustic. Sure. Michael Hurley always played sitting down. you know it just depends on what it feels so good your posture your guitar playing posture is really like how is your guitar but well let's get into your posture then how much Pilates are you doing so if you if you so you're saying like if you're one of those guys you got the the guitar slung real low down by your knees then it's going to be weird to play seated versus a little more math rocky up high well particularly with acoustic guitar you kind of need to if you're going up the neck too you know like you kind of need to the the uh you need some clearance yeah you need some clearance you know you need to get under you need to get under the neck yeah it's like picking a big woman up you got to kind of that's yeah that's real you got to use your quads okay i mean that that all that all makes sense i guess that i guess that sitting down i don't we saw dylan i guess it's been a little while now like pretty recently we saw him in eau claire wisconsin uh a few months ago with with bonnie ver and his dad and it was one of the worst shows i've ever seen and it wasn't because he was sitting like are you a dylan head like are you a super fan oh i i'm pretty familiar with his music he's like it would be great if people didn't bring up bob dylan every time they interviewed me i'll tell you that no i just because some people like bob dylan and some people are like i worship at the altar of bob dylan you know there's not there's not often there's not like an in-between i might be in an in-between i might be in an in-between oh really all right so you fuck with it but there's some dark years there too well i i think it's all worth checking out i guess okay you know um yeah i like that that's good people say that about bob dylan he's worth checking out music in general it's kind of worth checking out just feel you know find something that works for you yeah but do you i mean i i think he has a little bit of you know two sides of the fan base similar to i think morrissey where like the sort of trolly you know troublemaker anarchy type of fan you want them to cancel the show you want them to come out two hours late with a bad attitude it's part of the experience you know it's like when you go to a restaurant they you know call you names and and throw your food on the ground it's like a weird kind of vibe you almost want bob dylan to just play an awful four-hour set where you don't even know if he's on stage because he's wearing a north face north face parka covering his whole it could be an animatronic machine for all you know and that's part of the fun i think yeah i've never seen him but i mean uh i think if you have a performer who who have it has a unique perspective I follow that person all the way through the valleys and peaks and everything wherever they are you just want to see that perspective put in different contexts honestly that's a good way to look at it I think we all have artists that we will do that for I'm waiting for your hip hop record cast to really follow you down to the depths see as far into the forest as you wander i'm ready i'm ready to go to the basement bro you gotta get come on let's make a beat or something jesus you you you used to you know when you were younger you were bumping some hip-hop you know back when you were a kid you know 80s and 90s hip-hop i'm assuming what kind of rap music current day are you uh connecting with if any oh none you know i don't not even but like not just Is that for lack of trying or is it just...
24:04I mean, I don't even know really about new music, like all new, across everything. Are you disinterested or do you just feel like you're all set? Your tank is full. Well, you know, you hear it at the grocery store, you know, but, you know, gas station, pumping your gas in your music. But, you know, I have, I think, very brilliant friends who are musicians and and i'm interested in what they're doing you know so i don't really have time to you know i mean really it's about my own you know like i'm focused on what i'm doing
24:41Jason Stewart:i'm not i make the shit i don't listen to it i'm with you brother yeah but you never so you have obviously you have a lot of amazing friends who make music you play with them and just know them and there's enough to listen to for the rest of your life you'll never be short on music but you never wonder is there some kid in iceland right now who just made the album of my life and i'm i i want to know if it's out there i want to find it i want somebody to recommend it to me you never you don't have any of that thought process well well i i fully believe that there is a kid out there who's making brilliant work you know but um fuck them no no no no I don't you know I'm I just like I don't I don't really look at music it's not like it's not a desirous thing for me you know I don't desire music you know it's just I don't need music really you are levitating I mean nobody needs music I'm with you well that's how I feel about movies Cass like I don't give a shit like I just do not give a shit I don't seek it out.
25:51If I have to watch something for the show, I will. And I'm happy to do it, but I don't think about it at all.
25:56Jason Stewart:Yeah, but Chris, you haven't been making movies for the last 20 years. Well, you don't know what I do in my free time. But yeah, I guess that's true. But also, I've met musicians and other people in whatever the creative field is, you know, a lot of writers too, that are like, while I'm writing, I can't be reading. You know, or while I'm in the studio, I can't be listening to music. Or while I'm trying to write, I can't be listening to music. The Incubius record will mess up your creative process when you're in the middle of writing a new album, if you hear it in the grocery store. Is that how it started?
26:26Like you just had to be in your own head when you were working on your own stuff? And maybe it's progressed to this point? That's a theory. I think that's probably true. I think that's probably true. I think that's, yeah, that is true. You know, yeah, you want to just like, I mean, I'm always looking for peace and silence, you know? Really, like. Well, you're living in the wrong city.
26:46Jason Stewart:And how often do you get this peace? How often do you get this peace and silence? Yeah, that's a tough thing to achieve. I'll go for a walk. I'll hit the sauna. Chris chooses to go on airplanes to find his peace and silence. What are some of your methods, Cass? I think it's about maybe learning how to block things out, especially in a city like this. There's noises and just being able to filter through them and decide what is worthy of attention. And what's not. Okay. And do you use technology for that? Or this is all in the mental? Someone's going, hey, hot peanuts over here. Can you block that out mentally?
27:26Jason Stewart:Or do you have to use Apple noise canceling? I think, yeah, it's about maybe I want to hear the peanuts, you know, announcements. They actually love peanuts. You know, that's something I want to keep, you know. Hot peanuts over here. We're going to put that in the good pile. That's a good pile. Yeah. I feel when it's too quiet after living in New York for long enough, I feel uneasy almost when it's too quiet. When I'm in, like I was just in an island in Germany and it was, you know, it was the quietest that maybe it's ever been anywhere. And I was like, it freaked me out a little bit. That's most people.
28:02Jason Stewart:That's why people have to have a little machine by their bed playing pink, brown and white noise frequencies. Yeah, that's true. Or else they'll start pulling their eyelashes out in their sleep. That shit works. what is all right so in new york what is your day-to-day looking like if you're not on tour are you are you like a homebody what time do you wake up what time do you hit the gym etc etc yeah what time what time are you going to equinox
28:31is that a bob dylan album i i get up very early i'm an early kind of guy and and i just play guitar you know get up and you know start playing guitar and read and read read a little drink coffee and then i don't know there's no i don't i don't have a system you know there's no uh morning ritual just coffee and music all right so you're telling me you roll out of bed you prep the chemex and then you just sit down and say man you've got it figured out you know you're not checking email You're not responding to texts. You're not looking at Instagram notifications.
29:13Jason Stewart:Is there a dog that you have to let out so he doesn't shit on your rug? No, no animal. Dude, you, all right, so you're just, all right, man. This is a little, I'm a little. Not even a lizard, Cass? Not even a lizard? I'm both jealous and shocked at this. Do you think you, is this like your natural inclination, or is this something that you came to as you got older? Like when you were younger, did you sort of have these same habits and you've just continued? or is this something you kind of evolved into? Probably evolution. I mean, I started writing down my dreams like decades ago, you know? And so to remember your dream, you have to like just block everything.
29:52You know, you can't be distracted. You just have to, you know, try to gather as many details from your dream as possible. And I think it's just started that way. I still do that. and uh so try not to yeah i don't really talk to anybody see me do anything so let's do a little
30:10Jason Stewart:role play let's say you wake up you got a you got a person next to you yeah i know you just had an amazing dream that's going to turn into a grammy award-winning song and then this person's saying hey what do you want to do today should we go to a museum like what do you what do you tell this person you know shut the fuck up daddy's writing his dreams down i mean you have we have to set these healthy boundaries obviously that was a little bit of a joke but you know you do you set up a sake this is this is my sacred time where i do my thing you know kind of i'm gonna sequester myself into the room yeah you're honest about these things before they even get to that point.
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30:56I don't know. Just be upfront. Forthcoming. Forthcoming.
31:02Jason Stewart:Well, it doesn't come so easy to all of us, Cass. I just want you to know that. What is your relationship to your phone? Do you not spend much time with it? Do you have a very healthy one? Or do you use it more than you would like? Well, I mean, using it all is more than I like. Alright, got it. So you're ODing one minute and you're like, I've gone too far. yeah how else are you going to listen to podcasts cast yeah exactly exactly your second love of life yeah why are you laughing so hard i don't like you laughing the name podcast is just sitting right there sorry continue go ahead yeah so you're saying you you don't even feel the pull the way maybe i do you've got it under control uh well yeah i mean it could only be for messaging my friends you know then that would be preferable to me the fact that you have the dictionary on there whatever yeah encyclopedia on there is you know it's it's annoying sure this motherfucker got iphone one wait till you find out about the camera cast you're gonna be able to take pics with it yeah you're gonna for i mean so are you like not on do you have do you have like a management you know whatever that handles social media for you or do you have to interact yeah you do okay no they do that yeah that's i mean i think that's a powerful and smart thing for somewhere in your position to do i think most people just can't resist the urge i don't know i i i just despise it i just really don't know what to do with it and and uh you know but my manager likes it so likes likes might be a strong word i think i think the manager likes it because they get paid but I don't know if they love it just for fun.
32:48Jason Stewart:I'm just like, oh, do you have any games on your phone, Cass? I want to download Subway Server. Yeah, I need to use your phone for some games. That's, I mean, I'm really impressed with the, I don't meet people like you very often that have really kind of, I wouldn't say resisted the progress of society, but it sounds like in some ways you have. I'm not good at texting, you know, that's not my language. And at times I've found myself spending a little too much time there. I would prefer to be reading, like reading a book. To me, it's just a distraction and a waste of time. What I'm gathering from you is that the only thing that matters is writing music and reading.
33:36Is that fair to say? No. There's way more. No, I was saying that's cool. Also getting money.
33:47Jason Stewart:Yeah, getting money is definitely number three. So sometimes Chris and I, we've been doing this podcast for about five years or so, and we've done almost 900 episodes. And I've felt myself thinking every once in a while, while I'm having a conversation with somebody that's going well, like what is the point of doing this if it's not being recorded? and I can sell ads against it and tour against it, all that stuff. Do you ever feel like, oh, texting, this is just like writing down lyrics for a song. What's the point of doing that when I can just go get coffee with my friend, save the writing for when it's time to get on Pitchfork?
34:28Jason Stewart:Or do you ever have fun as somebody who's a master of writing lyrics? Does that make you a master of texting your friends? I would love to see some of your texts. No, my texts are banal. I really don't know what I'm doing if I could just work one, two, three communication and then done I would prefer that we go to a restaurant, yes, what time yes, okay, bye and we're good if possible, even shorter this restaurant, this time alright, so your friend can tell you what to do and you can just respond with a smiley face and then they'll see you there I got it it sounds like you text like my dad Yeah, you text like a dad.
35:11Jason Stewart:Are you a bad typist, Cass? Is that it?
35:39Black Friday in July ends July 27th. Shop today at Wayfair.com. Wayfair, every style, every home. Yeah, you know, pointy fingers, you know, kind of typist.
35:51Jason Stewart:You're a master lyricist. I would think that, you know, texting, we're having some fun with it. I think we're getting loose because I like to, I think that there's a lot of ways that you can communicate via the written word that you can't via the spoken word. you can use you can play around with it i just want you to have fun cast that's all i i would agree with that i mean a lot of my favorite books are people this is their only book you know they they're not writers you know they're just people that just uh i was reading uh the other day but poncho via's memoir you know they just have a story to tell sure and uh they're not writers you know they don't go to school you know did you drop out of high school or are you those are the best kind did you go further than than i think just high school i did high school okay you finished but you you were rocking before and it was their college wasn't in the cards no no it wasn't a thought same hey welcome home brother welcome home brother but but you were in band you were in bands in high school sure yeah like did you think that was a possible career path or were you just like this is the only thing i'm good at fuck it yeah the latter accident.
37:05I wish I took auto shop in high school. But I took choir. I took music classes.
37:15Jason Stewart:So you fucked up. You could be working at the Toyota dealership right now, but instead forced to tour the world with the music and the art that you love. What kind of car? Do you have a car in New York? Just a little side note. No. No car. What do you dream about? you dream about a car i feel like you want a car i had a car in new york at one point um it was annoying bill what kind of volvo was it yeah yes what kind of sob was it no i mean did you i would love to catch you doing the crossword puzzle waiting on you know alternate street parking that is a funny sort of new york issue that everyone with a car it's the great equalizer is what I like to call it.
37:58Jason Stewart:Doing your wordle. Was there ever a point in your life when you were like a dick just in general? And then did you stop being one? And if so, what year do you think that was? Oh, a dick, wow. Well, because we're asking that, Jason's asking that because he's a dick right now. So it's fine coming from him. Look, I gravitate towards people who have at least had a dick phase in their life. And I don't mean that in the way that you're thinking. If you know what I mean. I don't mean it as a gay summer. Do you think you were a little salty at one stage? I'm a pretty grumpy guy. I don't think it ever left.
38:39What do you think fuels this? Is this just your DNA? Are your parents like this? Where do you think the grumpiness stems from? I mean, I've got no problem with other people. I'm just kind of annoyed and grumpy. I just bother a lot. Yeah, I get it. I mean, I'm bothered a lot too.
38:58Jason Stewart:Yeah, you're talking to patient zero and 0.0 here. So this is a safe space for grumpage. Cass, my approach, though, is to monetize it by talking about it on this show. And you're saying that you're just a little bit of a bah humbug on a day-to-day basis. I mean, I'm sure he has some grumpy-ass lyrics, right? Usually they're internally focused grumpy. My problems generally are exterior, you know? Although, if people get in my face, I'll give it right back. But, you know, I mean, I'm not meditating on my problems with other people or the world. So you're saying that your lyrics are primarily about you, let's say.
39:46You're not kind of coming at it from like a character point of view or whatever. No, well, I think it's both. I think it's both. I mean, I write songs about friends, and then sometimes they're composites, they're characters that I kind of create. And you write about your experiences, and I think it's easier to write about your experiences through a character. So it's both. I see. So you're saying you take your experiences and sort of channel them through a different lens to give it a little bit of a new angle, a new take a little bit. because it's easier to get it out yeah exactly it's just more interesting for me like it just uh it's just a it's an engine for me to i'm trying to talk about my feelings i can't do it you know i
40:33Jason Stewart:have to use this engine just imagine how much grumpier you would be if you didn't have that engine right but also you know you're able like you said chris you you let all of your grump out on this podcast and that's your job you know if you have these things that you're dealing with it's easier to it's easier for lena dunham to get it out when she's writing the girl's script and injecting all of her life and experiences into it versus just like well i'm gonna sit down and write my memoir today that's difficult and not as many people are going to consume it when you're going to make less money what's up with the memoir cast we gonna we gonna we gonna do one do we want to write a book or you just want to read a book oh my you're asking me if i'm ever gonna no no i can't no no one's interested you know no one cares you know like what do you mean look but but i think there are people that care but also you you said i mean i you said that your favorite are are people that write one book and then they're done because they have a point of you or a story to tell who i mean that i feel like you're in that category well i read songs sure well i mean i i would say that songs and and and books are different at least in the way they're digested i would say at this point in society's collapse it's easier to get people to listen to three and a half minutes on you know itunes than it is to read 300 pages no matter how compelling it is.
42:04Even with pictures. Yeah, you could add some pictures if you want. Some illustrations.
42:10Jason Stewart:I'm going to go over a couple lyrics, a couple things you've said, Cass. We're going to dig in a little bit deeper. You said on an interview I listened to earlier this morning the sentence, quote unquote, talking is lying. Damn, that's bars. That's bars. That's good as hell. i don't really remember the context say what you know sometimes these things just pop in you know there's no i have no hypothesis this is no theory that i've been working towards but you don't have a whole manifesto written about yeah dig this man talking is like like we're all liars you know i i think that is but that is like all right so you let's say you write something like that do you feel good about it immediately or do you sort of pour over it and really like try to decide if that's what you're you know do you just let it pour out of you and that's what you go with or do you really go back and edit and like really get into it i usually don't really edit too much yeah i mean i think it's kind of cool to just to kind of show your scars or whatever you know your flaws you know play it as it lays yeah just like i said that it was my truth at that time or whatever you want to say and okay people you know everyone changes everyone's morality ethics everyone people change you know so you're telling me i started with no no morality and i still have none but i'm hoping it's going to change uh i'm hoping it's going to conversely how often are you you wake up you're writing down your dreams one of them turned one of the sentences turns into a lyric or a bar like that how often do you say to yourself hot diggity damn we got another one oh i was really cooking on that one or is it all just kind of stoic like writing this down that you know do you ever have a eureka i'm really cooking kind of moment it's very rarely you know it's happened maybe like twice you know like i've written a song and it almost fell out like you know i wasn't writing the song is just like kind of yeah shot out you didn't i wasn't even thinking in my right mind and then it's only happened maybe twice maybe once have you tried to recapture that have you chased that dragon or is it whatever to you well no you can't you can't it's like just something it's a different brain it's like an alternate conscious you know it's like not you can't even attempt to well you can attempt with certain substances that you put inside of your body i think a lot of artists try to chase that i would say transcendental moment next time that happens call sabrina carpenter and see if she wants it because it could be more profitable just if it's that good you know what i mean i don't know i wrote the best song it doesn't work with my musical style you know if my tone my vocal tone it needs to have more of a macarena style backbeat or whatever to it don't be afraid to shoot it out and give it to somebody else the vocal vocal range can be limited you know that i do know that i do yeah do you uh so you don't experiment oh i know it brother okay have you ever i i like to to create sometimes with drugs and then go back the next day and then you know edit clean it up do whatever you know shape it into whatever it is is that a practice that you practice do i use substances for editing for no he's saying he creates he creates under the influence and edits with a clear mind is what he's saying.
45:44Well, no, I mean, I don't really, you know, I've explored, you know, like I'm a seeker, like a lot, you know, but I mean, these days, I don't know. It's not really. I think I broke my mind a couple of times, you know, and... You're like, the damage is done here. I don't know if I can do it again. Yeah, you know, and I just don't, I don't look in those places for really any, you know, like when I was young, I read Timothy Leary I read those books William Burroughs I was interested in that kind of thinking and I think maybe I've grown maybe I hope Well I mean that sort of approach like a Burroughs approach does feel you know extreme or at least like a little dated I would say
46:36Jason Stewart:Doing a bunch of acid and you know seeking is is also a bit of a young man's game as well and at this point in our life we've kind of we've unturned a lot of stones and found a lot of wisdom and truth and personally and mentally grown so you don't necessarily need to be you know taking mushroom gummies every weekend to fix your anxiety you should hopefully have it figured out by now right well and you To go back, I think there is residual effects.
47:14There's no free lunch. It's just within an arms ritual way. It's all there. We can recall. After talking to you for 40 minutes, Cass, I cannot imagine you on tour. It's splitting my brain in half, and I just have to know how you do it. like how do you how do you manage that or do you love it do you actually love it i do love syndrome style no i love it i i what you know what i love to sing music traveling with my friends you know seeing you know especially the united states i love driving around the u.s you know america rocks beautiful country out there you know i i look i i agree with that but i find that that i find that that sort of routine is really terrifying.
48:02What you're saying, you can lock in. I love it. We never traveled in a bus, so I don't think I'd like it, though. My friends who do it, they wake up in a town and they're there. I like to see everything in between. I like to see the desert and the badlands and the swamps and all that, and stopping along the way, and seeing historic sites. So you're making a meal out of it every time. hitting that bucky's yeah what's what are you what are you getting at drop your bucky's routine or what is your bucky what is your bucky's order yeah what's your bucky's order i just gas up and leave it's two it's it's over the top it's two not a little you get some hot peanuts or something you gotta get no i i find that place and i love um shopping like i that's one of my passions not even necessarily buying anything but just like I like to see what's going on.
48:59And that place is too much for me. Like that is just too, it's sensory overload in every way possible. Quite loud. What's your number one truck stop state? You know, Flying J. I go to Flying J. You know, they've got the restaurant there with Country Pride, I think. Is that Flying J? Yeah. some of the country prides have salad bars you know it's so you need okay okay i just
49:30Jason Stewart:i live in la so the uh the travel centers of america country pride restaurant is a little outside of my jurisdiction oh no so that's that's not flying jay it's travels okay i see yeah yeah but there's whatever the country there's there's one called country market inside of flying jay country market restaurant. I'm looking at the salad bar right now. It's putting Erwan to shame with their collection of hard-boiled eggs and crisp-cut. What is your salad bar creation if you're famished? Blue cheese guy? Yeah, I'm very interested to see what you can put together at the salad bar. You just need two grains.
50:12Lettuce. Lettuce for days. There's as much lettuce as you can.
50:17Jason Stewart:We have a certified lettuce lover on the call today. You're saying you're going to... You're going lettuce only. You put a little something on top, though. Come on now. A little dressing? All kinds of other things. You need as much lettuce as you can fit on that plate. It's a great food. Look, a salad is as much lettuce as you can fit on the plate. Technically, I agree with you. Let's get into the soups really quick, and then we'll go back to music, Cass. I know you're kind of a yay area guy. Are we a chowder head? We're a chowder guy? uh you know yeah get some chowder or you know uh cioppino um also you know cioppino oh yeah i don't know what that is okay okay money backs that is a delicious it's a tomato based broth it's a seafood stew so it'll have chunks of fish and clams and mussels and shrimp okay so it's like getting this it's like getting the seafood tower and putting it in hot water yes yeah sounds good It's a fisherman's delight.
51:18Jason Stewart:It's a king's soup. I've truly never heard that term before. Thank you for... I'm embarrassed. There's a North Beach fisherman's Italian and seafood soup. Yeah, it's great. Put some parsley on there. Dip a little crusty San Francisco sourdough. Yeah, back in the day, peasant food. Oh, sure. Did you come to New York quick or did you live in San Francisco as a young adult? I lived in Berkeley. You lived in Berkeley, which is pretty idyllic, I would say. Would you agree? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, back in the day, it was just barely work, hang out, telegraph, people's park. It's gone now. Rest in peace.
52:07Jason Stewart:So you can live cheap, just kind of hang out at the park all day, smoke some cigs and make some music and life is a dream kind of vibe. Yeah. I'd go to Amoeba maybe three, four times a day because they would put out the free records periodically. You get a bunch of free records on the curb. I didn't know Amoeba did that. So these were records that no one wanted? Yeah. I don't know if they do it anymore, but they would buy records. And the ones that they were maybe just literally too eaten up, like they would spray paint it with like a line of green paint or something and then put it on a sidewall.
52:44Damaged, let's say.
52:45Jason Stewart:damaged technically damn well so three to four times a day rummaging through the free stacks taking whatever i mean this this is a good way to live late teens early 20s it sounds amazing and then at a certain point you know catacombs is cooking we're on the pitchfork list are we maybe having a nice birthday meal at shape anise over there in berkeley uh i've been there once i think in my life was it with your family or was it with a woman it was with a friend the secret third it's a secret third thing it was a friend did you love it do you not remember you're not a as much of a food lover i i i'm obsessed with that restaurant we we we love it over here oh i'm not no i'm not a i'm i'm not a food person And no, I don't really, yeah, I just don't, I don't remember food.
53:39All right.
53:40Jason Stewart:So you're saying. I wish, I wish I was there. That is, it is freeing, not only financially, but also I think I, cause I was just at this fasting retreat and I realized that a lot of my time is thinking about where or what I'm going to eat. And when you take that out, it's, it's, it really does free up a lot of space. I was shocked. I have friends who are into it, you know, they eat for health, you know? that sounds great go eat for health you know but it is catchy it is the amount of lettuce you're putting down you're already halfway there brother eat for health is is your new talking is lying so i think that that's your you're on to something here well i was hoping that you were more of a food guy because there was and i'm not the first person to bring it up who's interviewed you about your new record but there's a lyric where you mentioned lime rickies and tuna fish um and i wanted to know if it hasn't happened i'll set it up you know a new york restaurant of your liking we should do a little collab with that dish you know give me let me the give me get the cast combo it's a nice tuna fish sandwich with the lime ricky on the side i don't know how to make a lime ricky though is that something that you'd be interested in i'm down please arrange that um but but that was but that was that was also in berkeley i uh aussie soda fountain before they renovated, you know, on college app.
55:03I used to work there, and it was an old-school soda fountain run by a New Yorker, you know, taught me how to make egg creams. I never heard what that was, you know.
55:14Jason Stewart:So that's when the job title would be a soda jerk, correct? That's what they call it. That wasn't a joke. I wasn't trying to be funny. No, I know, I know, I know, I know. It just sounded pointed. I guess, Cass, can you explain to me what, I mean, I know the term lime ricky, but I don't know what it, I know it's a drink, but can you explain to me what it is? I mean, I don't really remember. It was a billion years ago, but I think it's just lime syrup and soda water. Oh, okay. Yeah, lime ricky, it's a highball made with either gin or sometimes bourbon with lime juice, sugar, carbonated water. That's pretty straightforward.
55:54Jason Stewart:But the part about the Ricky is that it's very light on the sugar. What does Ricky have to do with sugar? You know, I think the Ricky means that we're using a small amount of syrup. I don't know. The citrus gets you all rickety-dick. Have you worked a lot of fucked up jobs because of your schedule? Well, you know, back in the day, I don't work anymore. Oh, I would hope not. I would hope not. But back in the day, I did a lot of crazy jobs. But when's the last time you worked? I mean... We're talking a decade? I don't remember. Yeah, maybe. It's going to be more than that. How good did that feel?
56:39Oh, my God. I can't even imagine throwing that Martin in the... Finally put the broom down. Yeah, I'm never thinking about... I took the apron off. I said, I'm never doing this shit again.
56:47Jason Stewart:I just jerked my last soda. I mean... But I do think that's a big moment in every musician's life, especially if they're trying to do it professionally that's like a watershed moment well it's it's actually something that you think about all the time or i think about all the time because i don't uh really make it's not really a job making music you know you really don't make that much money so you have to like live conservative like yeah i can't really you talk about eating food i can't really afford to go out to you know you know like if you've chosen this life most likely you live a very frugal yeah very frugal life you have to think about everything that you're doing you know are you pretty good with money because of that no i know i'm terrible with you know terrible terrible yeah i think it makes you cooler and i'm glad that you know we've leveled out and we're able to do what we want to do and not have to push a broom if that means we're cooking beans and rice at home every once in a while so be it it's sort of a lot to depend on only yourself which is something you've been doing for a long time.
57:53Yeah, and mad respect to the people who are working. I did demolition. I used to drive the delivery truck and did all kinds of movie theaters,
58:08janitorial work. I think I remember what I endured. But I would rather make music, I guess. I had a choice. Sure. yes yeah i would too and i can't even play guitar so i totally i get where you're coming from but i think that there's a i just think that that builds character and you should do stuff like that if you're going to be successful no matter what the field is yeah so you don't grow up to be a dick
58:36Jason Stewart:well too late there is i shouldn't have worked all those jobs um another another song about um saying the word peace as your way of saying goodbye it's a beautiful song written about that and i was thinking back of all the times you know you we're all around the same age you're a few years older than us i believe but uh you know what do you think the percentage of times you said the word peace in in place of goodbye you know either on the phone or with with a friend or whatever yeah a lot a lot i know i have no number in mind but i mean same same though i think same i and it's because you can you could do it in a you know peace out kind of way or you can do it in a very kind of spirituals and you know and peace to you my friend you know what i mean so and shala you know like god yeah you know what i'm saying like but it's like every every culture has this this idea that when you go you go you go with god you know like yeah yeah like i i will not be there to protect you god will be there you know yeah it was i looked at it in a completely different way me growing up uh in orange county it was just like all right peace and there was no spirituality or going with god or any positive message aside it was just like it sounded fun you know cas what is your relationship to like slang like how often are you taking it in and making i mean not that peace is is necessarily slang but are you affected by that at all or are you sort of isolated from those sort of ups and downs um i i was talking about this with friend the other day i'm kind of anti-slang you know i've never really these coded languages are just kind of they're exclusive and and they're just kind of stupid to me you know we should just we all want to be understood and talk play you did just say the phrase mad respect about 90 seconds ago though cast but i agree with you and i think um uh keith mcnally he restaurant guy in new york you may know him does balthazar and other stuff he wrote a memoir recently and he he talks adamantly about being against cliches and hates when people use them and i've i'm always interested when i'm watching like an old film and just seeing the way people talk to each other in such a direct way but not in a disrespectful way but they just get straight to the point on everything it's crystal clear and it's it's so refreshing in 2025 that's that's it is it's hard to do though it's hard for me for me i think it's because i'm taking in so much of it all the time it's hard not to regurgitate i can't stop using slang cas thank you for joining us on how long gone today it was a pleasure thanks for having me we don't talk to cats like you very often did you have a fun time podcasting cast yeah it's great thanks for having will you ever podcast again do we ever podcast again or did we ruin the medium for you no no it was cool thanks thanks okay well thank you the album is currently out right now interior live oak great name great plant chris and i both enjoy great name it's doing it's doing well it's doing well right it feels like it's doing well i they haven't told me if it's good you know if it's doing good i you know I haven't checked in with those guys over there that paid for it, but we'll see.
1:01:58Domino, if you're listening, can you send us over the streaming and sound scans for this just so we have the data? I'll get a spreadsheet over to you. You can see C.C. Cass in the email so he has it too, if you don't mind. No, thanks for joining us, bro. It was a pleasure, and we'll see you soon. Thanks, guys. Later. Later.
1:02:21Leavenworth said Below the Transamerica Pyramid There's a tunnel to the underworld She was just that type of girl
From the publisher
Cass McCombs is a singer-songwriter from the Bay Area, currently living in New York City. His great new record, Interior Live Oak, is out now on Domino. We chat about Tylenol autism, Kimmel predictions, good things about Baltimore, playing guitar while sitting down, his morning routine, cars, the engine of music, overall he's grumpy, cioppino soup, working at the soda fountain in Berkley and cruising the free vinyl section at Amoeba, and our thoughts on slang.
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