Nagwa, a friend of mine from the Motion City Soundtrack message board, had the opportunity to interview Motion City Soundtrack bassist Matt Taylor during their recent visit to Paris, France on September 15, 2006. The questions asked were all sent in by members of the Motion City Soundtrack board.
 (Matt & Nagwa) |
 (Matt's message to the MCS board) |
Nagwa Briziz: First of all, I want you to know all the questions I'm going to ask you were submitted by kids from the message board. We decided to have a board interview because we were tired of hearing about how it was to work with Mark Hoppus or how it was to play on the main stage at Warped Tour. We've heard that a million times.
Matt Taylor: So have we (laughs).
Nagwa: So we decided to have an interview that would be made of questions that we really want to find out about.
Matt: Cool!
Nagwa: Here's my first question. What is the weirdest thing you've ever heard about yourself or read about yourself on the Internet?
Matt: (long pause) You're making me think. And I'm not good at thinking. I don't know. I haven't heard too many things about myself but I do remember one time, we played a show in Detroit with Dashboard and someone said they saw me walking around and I looked at her like I was disgusted. Like I looked her up and down and gave her a disapproving look as if I didn't think she was pretty. I thought that was very strange, very unlike myself. That was kinda weird because I don't usually go around and visually judge people. So that was kinda weird... Nothing else I can think of right now...
Nagwa: Do you know that, as a band, you... I don't know in which country that was but I think Christy told you about this picture where there are 4 people only in the band and you're dressed like... monks or something?
Matt: Oh yeah, I do remember that being mentioned. That's pretty strange.
Nagwa: That picture was pretty disturbing... So Motion City Soundtrack is a 4 piece band and there's a woman in your band.
Matt: OK. Thanks for letting me know (laughs).
Nagwa: So who's wearing the dress tonight?
Matt: Who's wearing the dress? That's a surprise. We rotate. We pass the red dress around.
Nagwa: Have you ever read a fan fiction and what is the normal response to them?
Matt: The normal response is usually "Uh???!!!" We've flipped through and it's very interesting.
Nagwa: Have you read the one where Tony and Justin are in love?
Matt: They mentioned that. I haven't read it though.
Nagwa: Have you read the one about yourself where you're 35 and you're dating a 16 year old?
Matt: (Confused look) No... That's disturbing...
Nagwa: Basically, you're like "I'm going to end up alone, blah blah blah" and then, you meet this girl. You think she's older and she thinks you're younger but then you find out she's 16 and she finds out you're 35.
Matt: Creepy... Creepy...
Nagwa: There's one about Jesse but it's a more "regular" fan fic. He's on tour, he's missing his girlfriend who decided to move to NY to study and when he goes to NY, she goes: "I think we need to stop seeing each other." That's less creepy.
Matt: Yeah. Wow. I need to look into these.
Nagwa: The one about you is disturbing.
Matt: It sounds depressing a little bit. Does it end happily?
Nagwa: So far, it hasn't ended. In the last chapter, you were in Chicago doing a show with Fall Out Boy.
Matt: OK. That's not too bad.
Nagwa: In the last chapter of the one about Tony and Justin, I think Tony has a car accident... No, Justin has a car accident with Tony's ex-girlfriend who just found out that he's gay. So... Yeah... (laughs)
Matt: Wow...
Nagwa: Lots of people with lots of imagination!
Matt: Yeah! Sure. I'm sweating like a beast in here by the way. Let that be known for the record.
Nagwa: Alright. Matt is sweating.
Matt: Like a beast.
Nagwa: Like a beast.
Matt: On a boat.
Nagwa: On a boat. And we just got free food. So... What is the weirdest thing you or one of the other guys has gotten from a fan? I know Tony got a picture of Mamarazzi...
Matt: I got capes.
Nagwa: Oh yeah, the wicker cape?
Matt: I got a wicker cape. A "wicker" cape. (laughs) And then I got another one on the Warped Tour that said "Wonder Boy" on the back... I'm not sure why. I know it's a Tenacious D song but it's like a real cape and I did wear it for a few minutes that night. I got hula hoops. That was in Atlanta. But I cannot do it. Since I was a kid, I tried and I tried but I just don't have the right hips. My hips just don't...
Nagwa: Lie?
Matt: (laughs) My hips don't lie! Exactly!
Nagwa: Do you have any crazy fan stories of people bumrushing you?
Matt: Bumrushing? There's this girl name Christy... I'm just kidding (laughs).
Nagwa: She doesn't count (laughs).
Matt: Bumrushing... Not really. I have it pretty easy. The other guys get bumrushed. Justin gets some bumrushing, Jesse gets some bumrushing, Josh too. Me and Tony can kinda just go through the crowd. We're usually OK.
Nagwa: Since we have dreams about you, because there's a "Weird MCS dreams" thread on the board...
Matt: Yeah, I read that.
Nagwa: Really?
Matt: I've read some of them.
Nagwa: Ok, so do you have nightmares about fangirls?
Matt: (laughs) No. Not at all. I usually don't even remember my dreams. It's kinda sad. I have no dreams! (laughs)
Nagwa: Maybe it's better this way. Sometimes, it's better not to remember your dreams. I have a notebook where I write my dreams and I had a bunch of weird dreams about you guys... I had a dream where you were playing an outdoors show or something and there was a lake nearby. When I arrived, I saw Jesse swimming with a girl in that lake and when the girl turned around, it turned out to be Tony and he had grown his hair.
Matt: (laughs)
Nagwa: I was like "Oh shit, he looks horrible...!" And they came out of the water and I just went "Oh my God..."
Matt: (laughs) That's really disturbing.
Nagwa: What do your families think of your music and do you ever catch them listening to it when you're visiting?
Matt: My family likes us I think. Maybe they're biased but I'll go home and the CD will be in the car... It's funny because my dad actually found a CD when CTTM was still being mixed and I had this CD of rough mixes that had "DESTROY ME" written on it and he felt bad cause he found it and he took it and he never gave it away. He keeps it in his car.
Nagwa: Are there any songs you don't like to play live and what's your least favorite song to play?
Matt: Not really...
Nagwa: So there's no song you like to play less than others?
Matt: If I had to choose... I don't have a least favorite to play. I really don't. There are some I enjoy playing more. I prefer the ones where I sing more. It's more of a challenge, it's more fun but I really don't dislike playing any of the songs. I guess that's a good thing.
Nagwa: Yeah. At least, you enjoy what you're doing. What did you blow your first paycheck on when you signed with Epitaph?
Matt: This is really exciting. Wanna hear what I bought?
Nagwa: Yeah.
Matt: NOTHING, cause I paid my parents back. Several thousand dollars because they loaned me money. Before we got signed, obviously I wasn't working and I was on tour and we didn't make any money so I borrowed that money from them.
Tana (Nagwa's friend): My guess was a flat screen TV.
Matt: No. I still don't have one of those. Someday, maybe. But I gotta be home to watch it. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense. And I don't have a car because I'm never home. I'd like a car... someday! Maybe.
Nagwa: When Christy and Sheena did the interview with you, I asked a question about the Woodie Award and you said you didn't get it yet so I want to know if you got it.
Matt: We got it.
Nagwa: What did you do with it?
Matt: I believe our manager has it now cause there's only one and there's 5 of us so we didn't know what to do with it.
Nagwa: Maybe share custody?
Matt: Yeah. Or pass it around.
Nagwa: If any, what school activities did you do?
Matt: I was a band geek. I played music all the time and when I wasn't playing music at school with all the band people, I was at home playing with Tony and other band people. We'd get together outside of school and play. That's pretty much all I did. I was in the marching band. So was Tony. We were in the same one.
Nagwa: Really? I'd love to see a picture of that.
Matt: Maybe. If you're lucky, someday one will surface... But probably not. (laughs) One will pop up, I'm sure, somewhere.
Nagwa: Somehow, we'll find something. We've found interesting pictures you know so who knows... Have you ever been to jail? If so, what for?
Matt: No. Except for when I play Monopoly. That's the only time I've been to jail.
Nagwa: Wow! You're a good guy!
Matt: Yep.
Nagwa: Someone asked this question because of Mark Hoppus's last podcast where Jesse talks about how he went to jail cause he was driving without a license.
Matt: He's been to jail a lot. He's a felon. I think it's all traffic violation.
Nagwa: If you were a rapper, what would you be called and what would your first single be?
Matt: Someone asked me this question. It was in Toronto. I think I said Mc MT Smooth or something (laughs).
Nagwa: (laughs) That sounds very old school.
Matt: Yeah it does. It has an 80s feel to it. And the song is "It's Hard Out There For A Pimp" (laughs).
Nagwa: (laughs) Ok... I'm definitely not buying your record if you launch your rapping career.
Matt: Yes you would. If I came up with a rap, I'm sure you would buy it.
Nagwa: You'd need a criminal record to become a rapper. You have to become a felon.
Matt: True... True dat!
Nagwa: True dat. What are your guilty pleasures music-wise?
Matt: Every now and then, there's a Britney Spears song that I think is amazing. I don't like her albums but the singles are sometimes really good. I bought Justin Timberlake's new album the other day and it's so good. I think it's beyond a guilty pleasure, it's not a guilty pleasure anymore. I think he has a lot of talent and integrity so I'm gonna say it right here: I love Justin Timberlake and I'm not afraid to say it! (laughs)
Nagwa: (laughs) What song makes you want to shake your ass and dance?
Matt: That would probably go back to "Toxic" by Britney Spears (laughs).
Nagwa: Yeah, that one is good.
Matt: It's that weird string part. And the beat. "Like I Love You" by Justin Timberlake. It's the beat. There are so many. I can't think right now. I have something on the tip of my tongue... I'll come back to that later.
Nagwa: What is the one thing that you cannot understand at all, no matter how hard you try?
Matt: (pause) Those furry boots girls wear sometimes. They were really big for a while. If it's snowing up to your waist, I understand but they don't look comfortable. They don't even look that good.
Nagwa: Especially if you wear them when the sun is shining.
Matt: Yeah. I guess I really don't understand those...
Nagwa: Yeah. Me neither.
Matt: Cool (laughs).
Nagwa: How regularly do you get onto the board and how many of you are logged in as hidden users? cause people tend to freak out. When they see a hidden user, everybody thinks someone from the band is on the board.
Matt: There was a little phase during the Warped Tour where I was on. I know Jesse logs in there, probably more than everybody else now. I'm on there from time to time but I don't know if I'm hidden or not. I don't think I am anymore. I think I changed that cause I didn't know I was hidden. I don't know much about it but we all log on from time to time. We all pop our heads in there. I don't think any of us are logged in constantly. We just like to see what's happening and...
Nagwa: If you see a thread you wanna reply to, you log in?
Matt: Yeah. If I have time and I'm a little bored, I'll go and try to read everything if I can but...
Nagwa: There's a lot to read.
Matt: Yeah. Especially when you're playing catch up, when you don't get on everyday like other people do.
Nagwa: How does going on tour affect your relationships? Do girlfriends ever go to show or visit you while you're on tour?
Matt: Yes, going on tour affects us, it's pretty obvious. It makes it a little more difficult to maintain a relationship but after 4 or 5 years of doing it, I think we've all gotten it down for those who still have girlfriends. It's not hard. I finally got up to a point with my girlfriend where we understand. We know this is the real deal, this is the time to do it and yes, they come to shows when they can. Sometimes, they come on tour with us for a week or two when they can get off work.
Nagwa: It must be cool to see them for longer than a few hours or a day.
Matt: Yeah.
Nagwa: I was going to ask you a question but you already told me you forget your dreams... I was going to ask you what's the weirdest dream you've had but if you don't remember your dreams, there's no point.
Matt: I remember when I was a kid, I had a recurring nightmare. I don't remember a lot of it now but it was always me hiding from some sort of monster or ghost in this gigantic room. It was almost like a giant greenhouse. It was like a bunch of plants and I would hide in bushes from these really scary things. I just remember waking up terrified but I don't remember anything specific about it.
Nagwa: What can you not live without on tour?
Matt: (pause) Food? (laughs)
Nagwa: (laughs) I was talking about something more personal. Don't say your laptop.
Matt: Honestly, that would be my next answer. It's my way of keeping in touch with the world and my family.
Nagwa: Isn't there something that you pack in your suitcase that you HAVE to take? I'm not talking about underwear.
Matt: No generic answers? Hmm... I guess there's... (pause)
Nagwa: Don't you have a teddy bear or something?
Matt: I don't have a teddy bear. I have to pack economically.
Nagwa: No room for a teddy bear.
Matt: Yeah, I don't have room for teddy bears. I usually like to bring casual shoes, show shoes and a nice pair of shoes in case we're going out. Or a blazer. I like to bring a jacket in case we want to go out. I end up not using it but I always bring them just in case. I bring a hat for days where... everyday really. It keeps my hair out of my face.
Nagwa: What's your comfort food?
Matt: Probably pizza. You can get it anywhere and it's usually not bad. If it's not great, it's still not terrible.
Nagwa: What's your favorite curse word?
Matt: I don't know. "shit" has a nice *punch sound* to it. It gets straight to the point. It's short and sweet.
Nagwa: When you shoot videos, do you ever give your opinion to directors on what you want the video to look like?
Matt: When you hire a director, you usually let them run the show unless there's something you really disagree with. For the "Hold Me Down" video, we let the director do his thing on that. Josh and Justin directed "My Favorite Accident" and "The Future Freaks Me Out" so we obviously spoke up for those. But generally, when you pay for a director, they're good. They do their job well. We'll get a rough cut of the video and say "We don't really like that shot there." That's when we really give our opinion, during the post production, after the shooting.
Nagwa: Can you tell me about weird/cool/funny/insane teachers you've had back in school?
Matt: When I was in 8th grade, I had a band teacher named Mr. Campbell. He was this short little guy, very quick tempered man and if anybody would make noise when he's trying to teach a certain section of the band, he'd slam his conductor thingy down and he'd go into a British accent: "You've lost your bloody mind!" We'd just crack up at him like: "What are you doing?" He'd also say: "I'm serious as a heart attack people!" with a red face. It was odd. That's kinda crazy.
Nagwa: Does having a girl with you on tour encourage you to be cleaner or less messy?
Matt: No.
Nagwa: It doesn't change anything?
Matt: I think Jesse and me are the most anal clean people in the band. I'm always picking up after people. I think I have a problem... (laughs) I just don't want to see trash.
Nagwa: Especially since it gets dirty pretty fast on a tour bus.
Matt: Oh my God yeah, with 10 or 11 people. Justin Pierre likes to drink a whole bottle of water in 2 seconds and just leave it there. He'll warm up in the back lounge before the show and when you go back there, there are 6 bottles just sitting there.
Nagwa: You're like the cleaning lady (laughs).
Matt: He's past the point where you go "Justin pick up your trash!" He's a man now. He's the way he is, he's not going to change.
Nagwa: It's too late.
Matt: We just got to deal with it.
Nagwa: What did you do on your week off after Warped Tour?
Matt: I bought a new computer, I went home and basically tried to do nothing. My girlfriend went to work during the day so I just kinda chilled. I swam in my parents' pool a little bit. I met my niece, that was nice. I just spend time with my family. I didn't do anything crazy.
Nagwa: If you were to have your own reality TV show, what kind of show would it be?
Matt: This is something we joked about in the past and it's kinda terrible but it'd be really interesting: five guys on tour who'd adopt a little girl and try to raise her on the road. "My 5 Dads" kind of thing, on the road. My 5 Rock 'n Roll Daddies".
Nagwa: (laughs) That would be funny.
Matt: It would be awkward cause we would have no idea what to do but we would learn.
Nagwa: At least, it's an original idea.
Matt: Yeah! It hasn't been done yet. I think that would be a good one.
Nagwa: I agree. Since we were talking about Justin Timberlake earlier, who do you think would win a fight between JT and JP?
Matt: I don't know but I think JP has a lot of rush built up inside of him. I think he's got some kung fu in him. He stores it up and I think all that potential energy would just blow up. I'll go with JP.
Nagwa: Who would win in a danceoff?
Matt: Come on. Come on! I haven't really seen JP dance but I have a feeling that, you know... JT was in *N SYNC, he had to learn to dance so... JT. Sorry JP.
Nagwa: What's your favorite off stage Warped Tour memory?
Matt: Favorite off stage Warped Tour memory?
Nagwa: You must have a million of them.
Matt: No, no. I don't. I learned quickly that I had always taken being clean for granted. So just being done for the day, taking a shower and hanging out with friends at night when it's cool, it's just perfect. What else was there? What did we do?... I can't even remember. (long pause).
Nagwa: Alright.
Matt: Wait. I feel like I have something but I don't.
Nagwa: It's on the tip of your tongue again?
Matt: Yeah. Well, it's actually not. I don't know. I don't know.
Nagwa: It's alright.
Matt: Boo (laughs).
Nagwa: What was your favorite high school class?
Matt: Band. Does that count?
Nagwa: Yeah.
Matt: Cause all I really cared about in high school was playing music. We had an awesome teacher too. He made it fun.
Nagwa: I bet!
Matt: That was a different teacher.
Nagwa: Oh!
Matt: That was 8th grade. I'm talking about 9th grade.
Nagwa: Well, the other teacher sounded interesting!
Matt: He was my tennis instructor for one summer but he was totally cool on the court. He wasn't crazy.
Nagwa: What's your favorite music video, non MCS?
Matt: Oh man... I was really into Michael Jackson when I was a kid so these stick with me as being the ultimate videos. Billy Jean when he's walking and the sidewalk lightens up and Thriller were amazing at the time. Beat it was good. The gang/dance/fight scene was pretty awesome. That's all I have for now.
Nagwa: If one of you was to start a rap career, would anyone invest in a pimp cup or grillz?
Matt: I think Jesse Johnson would be the first one cause he kinda spends money on less necessary things more easily than the rest of us. If Jesse Johnson was to become a rapper, he'd have a pimp cup of a grill.
Nagwa: Mc JJ.
Matt: Maybe. A pimp cup incrusted in diamonds.
Nagwa: He'd drink off it.
Matt: Yeah, I can see him doing that.
Interview conducted by Nagwa Briziz.
Thank you to Anna Andersen at Epitaph Europe, Josh Terry, and Matt Taylor for making this interview happen.