Chris Burlingame ::: photo by Jason Tang
Long before the current boom of music blogs and bloggers, Chris Burlingame logged online and began writing about the local (and not local) bands he loves. For over six years, Chris has been one of the most devoted and respected local music writers covering the gamut of up-and-coming Seattle bands and international pop sensations for the likes of Three Imaginary Girls, KEXP and his own blog, Another Rainy Saturday.
What impresses me most about Chris and the reason I have sought his reviews and interviews for years, is there is no difference in coverage or the respect he gives to artists, whether they are selling out Key Arena or playing their second show at the High Dive. In an online world of aloof genre-ists, Chris is the everyman of music writers. He is a champion of good music and hard-working bands and he realizes they all come in different shapes, sizes, genres and packages. He approaches life and music as if there is no guilty pleasure and his writing conveys the joy and emotion of listening to your favorite song, whether it’s by Gaga or a band that still practices in a garage. For Chris, there is nothing off-limits to love and I am thankful that it is music, especially local music, that he loves. Without him, this city would be missing a thoughtful critic, an adept interviewer and a tireless supporter.
This Thursday, you can share your gratitude for all that Chris has done and continues to do for local music at 9pm in the Bourbon, where he’ll be sharing 3 hours of his favorite tunes. In preparation and celebration of his upcoming DJ gig, I turned the tables and interviewed one of Seattle’s most prolific interviewers about blogging, his dream line-ups and the sound he loves the most.
You’ve been blogging for six years locally, which in blog years, is like a hundred years … how did you start blogging? Was there a band or show that inspired you to start?
It is like hundreds of years!
I started writing about music because I made some friends in a band and wanted to be around them and part of that clique but didn’t have the time/patience/talent/money/sense of commitment to learn an instrument. I met them because I had a shitty job as a fast food manager and the restaurant I worked in was around the corner from their practice space. That was what put me on this path. My first stint as a writer was for ROCKRGRL magazine, I was there for the final two and a half years of the magazine’s existence. I think that was actually in 2003, so I’ve actually been writing about music for seven years.
Another weird coincidence was that I remember going to a show in 2003 at the Crocodile where the lineup was All Girl Summer Fun Band, The Divorce, Visqueen and someone else (maybe The Girls?) and the first issue of ROCKRGRL to contain anything I wrote was being sold at the merch table because AGSFB was on the cover (and I reviewed the first Visqueen album inside, as well as albums by Ms. Led and Tart). Dana and Liz from Three Imaginary Girls were working at the merch table that night and that was where I met them and we became friends from there. I started writing for TIG almost six years ago but I decided after going to SXSW in 2007 that I wanted to take this seriously and started writing more and more.
What advice would you give someone who wants to write about music? Any blogging pet-peeves? Pro-tips?
I really wish new bloggers or writers would write five or ten positive reviews before writing a negative one. I say this not because I think they should love everything or because negative reviews don’t have their place or are necessary but because it will hopefully diminish the instinct to try to grind some axes because certain artists are more popular than others. I do think people should read a lot, not just about music, listen to a lot of music, follow writers you like on Twitter (and sometimes engage them!) and step outside of their comfort zone as often as possible.
As far as blogging pet peeves, I have quite a few (and don’t think for a moment that I don’t have my vices). One is re-posting every press release that finds its way to your inbox; another is writing everything in a tone where you sound like a hyper-caffeinated super fan about everything – some of that’s perfectly acceptable, but if you love everything, why should your readers trust you when someone really special comes to town? My biggest pet peeve, though, might be when people write negatively of something outside of their expertise or comfort zone; is anyone really well-served knowing that the president of the Bon Iver fan club had a lousy time at a Britney Spears show?
What’s been the pinnacle of your writing career?
I don’t know if there’s been a pinnacle yet, but there are a lot of things I’m very proud of. I’m really proud of managing the coverage at Three Imaginary Girls for Bumbershoot last year and SIFF the past two years. I thought we covered a lot of different bands and movies that might not have been covered otherwise.
You conduct a lot of interviews, more than maybe any other writer in town, what interview were you the most nervous to conduct? What interview subject was the most disappointing? What was your favorite interview? Who is your dream interview subject?
I’ve done a lot of interviews and they don’t seem to get easier for me. My first interview was with Janet Weiss and it should be noted that Sleater-Kinney is my absolute very favorite band, so knowing your first interview is with the drummer for your favorite band caused a lot of anxiety. It didn’t go well but she was nice. More recently, I was really nervous to talk to Rick Froberg (from Drive Like Jehu and currently Obits) less than two weeks ago because he’s very revered and I was really late to the party on DLJ, but he was also friendly and easy to talk to.
There were two interviews in particular that were disappointing. The first was with Sune Rose-Wagner with The Raveonettes. That’s a band I really love but he gave me a lot of one word answers and didn’t seem very talkative. The iPhone app I used ended up mangling the interview but it didn’t seem to matter. Another was the comedian Todd Barry. He was promoting a cancer benefit last winter and he was a really nice guy but didn’t really say anything outside of the press release I had gotten for the event and really didn’t say anything funny. I think that one was definitely my own fault because I didn’t know how to engage him to bring out something new or funny.
One of my favorite interviews was with the actress Natasha Lyonne, who was promoting a movie called The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle, which played at SIFF in 2009 and was made locally. That was in-person at SIFF and she’s publicly had a lot of personal problems, so I didn’t know what to expect. She was really funny and sweet and very, very easy to talk to. I really felt like after meeting her that we could have been friends.
I would LOVE the chance to interview Woody Allen. He’s my favorite filmmaker, so I’d love to talk to him about his movies. I do, though, suspect it would be like an episode of “The Chris Farley Show” if we were ever in the same room. “You remember Annie Hall?” “Yeah, of course.” “That was awesome.”
Since you’re an epic interviewer, I thought I’d ask you some questions via my favorite droll interview, James Lipton from Inside the Actor’s Studio.
What is your favorite word? My inner twelve year old boy always enjoyed the “words that sound dirty but really aren’t” lists, so I’ve grown fond of “masticate”.
What is your least favorite word? Seminal. I would also say that the next time I hear “fail” as a noun, it’ll be much too soon.
What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Maybe it makes me a little needy, but some validation that people actually read what I write is what propells me to keep going. Also: alcohol.
What turns you off? Being interrupted with unnecessary (family) drama when I’m trying to write.
What is your favorite curse word? Fuck. It was always so verboten when I was younger and now a regular part of adult conversations. Plus, it can be a verb, noun, adjective, etc…
What sound or noise do you love? I really love hearing a great song blasting out of someone’s car at an intersection.
What sound or noise do you hate? Insane Clown Posse.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? I would love to try commercial banking because there is plenty of money in it and if you fail and lose lots of money, you’ll still be rewarded with more money.
What profession would you not like to do? Anything that requires more than a 40-hour work week.
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? “I really want to introduce you to Flannery O’Connor.”
If you could revive any local band that you loved that has broken up in the past six years you’ve written, who would it be?
Does Sleater-Kinney count? They’re from Portland via Olympia.
I also miss a band called The Catch an awful lot. I had a lot of friends in the various versions of their lineup, but they were fantastic. They had super catchy songs and were a lot of fun to watch.
What is your dream line-up? Locally/Nationally and Internationally?
I have a friend that asks me a variation of this question somewhat frequently, which is if you could have anyone play your show, who would be the openers and headliners, so I think about this somewhat often.
Some that I think about being amazing would be The Like and Tea Cozies opening for The Go-Go’s; The Beastie Boys and Outkast with Fresh Espresso and Mash Hall opening; or a super loud tour with My Bloody Valentine, The Big Pink and The Joy Formidable (though I’m not sure which local band would be ideal for that show).
You’re going to be stuck on an island for possibly all eternity, what five albums would you bring?
I’ll have a different answer for you tomorrow, but for right now:
Beauty and the Beat, The Go-Go’s
Dig Me Out, Sleater-Kinney
Is This It, The Strokes
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Public Enemy
Stankonia, Outkast
And lastly, what can we expect from your DJ set?
Our mutual friend Sara Brickner of the Seattle Weekly told me when I saw her at the Capitol Hill Block Party (and I quote) “don’t play any cheesy shit, Chris Burlingame, play the good shit.” Having said that, I’ll do my best to play “good shit”.
My taste runs towards pop, so I’ll be playing a lot of (what I think are) great pop songs and a lot of artists I’ve written about. A lot of friends have been asking me to play something by Lady Gaga, which wasn’t part of my plan (she’s great, but do you really need to hear “Poker Face” again?), but I may cave to the pressure – though I won’t play a single.
It won’t be all pop, by any means. I have three hours, so I’ll fit lots of rock and hip hop in there, too.
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Come out this Thursday at 9pm to support Chris and listen to him play the good shit at The Bourbon!
