Say Anything's Max Bemis - Interview

When Say Anything vocalist Max Bemis started writing the band’s debut CD, Is A Real Boy, he questioned himself. Was he doomed to remain yet another earnest, upper-middle class bred whine-rocker? The hidden notion that he could create something incredibly different haunted him.

“In this day and age there’s a lot of crap being played and a lot of pretentious music being made that’s inaccessible,” says Bemis. “I didn’t want to do that, so it was a struggle to make something that was relevant, but at the same time original.”

Bemis used his obsession, the thought that every creative person has this sick ambition to affect some sort of change in society with his art. At first, that meant writing an over-the-top musical. For inspiration he had only to look to himself. The plot centered on a neurotic collegiate punk rocker. He becomes the unwilling superhero of all things rock. However, Bemis’ own humanity caught up with him. Playing all of the instruments except for drums and singing all day became a draining process. So he parted ways with the “plot” portion of the record, and focused instead on the songs, which ultimately told the story better.

One of the first tracks Coby Linder (drums), Alex Kent (bass), Jake Turner (guitar, vocals), Jeff Turner (guitar, vocals), Parker Case (keyboards, guitar, vocals) and he were pleased with was “Woe.”

“I just wanted to take it a step up,” says Bemis about “Woe.” “Musically I had been listening to more Queen and The Beatles. More advanced guitar stuff than like hardcore or punk rock stuff or power chords or variations of that. I started with just the music and it had this kind of goofy sound…In terms of the meaning of the song, I wanted to express what it’s like to feel like you can’t be cool enough or you can’t fit in with what’s hip and everyone around you seems to be doing so well with it.”

Bevis hoped songs, like “Admit it!!!” would speak to anyone who feels alienated or awkward.

“‘Admit it!!!’ is sort of the conclusion of this journey that the characters go through in terms of finding themselves,” says Bevis. “They go through depression and alienation and they end up with this sublime state of anger. The song’s about how even though you’re angry with these people, you’re one of them. But as long as you know that, you’ll never really be one of them. There’s always a line that separates people who can admit their own faults from those who are completely full of shame…If you realize that you’re a tool. Everyone is a tool to a certain extent. You’re not more than human. Then you’re a step ahead of everyone and in my opinion that was the conclusion that I came to and I really grew up.”

Self-deprecating humor consistently translates Bemis’ message throughout Is A Real Boy. But Say Anything’s next album will be differently toned.

“It will be a lot more earnest and a little bit less ironic,” says Bemis. “There’s humor in every song, but there’s a little bit more feeling. It’s more about personal relations rather than beating yourself up and criticizing yourself. I didn’t want to just come from this gimmick band that does the same album over and over again.”

Say Anything performs on October 11 at Irving Plaza.

Originally published in The Aquarian Weekly (9/27/06_.

Bemis performing "Woe."