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Onion: The band's live reputation used to be sharply divided, with audiences in for either something amazing or a drunken mess.
Isaac Brock: There's the whole idea of knowing how much you can drink before you play. There was a certain point where I realized that these folks showing up for the shows paid money, and not to see me get fucking drunk. The collective amount of time and energy and money put in to coming out to see us play—no one deserves to have to see a drunk dude. They can buy their friends beer and watch them get drunk for much cheaper.
O: Was licensing your songs to commercials a tough decision?
IB: Figuring out ways to pay the rent isn't really a tough decision. Around the time we did the beer commercial and the shoe commercial, I thought, "Am I compromising my music by doing this?" And I think not. I like keeping the lights on in my house. People who don't have to make their living playing music can bitch about my principles while they spend their parents' money or wash dishes for some asshole. Principles are something that people are a lot better at checking in other people than keeping their own. My rationale behind the beer commercial was, "I like drinking MGD! I like beer probably more than I should, probably more than is healthy." I was hoping I could get a lifetime supply out of the deal, but I guess I'll have to buy it with that big ol' check. [Laughs.]
Onion: The band's live reputation used to be sharply divided, with audiences in for either something amazing or a drunken mess.
Isaac Brock: There's the whole idea of knowing how much you can drink before you play. There was a certain point where I realized that these folks showing up for the shows paid money, and not to see me get fucking drunk. The collective amount of time and energy and money put in to coming out to see us play—no one deserves to have to see a drunk dude. They can buy their friends beer and watch them get drunk for much cheaper.
O: Was licensing your songs to commercials a tough decision?
IB: Figuring out ways to pay the rent isn't really a tough decision. Around the time we did the beer commercial and the shoe commercial, I thought, "Am I compromising my music by doing this?" And I think not. I like keeping the lights on in my house. People who don't have to make their living playing music can bitch about my principles while they spend their parents' money or wash dishes for some asshole. Principles are something that people are a lot better at checking in other people than keeping their own. My rationale behind the beer commercial was, "I like drinking MGD! I like beer probably more than I should, probably more than is healthy." I was hoping I could get a lifetime supply out of the deal, but I guess I'll have to buy it with that big ol' check. [Laughs.]
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