So Sweeney, what’s with all the hullabaloo around Belle and Sebastian?
Well, Julie, they’re my favorite band. And I mean that in a way that frankly supercedes all reason. At this point, it’s like a weird religion or something. Not healthy, I don’t think.
So, you pray at the altar of fey Scottish wit?
Yeah, but I mean, that was going on before B&S even came around. What with the Aztec Camera and the Orange Juice, back in the day. Can’t forget the Mary Chain, either. Or The Pastels.
Of course, there’s that whole lineage that predates them, but what is exactly about B and S that makes you semi-erect?
That’s gross, Julie. But to answer your question, they were/are just this perfect distillation of every band I’ve ever loved, and of course, totally their own thing at the same time. They knocked the Smiths out of Favourite Band position the second I heard them.
You spelled favorite with a u. Keep that in check, man.
To live outside the law you must be honest.

Chilling conclusions and faux pas after the jump.

In any case, let’s talk about your storied past with ye olde Murdoch and co. Are you and B & S star-crossed lovers? Is this a one-sided crush, or something with the potential for growth and long term committment?
Like most fan relationships, it’s probably pretty one-sided. However, there was that one night…
Oh yes, oh what a night, late december back in ‘63…?
More like 99 or 00, actually.
So, make with the story…What happened?
Ok. Well, Andy Greenwald and I had gone to see The Go-Betweens doing one of their first big NYC reunion shows at The Bowery Ballroom. They were fantastic, the crowd was ecstatic. Andy has all these weird hook-ups, because not only was he like Twee Citizen No. 1 at the time, but he also worked for Spin and could basically go to whatever the hell he wanted.
Was this during the era of the Jeepster B & S message board? Or the proliferation of TweeNet?
I think so, yeah. So after the show, we went to some bar to stalk/fellate/get drunk with Grant McLennan, only to walk in the place to find Mr. Streets Of Your Town totally macking on some chick. Knowing better than to mess with an Autralian’s pussy game, we got Robert Vickers (ex-Go-B) on the phone and he told us to meet us at some other bar. At this point, the story makes me like the indie pop Charlie Murphy, but whatever.
Do it!
So we get over there, and here’s who’s in attendance: Robert V. and his wife (amazingly nice people), Gail O’Hara from Chickfactor, and STUART AND STEVIE. You know, just hanging out, bro-ing down. Like all the legends in my mind do. And of course, I’m right there with them.
For those uninitiated into the B & S supercult, explain who Stu and Stevie are?
Jesus and John The Fucking Baptist, baby.
Okay, so what did you do? Confronted with your indie idols of choice, do you balk, or stand your ground?
Luckily, I’d been in this movie before, and had already been hanging out with Go-Betweens (number 4 on the All-Time Best Bands Of Sweeney Ever list), so I was on top of my game.
So you…?
So here’s what happens: Stevie pairs off with Gail (this was more during the era of “Chickfactor” the song, as opposed to the zine), Robert and his wife and Andy start talking apartments, and next thing I know, I’m standing next to Stuart. And yeah, I’m totally starstruck. Shitting myself.
But I persevere. We shoot the breeze. He’s way, way affable. And it turns out that he and Stevie were in the U.S. on a bit of a furlough. They had come over to meet Todd Solondz for the first time to talk about scoring what became Storytelling.
So, you kept your cool?
Yes, because the funniest thing ever happened. We start talking movies, and dude, it’s like we have the same brain. Into all the same shit: Stillman, Hal Hartley, etc. And when I let it drop that I had a song in the Hal movie that had PJ Harvey in it, HE gets a little starstruck. Blew my mind.
At this point, he starts buying me whiskeys.
I don’t drink whiskey.
And there is a very nasty reason why.
Bad vibes?
Bad body. It’s like kyrptonite. I’ve never been able to understand it.
But if Stuart Murdoch is buying me whiskey, whiskey is what I’m drinking.
Of course. When in Rome, or in the presence of B & S…
Then everything starts getting realllllllllll wobbly. Here’s what I find out: Isobel is definitely a pain in the ass, Stuart thinks this movie Storytelling is gonna be amazing, and most importantly, man, add whiskey to that Glasgow brogue and it’s like Esperanto. I cannae understan a wee wurr Stuarrr is seying, but samhow, I DO.
You had a mind meld.
I repeatedly had to quell the urge to hug him.
Watch out for Personal Space Violations.
For real. And like a dork, I lay a burn of The Trouble With Sweeney on him. I still feel like a dope for that one.
Ouch. Not cool, dude.
He was very gracious about it. He said he liked the font.
So, how’d you leave things? Gracefully? Or in a whiskey nightmare?
In my memory, I melted away into a 25 dollar cab ride back to Brooklyn, or maybe it was the subway. When the sun came up, I was sure I had alcohol poisoning and could have perhaps dreamed the whole thing. And to this day, I still cannot remember where exactly that bar was. Dream one, you had a whole lot of fun with the comedi-un. Only Andy Greenwald knows for sure.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 7th, 2006 at 4:30 pm.