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The Trap Set with Joe Wong

276: Mac McCaughan (Superchunk, Merge Records, etc.)

The Trap Set with Joe Wong

Joe Wong

Joewong, Drums, Comedy, Performing Arts, Arts, Drummers

4.8709 Ratings

🗓️ 5 May 2020

⏱️ 82 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In 1989, Mac McCaughan co-founded the band Superchunk and the label Merge Records, both of which are still thriving today. Mac and Joe discuss: composing for film, how Mac's relationship with music has evolved over his lifetime; Mac's songwriting process; balancing planning with flexibility; and--when it comes to promoting an album--where an artist's responsibility ends and a record label's responsibility begins.

During the age of social distancing, we're recording remotely and releasing extra episodes.

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is Joe Wong.

0:15.3

Welcome to the Trap Set.

0:17.2

During the age of social distancing, we're recording remotely and releasing episodes almost every day.

0:37.2

We're having music that's for all night to die for a lot to die for a Today's guest

0:51.5

is Mac Macon

0:52.7

In fact In 1989, Mac co-founded the band Superchunk and the label Merge Records,

0:59.0

both of which are still thriving three decades later.

1:03.0

Aside from his work in Superchunk,

1:05.0

Max played in bands such as Portostatic, Seam, and Bricks,

1:10.0

and he's due to release a second duo album with Harpest Mary Ladamore.

1:14.6

Max spoke to me from his home in North Carolina.

1:18.6

How's it going?

1:30.3

It's going good.

1:31.7

It's, um, it's weirdly busy, despite the fact that we're all stuck at home.

1:41.4

Busy doing what?

1:44.1

Well, that's what's weird is that I feel like I'm doing like five things at once, whereas, uh, stuck at home. Busy doing what?

1:47.7

Well, that's what's weird, is that I feel like I'm doing like five things at once,

1:53.5

whereas, like, when you go to work, then you just, like, you go to work and you're doing that, and then you come home and you're doing that.

1:55.2

But now I feel like I'm just trying to do, like, five things at the same time.

2:00.8

So it's, I'm still, you know, Merge is still operating.

2:06.0

And so we have a couple, well, a few meetings a week via Zoom.

2:11.5

And obviously most stuff gets done on email, except for our mail order people that have been kind of going in a couple

...

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