When Bob Mould visits First Avenue, the paint on the walls heats up and starts to become liquid again. Stalactites of tobacco exhalations loosen their grip and drop from the ceiling. And the eardrums of people in the audience begin to ring in a way that will never completely go away, but it won’t hurt until they file out into the street, so they stay put, rapt in the presence of this former local boy and one of punk rock’s living legends. Mould’s new album, Body of Song, revives the gritty rock he left behind on 2002’s electronic Modulate, but the influence of the dance floor has left a permanent mark on his sound.
Does the electronic vibe come from your life in DC?
Yeah. It’s everywhere, in the restaurants, clubs, and gym. I got into it in 1999, after The Last Dog and Pony Show tour. I just liked the feel-good nature of it; it was so against everything I knew. And the density of the tracks and the technical production is really fascinating. The sounds were so foreign. I wanted to know how they did that.
How does making dance music differ from writing rock songs?
Making music that’s meant to be used on a dance floor is like creating cinema. It’s drama, it’s repetition, and the technical aspects are different. I’ll deconstruct songs and focus on parts that I think are good for the setting they’ll be used in. I just did a Low remix, and I think I’m doing a Liz Phair remix. She’s really excited about it. It’ll be fun–I’ll use it when I deejay.
You’ve been taking some heat from your punk fans for using the vocoder. What’s your defense?
On “(Shine Your) Light Life Hope,” those were vocals that came out one morning when my voice was not warmed up. Spiritually, it touched me so deeply that I saved the vocal. I kept going back and trying to duplicate it, but I never got the same feel–it was a beautiful emotion that was slightly out of pitch, and I had a tool that could correct it. Rock purists get so hung up on technology getting in the way, but listen: That’s a perfect example of technology saving a spiritually perfect moment. I’m finessing the essence of punk rock right there, and if you don’t see it that way, hit the “next” button.
How does living in D.C.’s political world affect you?
I see a lot of political figures out and about, but we all have lives beyond our work. I know lobbyists, people who work for Republicans, people who work with Democrats, and at the end of the day, we all need to use the same shower at the gym. It sort of shows me the futility in being as violently opposed to everything as I was twenty-five years ago. Change moves slowly, and we’re all people. Unfortunately, there are a select few out there right now who are making the world a really difficult place.
As a gay man, you’re being directly targeted by some of those people. How are you reacting to that?
I’m getting more involved with Human Rights Campaign, Freedom to Marry, and the Antiviolence Project. I try to do what I can to make things better for my community, but I live in a bubble. Someone the other day said, “The world is so anti-gay right now. America is so anti-gay.” And I thought, yeah, but I live in the middle of four gay neighborhoods and I rarely leave. So am I being unknowingly marginalized, or am I gentrifying yet another neighborhood? I can never tell.
You’re not too worried about things?
Well, we’re only going to have another two or three years of this, because this regime is self-destructing. We’re going to be left with an ugly situation. Inner cities always get beat up when the Republicans are in power. They let the homeless and the insane starve on the streets and it creates all kinds of violence and tension, and race relations get bad. But it’ll all get rebuilt in due time.
Bob Mould plays at First Avenue on September 28; 612-332-1775, www.first-avenue.com
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