iTodd Lounge

“GREETINGS”

TD: Thanks for being the first iTodd Q&A Scotty!

SC: I’m first!? Wow, that’s pretty dang flattering, Todd. Thanks! I do enjoy talking about music and fellating myself in print. Sorry, I have a filthy mouth and it’s likely that someone at iTodd HQ will be sacked on account of this interview’s heinous content.

TD: What has been the best/worst thing about your time knowing me, Todd Donald… and yes, the rest of this Q&A is about me, Todd Donald.

SC: Best thing has definitely been your sensual back rubs and long conversations about music. You know everything about The Beatles and it makes me smile. Worst thing…probably that time I caught you doing unspeakable things to a Paul McCartney poster.
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“FATHERHOOD”

TD: You and your wife recently introduced your son Sam to the world. When did it hit you, that you are ‘now’ a father?

SC: There’s a switch that gets flicked when you take that first look at your child. I am a Dad. Until it happens to you, it can’t be understood. I don’t mean to sound all elitist about it. In fact, for years I would mock all my friends with children who would say those sorts of things…”yeah, my tiny brain couldn’t possibly comprehend your complex relationship with a fetus…” Here I am doing the same thing. I guess this is the part where I eat crow. Sorry to all my procreating friends. I was wrong, you were right.

TD: What kind of a father do you imagine yourself being?

SC: I’m simultaneously excited and afraid of this. I want to be super honest with my kid, but at the same time I’m petrified of projecting my paranoid, jaded indie rock views onto my child. He’s four and wants to dance around the house and I’ll be, “aw Sam, Sesame Street is like, so commercial!” I’ll also probably say a lot of inappropriate things he will pick up and repeat later on in front of strangers. “Do you have a penis? My Dad does.”

TD: Haha, maybe instead of inappropriate things, just say ‘Buy the new Scott Cooper album’, and he can wander around repeating that! So, at this point would you have another? A daughter perhaps?

SC: At this point, absolutely not. We’re just so new to this life and completely overwhelmed trying to figure it all out, the thought of doing it again anytime soon is beyond scary to us. Only insane people would do that! If I really gave into the romantic notion of having a son and a daughter – the whole nuclear family dynamic – I guess I can see that. But two smelly boys? Nah.

TD: Most artists who procreate, just can’t help it… will you be different? Will you avoid pushing music into your child’s life?

SC: I’ve been talking a lot about this lately. The idea is to try and not project anything onto my child, to let him discover what juices him up without my prodding. However, so much of my lifestyle revolves around music, I can’t see how it won’t affect or influence him in some way. I don’t know, I guess we’ll see how it pans out. I certainly love the idea of listening to records and playing guitars with him, but maybe he’ll hate all that shit. I’m hoping he can teach me some new things, like some crunkin’ dance moves maybe.
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“TINY INCREMENTS”

TD: So you released your third, and substantially strongest record in the last year. 2007’s Tiny Increments features 11 honest, beautiful and catchy ballads about love and friendship. Do you feel better now that you’ve been able to get on disc, material that’s been with you up to for longer than i’ve known ya? (ie: ‘Don’t Turn Around’) let it out my friend…

SC: Thanks for saying that, Todd. Yeah, “Don’t Turn Around” has been sitting around with me for well over 10 years and I finally feel like I got that one right. It’s the only old tune on there, though. The rest were all written over the beginning of 2007 and some well into the summer sessions when we recorded “Tiny Increments”. The old adage is that “a good song is a good song”, but sometimes it takes a few kicks at it for it to be performed the right way. Hell, even the wrong tempo can kill a good tune. You can hear the potential, but it’s just not happening. I would never rule out taking a crack at a tune from my past, or even another artist’s tune that I’ve maybe got a different idea for.

TD: Why did you take so long making it? And how long?

SC: My whole mandate was to make something that I would totally love and listen to if I didn’t know me. It sounds dumb saying that out loud, but it’s actually really hard to apply the same critical barometer to your own art and ideas that you do for the music you choose to listen to. I think a lot of writers let themselves off the hook, and get kind of precious with their ideas. We hand our work over to others while making excuses, “oh, I hate this one vocal” or, “I like this tune but the 2nd verse is weak”. I don’t see the point anymore. If the 2nd verse is weak, then make it better. If you can’t make it better, the song goes back on the shelf, or completely gutted for spare parts. It’s not a squishy, intangible thing…it’s work. I know all of this sounds harsh and possibly pretentious, but there’s really so much great music out there…why would anyone get behind what you do if you can’t do that yourself?

So the challenge, and what took so long, was ultimately to get totally on board with every single word, melody, and anything else that was thrown on the table. It takes a while. I’m not saying because I went through this process that the music will hit everyone else out there, but the material you choose to produce can really only be held up to the opinions and tastes of yourself and those you intimately trust.

TD: Since it’s been out, how has the response been? How did you hope?

SC: I was so happy with how the writing and recording turned out, I already felt like it was a total success before I even had it manufactured. Throughout the last 10 months, I’ve had some really flattering words and amazing opportunities come my way as a result of this record, but all that stuff just feels like gravy to me. I feel great about it. People have been so nice and supportive, it’s kind of ridiculous.
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TD: Where do you think you’re direction will go in writing if it hasn’t started that journey already? What areas of life/experience would you like to touch on if it came to you?

SC: That’s a tough one right now. I’m so focused on my new family that the only stuff that’s really coming to me are simple little lullabies and melodies that I can sing to my son. So I’m just gonna go with that for a while and see where I wind up. It’s fun and natural, so I figure if I just let it be, I’ll make sense of it all and before long I’m sure I’ll have some new project on the burner.

TD: As I know Scott, you are playing for a slew of friends, quite un-selfishly, and not just your own music/recording. People who see Rob Szabo’s band shows, have to be blind to not realize there’s a handsome fella playing bass and singing along next to Rob on stage.. how did that come to be?

SC: Yeah, I’ve been really lucky to play some music the last few years with some serious badasses like Rob Szabo. I met him about 4 years ago now. I used to go see (his former bands) The Groove Daddys and Plasticine a bunch back in the day and really admired his playing. So I invited him to my studio to play guitar and sing on my 2nd record (Popfizz-2004). Since then, we’ve become really good friends and made a lot of music together. I played on and co-produced his albums “Late Bloomer/Sore Loser” and “Like A Metaphor” and he returned the favour this year with me and my latest. Whenever either of us haul out the full bands, we back each other up on bass and singin’. It’s great.
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TD: Did you guys giggle at least once at the little idiosyncrasy of the fact you guys play bass for each other? The bass ying-yangary of it all?

SC: Yeah, Rob and I giggle non-stop. Although, it’s not usually about music…it’s when I show him that picture of the squirrel with the really big nutsack…you know the one? That kills us because, you know, nutsacks are really funny. It’s almost embarrassing to me, that I relegate a ridiculous guitar talent like Rob to bass duties. But when it comes to bass, we both approach it the same way – sheer simplicity. So it works well for me, because I can’t really do anything other than that. For Rob, it’s the rare talent of RESTRAINT. Hehe.

Rob and I also share a drummer (Adam Warner) and a cellist (Alex McMaster). So I want to do a gig with Rob and I fronting this band on the same bill. I’d play bass with him while he sang Szabo tunes, then we’d switch up and I’d front for my tunes. I think it would be sexy. I’m honestly not sure that’s why it has yet to happen. Laziness? Business? Termites? Gingivitis? I dunno.

TD: What’s the best thing you gain (inside) from being versatile in playing bass for Rob, recording other artists, ect…?

SC: I just want to fill my life with as much good music as possible. Whether it’s my own music or getting to play and hang with other musicians and writers that I love…that’s been the best way for me to keep it going. You can only do so much on your own. I’m fortunate to hang with some incredibly talented people, and I’ve had some of my life’s most amazing musical experiences just sitting at a fire, passing around a guitar and trading songs with friends. Man, there’s not much else like that. In my opinion, intimacy and connecting with other human beings is what music is all about. Next to slutty chicks, beers, and tight white jeans, of course.
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“OTHER NONSENSE”

TD: Is it true that you once carried the rap name Scoop Dogg (ie S-C-double-O-P deekodubbelgee)? And if not so, how would that have gone if it did?

SC: Untrue. My rapping name was ‘Steve’ back in the 80’s. It was going well until an ill-fitting Adidas shoe flew off my foot while I was breakin’ and hit Flavour Flav in the mouth. That’s why he has them gold fronts now, yo.

TD: What other flavours, Scooper? You rule our world with your delivery of rock/pop/folk, but do you dig jazz, classical, droning buddha ‘om’s? Listening or creative applies.

SC: I think that I’m pretty well versed and appreciate a lot of different kinds of music, but in all honesty, I don’t seek out, purchase and actively spend a lot of time with much outside of most of my regular listening preferences (which indeed is rootsy, folky, twangy and classic rock/pop/songwriter). The only surprise may be that I really get into reggae. Like old school shit like Jimmy Cliff, Pete Tosh, The Congos, Bob, Toots, King Tubby. To my brain, nothing sounds better in the summer or on a Saturday morning than some fine jammin’.

TD: Who is a singer-songwriter, outside the realm of those you know personally, that you think should be better known?; explain who and why.

SC: That’s a bummer, I love advocating and recommending the albums of my musical friends. OK, so outside of my social circle, I think Justin Rutledge is fantastic. He’s a marvelous wordsmith with a truly haunting voice. His new one “Man Descending” is something special, I think. I don’t know him personally, but I did have the opportunity to sing some backups with him on the upcoming Good Lovelies record, which is going to slay everybody. Heheh, see what I did there? Great success!

TD: Favourite CD in player right now?

SC: I just scored a copy of “Time Fades Away” by Neil Young which is an out-of-print live record. It’s a vinyl rip, and it sounds awesome walking around with all the crackles and stuff still on there. It’s pretty awesome, I can’t stop listening to it.

Checkout Scott Cooper online: scottcoopermusic.com | myspace.com/scottcooper
Thanks for reading -Todd Donald