Frequently Asked Questions

How did Semisonic get started?
Jake, John and Dan played a party in Minneapolis in late winter 1992 as "Pleasure". This was while John and Dan were still in the band Trip Shakespeare. The three friends learned a batch of covers ("Drift Away" by Dobie Gray, "Dancing in the Moonlight" by King Harvest -- which Dave Pirner sang with them though he didn't know the words -- "In Dreams" by Roy Orbison, "Can't Help Falling" by Elvis the King, "Yes It Is" by the Beatles, Hmm... a few more) The show was at the 400 Bar with Dan on the piano, John on bass and Jake on drums. The joy of the evening lead to songwriting by the trio and eventually to 8-track recordings made with Slichter's gear. In the early months of 1993, the three musicians began meeting in Jake's basement recording studio to make tapes of a few new songs they had started writing together. The group was signed by Elektra Records in '94 on the strength of those first tracks.

What is the Story of the Pleasure e.p.?
Wasn't Semisonic Once Called Pleasure?
» Read the History of the Pleasure EP »

You may also want to read:

» Read the History of Great Divide »
» Read the History of Feeling Strangely Fine »
» Read the History of All About Chemistry »

How Did You Guys Get Your Name?
Dan: One day in a club in Kansas City, KS, I was sitting with Aaron Seymour of the Delilahs (a band from Mpls and our pals), and on the p.a. was Sloan, Canadian noise-popsters and anti-poseurs. Aaron said, "Why does everything have to be this Semisonic bullshit?" I didn't have the answer to his question but I loved the Sloan record and I loved the new word even more, so when we needed a name there it was.

Maybe part of the meaning is that everything gets hyped to the skies as either the greatest thing ever to rock the earth or as the most pathetic disastrous self-destructive dysfunctional suicide pact ever, but we're taking another path and keeping it lowkey. Also we keep floating in a space of our own creation between being noisy sonic rock and sexy groovy soul.

Plus it sounds cool.

What guitars, amps and effects do you use?
Dan:
Gibson SG through rat pedal somewhat distorted

OR

through rat pedal more distorted

OR

through prescription electronics "Yardbox" very distorted

AND/OR

through MXR Phase 100

then the whole signal with the above processing (or none) goes to a stereo tremolo splitter which I only occasionally use as tremolo -- usually it's for splitting the signal to go to "left side" "right side" Z.Vex Fuzz Factory 1 prescription electronics "Vibe Unit" This is the blue box; it's a knockoff of the Univibe

AND/OR

Z.Vex Fuzz Factory 2 through fender superreverb marshall bluesbreaker

The Fuzz Factory is an amazing crackly distortion -- you can hear it on the 2nd and 3rd choruses of "California", the lead guitar sections of "Closing Time" and "All Worked Out" and the wah-wah guitar on "Completely Pleased". It's by a Minneapolis inventor named Zachary Vex.

John:
I mostly use an early 70's Fender P-Bass through an Ampeg SVT. I've distorted the signal in a variety of ways in the studio, but live I like to use The Wooly Mammoth by Z. Vex. The great thing about using this particular box for bass is that it gives you a nice full spectrum distortion, that is, it doesn't hack off the top or worse yet, the bottom of the signal. It also has a gate built in which can be pretty cool.

From time to time I use an old (never figured out the year) Hofner Beatle Bass, but I've stopped using it on the road because it feels as if it's made of bird bones and I, or worse yet someone else, might break it. Still great in the studio, though.

Effects-wise I'm using the Digitech Whammy Wah for various harmonizing effects and envelope filtering. I run through a Boss flanger when it's time for swooping.

Jake:
**************************

What covers have you played at shows?
Here's a partial list of covers Semisonic has played.

• Air That I Breathe -- The Hollies
• Because -- The Beatles
• Can't Help Falling -- Elvis Presley
• Couldn't I Just Tell You -- Todd Rundgren
• Dirty Work -- Steely Dan
• Drift Away -- Dobie Gray
• Erotic City -- Prince
• Everybody is a Star -- Sly and the Family Stone
• I Can See Clearly Now -- Johnny Nash
• I Got You -- Split Enz
• In Dreams -- Roy Orbison
• Jealous Guy -- John Lennon
• King of Yellow Butterflies -- Tropicals
• Little Willie -- Sweet
• Love Hurts -- Nazareth
• Love Is Alive -- Gary Wright
• Show and Tell -- Al Wilson
• Take Me With You -- Prince
• Tell Me Something Good -- Rufus and Chaka Khan
• The Wind -- Cat Stevens
• Tonight's the Night -- Rod Stewart
• What is Life? -- George Harrison
• When Will I See You Again? -- Three Degrees
• Yes It Is -- Beatles
• You Haven't Done Nothing -- Stevie Wonder
• We did Little Willie by Sweet and Tonight's the Night by Rod Stewart with Zuzu's Petals at First Avenue in fall of 1994.

Why do you play covers?
The band started out playing covers (see Band History). At the time it was just because it's fun to play great songs and the band hadn't written many songs of their own. They also see playing covers as a great way to give respect to artists that have influenced them, and to share great songs with the fans. Dan has said in interviews that playing covers is a good way to learn how to write songs.

What album is that song "Whoo-ooo, whoo-ooo, yeahyeahyeahyeahyeahyeah, yeah" on?
That song is called "Delicious", it's track three on "Great Divide".

What album is "Sculpture Garden" on?
"Sculpture Garden" is on the Pleasure e.p.

Can I Have a Copy of the Lyrics to Feeling Strangely Fine (or Great Divide or Pleasure e.p.)?
Yes, they're right here on the website...
» All About Chemistry Lyrics »
» Feeling Strangely Fine Lyrics »
» Great Divide Lyrics »
» Pleasure EP Lyrics »

How do you write songs/lyrics?
Dan: I usually write the first couple of lines of music and lyrics at the same time. Sometimes a whole chorus with music and words at the same time. Then I sort of continue writing words over a period of an hour or once in awhile it takes me a few weeks to finish.

The lyrics I've written that I like the most are those about somebody I know and me -- like what's gone on between me and a friend or girlfriend or wife, or a problem somebody's having. Always about something real.

And then when I'm working on a song, if it's a choice between something that sounds good, versus something that expresses clearly how I feel, I try to choose the thing that sounds good, that's easier to sing, or that sounds better. Rather than the "true" option. It's just my way of doing it, but I find that if it sounds good, people always find the truth in it anyway. This way also seems to lead to words that reveal my deeper feelings. I don't know why that is.

A good dose of nonsense once in awhile really helps too.

"No One Else" is a good example, it's about a friend of mine whose girlfriend at the time was about to move from KC to Mpls, and the song was my way of hoping she did it. "Laughing lost her way she caught a train to far points north and left the phone bill on the table in the sun" -- that's pretty obvious. But a lot of the lines just sound good, they don't mean anything -- "bring your quiet place", "Sleepy valium Low red light in the wine". What does that mean? I don't really know but it sounds right. And more importantly it feels right.

Usually I have to write about 4 pages of lyrics to get one song. Sometimes more. Occasionally it all pops out at once -- "All Worked Out" came all at once, "DND" came all at once.

I write songs mainly from the title first or some phrase with melody that comes to me all at once. And the progressions come from hearing them in my head or else my fingers stumble around on the guitar or piano until it sounds cool. Really pretty much trial and error most of the time.

How did you formulate your instrumental style? And how do you start writing a song?
Dan: I think I formulated my style by learning folk songs like Bob Dylan stuff from the 60s, also Wild Thing by the Troggs and then listening to Tom Verlaine play on the first Television record (Marquee Moon.) That and listening to a lot of Joni Mitchell and wondering how she plays those weird chords. I learned to play electric guitar while in the band Trip Shakespeare, before that I'd never played guitar in a band. My brother Matt had played two guitar parts on all the songs on their first cd, "Applehead Man", and he asked me to join (maybe so they could have two guitars live!) When I agreed, he taught me all the second guitar parts note for note. A lot of my guitar style comes from what Matt taught me during that period.

What is Closing Time About?
How Did You Write It?
Dan: I thought of the first verse of Closing Time pretty much all at once while playing the guitar. The chorus too (it's only one line). I was trying to write a song for the end of our sets, to say, "Goodnight, get out, we love you but we're done," to the fans. But it turned into something else, the first verse about times I've been in a bar at the end of the night trying to get up the courage to talk to a woman. The next verse I tried a bunch of ideas and then a week or so later I thought of the idea of being "bounced" from the womb and being born.

What was the inspiration for Singing in My Sleep?
Dan: I was inspired by an especially seductive compilation tape that a woman I know made. It made me realize that mix tapes are the new serenades -- nobody stands under balconies singing anymore, but we do make mixes for each other.

What IS it w/ that Spock & McCoy thing in 'never you mind'? And do the lyrics actually refer to the bands Blur and Oasis?
Dan: The Spock and McCoy lines refer to a particular episode of the original Star Trek. (No, I'm not a Trekker/Trekkie). I was writing the song about losing track of the reasons for a feud or a fight, and during the sessions I happened to see that old episode of Star Trek where Mr. Spock's brain is stolen. McCoy and Kirk take Spock (minus brain) across space and find the brain hooked up to an alien computer on some distant planet. The aliens are using Spock's intelligence to run their computers somehow. McCoy needs to re-install Spock's brain. He puts on a hair-dryer-like device which gives him the knowledge of how to perform the surgery. In a very sweaty dramatic close-up McCoy reacts to this revelation: "Of course! I should have known! It's child's play!" So he sets out to reattach the brain, using his newfound expertise. But halfway through the operation the knowledge starts to fade, and he starts to give up. You'll have to watch the episode if you want the whole conclusion. But I liked the idea of something being really clear and obvious at first, but then turning vague and ambiguous. Like a fight that outlasts its reasons.

As for Blur and Oasis, since I was writing about a feud or a fight that gets out of hand it seemed like a funny thought to include the feud between the two cute English rock bands. I like them both -- love Parklife and Definitely Maybe, also love several songs on What's the Story.

What was the inspiration for the song "Made to Last"?
Dan: There were a lot of things going through my mind about life, mere survival vs. thriving and loving. And at the same time the band had the question "Which superpower would you have if you could have one?" And so many of the answers took a similar form, which got me thinking about how we all have dreams in common.

So here's an e-mail to us and then my answer:

Flying. I know that perhaps this is a typical answer but there is a fairly good reason for it. . . think of the feeling of swooping over the landscape, zooming in close to examine an old ruin you find interesting or shooting straight towards the Western horizon (. . .I hope that's where the sun sets or I'm going to be embarrased) right at the moment the last lip of red shows on a senset.

It's funny... so many answers had flying, I never would have guessed. but I had such a good time reading all the fantasy flights I put a line into one of the new songs, "Made to Last", which goes, "made to dream of flying, so high"... when you hear the song, think of me reading all of that e-mail with beautiful dreams of flying.

What is the song "The Prize" about?
Here is a note I sent to some fans about the prize. A lot of people ask about the words. I was once very disappointed when i found out that "Martha My Dear" and "Jet", two of my favorite Paul McCartney songs, were about his dogs. I thought it would have been better if he hadn't explained.

But here goes:

The night Kurt Cobain died I was totally bummed out about it but not surprised, and I started to write a song about it. Then I thought, "there are probably another 1,000 other writers ('strivers') up late tonight trying to write this song, maybe I should write about them instead of just writing the 1,001st song about KC."

What does the song DND mean?
Do Not Disturb. DND is the motel workers' way of abbreviating the sign you put on the motel door. It's a good way of finding some peace and privacy on the road.

What are the notes of Closing time piano?
B G B G D G B G B G B G C B G

Can I Have a Signed Photograph of the Band?
If you send a stamped ($0.75) self-addressed manila envelope 8-1/2" x 11" size you'll get a signed photo back from our management. Address:

Semisonic
P.O. Box 3931
Minneapolis, MN 55403

Are Tabs Available For Guitar Parts to Your Songs?
Yes, they're right here on the website.
» All About Chemistry Tabs »
» Feeling Strangely Fine Tabs »
» Great Divide Tabs »
» Pleasure EP Tabs »

Are the String Arrangements From FSF Available?
Unfortunately no.

What Happened to John's Mustache?
John: A friend of mine in LA got me onto the idea of growing a 'stache. I thought his looked amazing and then the next day I saw him, no moustache. "Why, oh why," I cried. He said people treated him like a moustache guy, acting way differently towards him. I had to find out for myself what being "treated like a moustache guy" was like.

What I found: if you grow a moustache people have very strong opinions about it and they don't hesitate to let you know what they are. I don't mean the usual "nice haircut" kind of thing, but more like "outrageously groovy facial hair, dude," or the slightly deflating "what is that on your face?!! Get it off!"

Second, these sorts of extreme reactions seem to be coming from everyone, even complete strangers. And I'm not paranoid. Not long after the 'stache had reached full bloom we were playing a show out in DC with Soul Coughing. They went on after us and in the middle of their show M. Doughty started going off about me.

"Did everyone see the bass player from Semisonic's moustache? I'm feeling that moustache like I've never felt a moustache before. (cheering) And let me tell you that it feels like the first time!"

What he meant, who could tell? Encountering him in the hallway later that day I rubbed my moustachioed face on his shaved head. That seemed to please him and that's when I knew it was time for a change.

Finally, I determined that for every moustache shaved off, another one grows. This is the "Universal Moustache Constant" also known as, "Munson's Constant."

Are There Individual Bios for John, Jake and Dan?
No.

What are the guys' astrological signs?
Dan: Taurus
Jake: Aries
John: Sagittarius

Will Trip Shakespeare Ever Get Back Together?
Anything is possible.

Why Don't You Guys Ever Play Trip Songs?
We have in Minneapolis. Matt joined us for an encore and we played Turtledove which was fun, but really that's skirting the question. We don't play Trip songs because we aren't Trip Shakespeare. Although never is a long time, we will never play Toolmaster. Loved the band though.

What Music Do You Listen To?
John: Randomly and partially I listen to:

• Marvin Gaye in particular and most of the early Motown stuff for the soulful singing and the amazing rhythm section, esp. James Jamerson
• Bill Evans Trio from the early sixties for the great ensemble playing, esp. Scott LaFaro the man who would've changed the way people think about bass before anyone else did (think Jaco Pastorius) if he hadn't died.
• The Beatles
• Led Zeppelin for the outrageous feel and for the texture of the guitar parts.
• Prince
• Exile on Main Street
• Joni Mitchell
• The Band
• Elliot Smith
• Wilco
• Beastie Boys
• The Zombies
• The Replacements
• Lucinda Williams
• Bjork
• I try to tune in to whatever the other guys are listening to so that we always have common reference points when we talk about music.

Dan:
Here's a partial and very randomly ordered list of artists who I consider influences and who I listen to a lot.

• Radiohead
• bjork
• r.e.m.
• smoky robinson
• elvis costello
• my brother Matt Wilson
• swervedriver
• joni mitchell
• beatles
• oasis first two cd's
• prince
• liz Phair
• charles mingus
• john coltrane

What videos has Semisonic made?
Semisonic has made videos for these songs:

Pleasure e.p.

• The Prize. Directed by Douglas Gayeton. Filmed in Minneapolis behind the Salvation Army with the help of the people of Minneapolis.

Great Divide

• Down in Flames. Directed by Douglas Gayeton. Filmed in a soundstage in LA and in the hills and rocks and highways around LA.
• If I Run. Directed by Julie Hermelin. Filmed in an abandoned sausage factory in Wicker Park, Chicago. The sausage factory was tricked out to look like a "24 Hour Ice Cream" store, where our hero "Chuck", suffers through the summer job from hell. Semisonic comes in to buy ice cream.
• F.N.T. Directed by Julie Hermelin. Filmed in a gigantic model camera in a soundstage in LA. The video also featured footage from the nearly straight-to-video Geena Davis/Samuel L. Jackson movie "The Long Kiss Goodnight." No, the band never got to meet Geena Davis, but she did call the producer to let the guys know she wasn't able to come.

Feeling Strangely Fine

• Closing Time. Directed by Chris Applebaum. A story of missed connections and attempted nightclubbing told with an amazing split-screen technique. There are no edits.
• Singing in My Sleep. Directed by Chris Applebaum. Our hero, "The Frenchman", creates a compilation tape and sends it to our heroine, Natalia Jovovich. Our heroine responds with a large gesture of her own.

Questions about the Closing Time video (some of these were sent to us by the people at VH-1's "Pop Up Video" show.)

Who is the Woman in the Closing Time Video?
The girlfriend in closing time is an actress named Denise Franco -- an actress from LA. She was happy to play the heroine in this video after having been one of the "bitches" (as they were called onset) who terrorize Claire Danes in Soul Asylum's "Just Like Anyone" video.

We would have liked to have a friend of ours or even Dan's actual wife, but the video had such intense planned out staging that we needed a stone cold pro who could run around the set behind the camera and land in the right place at the right time.

Why did you shoot in LA?
The concept called for much outdoor shooting. We would have liked to shoot in our hometown of Minneapolis, but in March, there is still a good chance of snowstorms and generally freezing, stormy weather. So LA was chosen for its consistently warm, unstormy climate. Ironically, the weather in Minneapolis was beautiful during the week of the shoot. But in LA a violent rainstorm kept us trapped indoors most of one night, forcing us to try the whole thing again on the next.

It was really hard to find a location with a diner, a nightclub, and a rehearsal space within fifty yards of each other. Eventually, the nightclub was created from an alley, the rehearsal space was set up in an auto repair shop, and a sushi bar was used for the restaurant.

What can you tell us about that neighborhood?
In the shadow of the LA county jail. Lots of artists live there, though it's not zoned for living. Our loud all night shoot kept the residents hanging out the windows until dawn. They generally seemed like the late night types, though some were irritated by the disturbance. They're probably reminded of it every time they hear the song.

The bar in the video was actually an alleyway between two buildings. The alley is usually filled with parked cars; one neighbor has a collection of '50s Ramblers there. They all had to move their cars around the corner.

Right around the corner of the "Bar" set is the real-life and legendary Al's Bar.

How did you hook up with director Chris Applebaum; was there a vid of his that you particularly liked?
We liked the fact that Chris used the words "cheeky", "tasty", and "sexy" to describe ideas that he was excited about. Also we loved these videos of his:

"I Can't Put My Finger On It" -- Ween
"The Impression That I Get" -- Mighty Mighty Bosstones
"Sucked Out" -- Superdrag

Shot on Dan's Daughter's Birthday -- True?
Yes, the video was shot on Dan's daughter's first birthday. She also makes a few appearances in the lyrics of Closing Time, which were written around the time she was born. Dan has said the second verse starts with a baby being "bounced" from the womb.

How did you manage to hit your marks? Was it frustrating or stressful trying to get everything right each time?
It was pretty hard to hit the marks. Since it was all one long take, lots of things had to go right all at once.

After Dan knocked on the window of the deserted restaurant, he had to run at full speed in heavy boots to the other end of the block to make it to his next entrance. The take we used was take 11, so Dan's legs were pretty worn out by that time.

One hard thing was since there would be no editing, no one could laugh during the shooting. It's pretty natural to crack up if you make a mistake, then of course it can be removed later. At the end, when Jake and John were leaning on the car, they were making funny remarks to each other and desperately trying not to laugh.

Also, each time Dan got to the entrance of the bar, the bouncer would say something bland like "come on in." But in the take we used, Dan said to the bouncer, "Have you seen Denise?" and the bouncer replied, "Yes, she just went in with some really big dude." Thus Dan's reaction.

Which section of the Closing Time video has the hardest choreography?
A few spots were especially difficult -- the point where the camera turns around and around in the "empty" practice space looks simple, but in reality there are eight people dashing around the room behind the camera, trying to stay out of frame: three band members, Denise, a steadicam operator, assistant camera operator, the art director (who had to grab the turntable out of the shot), and a production assistant who handed Dan his guitar. Several takes ended up with one or more of these people sprawled on the floor after a collision.

The scene where the waitress passes between Dan and Denise in the bar was the very hardest to get right. They all had marks to hit on certain beats in the song, but as that moment went wrong in take after take, everyone got a little psyched out. Around take 9 it started working.

Were There Any Technical Problems On the Closing Time Shoot?
Tons:

• The bicycle had no brakes.
• Rain. Whenever it started again, the lights had to be taken down and covered.
• When the shoot was delayed one day by rain, the crew and extras all canceled their plans for the next day to give it another try.
• Cadillac kept breaking down, battery died...
• Cramping legs of steadicam operator.
• The extras in the bar became frozen and irritable, found it hard to maintain the proper good cheer.
• Exhaustion; the first complete take wasn't accomplished until around 2am.