The National’s Matt Berninger talks to VICKI ANDERSON about their new album and a documentary about life on the road with the band made by his heavy-metal loving brother.
Matt Berninger, lead singer of acclaimed Brooklyn indie rock band The National, apologises that he has just abandoned a family dinner and is standing outside on a street somewhere in lower Manhattan.
For my part, I am inside a phone booth on a Lyttelton street. Outside a posse of – presumably – sailors with bewildering beards wait not-so-patiently to use the phone.
“Well, here we are, loitering on streets at opposite ends of the world,” Berninger says.
Inside the restaurant his family is having a celebratory dinner. It is the day before Berninger’s brother, Tom, has his film open the Tribeca Film Festival.
His documentary, Mistaken For Strangers, named for one of The National’s songs, is a unusual rock documentary about life on the road with the band, on the outside looking in.
The National comprises five blokes – two sets of brothers and Matt. This documentary is essentially the story of Matt’s brother, you know, the one who isn’t in the band.
Tom thinks indie rock is “pretentious bullshit”.
“He made a movie about going on the road with us,” Berninger says. “We live such different lives and then he came on tour with us as a roadie. He doesn’t even like indie rock. His original title for the movie was For Those About to Weep, a play on AC/DC’s For Those About to Rock.”
As Matt tells it, Tom is more of a heavy metal fan.
While Matt, the rock star, was performing in front of thousands of adoring fans, Tom was a dazzlingly inept roadie living in his brother’s shadow. The documentary starts with Tom’s family telling him to “get his shit together”, and leads on to Tom getting fired after missing the tour bus. Later his mother tells him not to quit the film and actually follow through on something.
“What you don’t see in the movie is that on the first day of the tour he pulled an awning off the front of an awning store with the van. He’s a fantastic brother but as a roadie he’s a bit Spinal Tap.”
Berninger says the film shows unflattering moments between them, drinking, fighting and exchanging insults.
“Originally, I wasn’t sure how comfortable I was with people seeing that but in the end the story isn’t really about the band, it’s more a story about Tom and me, our relationship, and that stuff is part of it.”
A sailor thumps the window beside me. Berninger hears it and laughs.
“We better get to talking about the album before you’re dumped in the port.”
Today, The National release their sixth studio album, Trouble Will Find Me. Berninger confesses that there was really no intention to make another record after High Violet but this new album just eased its way into existence.
“This record is different from all our other records,” he says. “Some records you enjoy making, others are more difficult. On this record we had fun the whole time, it was a total state of pleasure making this album. Making this album was a joy.”
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After spending many years as a musician chasing success and finally achieving it with High Violet, it took the pressure off, he says, and has given the band a layer of confidence.
“For 10 years we’d been trying to prove something but after High Violet it felt like we didn’t have to prove ourselves anymore.
“After touring High Violet we weren’t going to make an album for years but one song led to another and then we found we had 20 songs in six months. We had that taste of success, now we want to be a band that sticks around.”
Trouble Will Find Me is dark but visceral, real and beautiful album. Its title is drawn from a line in the song Sea of Love. Opening track I Should Live In Salt and Don’t Swallow the Cap are standout songs but each song is quintessential The National.
Curiously, Berninger says he spent a lot of time listening to Roy Orbison’s music and dissecting his “weird” song structures.
“He had a tragic life but he put some of that malaise and made beautiful pop songs.
“With this album we tried to make songs that would last. It wasn’t about making cool songs or even songs that sound modern.”
Although The National collaborated with a number of artists on the album, including Sufjan Stevens, St Vincent and Sharon Van Etten, they are woven indelibly into the mix.
“On some songs it’s not obvious that they’re there but they add a colour.”
With the announcement of a world tour for the album, Berninger says The National will “definitely be returning to New Zealand” and he hopes it will be an extended stay.
“The next time we’re in New Zealand I want to organise it so my wife, daughter and I can really spend some decent time there.”
The National’s new album, Trouble Will Find Me, is out today.
THE LOWDOWN
The National, tormed in 1999, consists of vocalist Matt Berninger, who fronts two pairs of brothers: Aaron (guitar, bass, piano) and Bryce Dessner (guitar), and Scott (bass, guitar) and Bryan Devendorf (drums).
They released The National, Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers and a mini-album, Cherry Tree, before signing to Beggars Banquet in 2004.
They went on to release Alligator (2005), Boxer (2007) and the 2010 album High Violet, which sold more than 600,000 copies and was widely recognised for its critical and commercial success around the world.
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