Deerhoof – Full Greg Saunier Q & A

An article based on this interview appears in Beat Happening magazine.

Greg Saunier of San Francisco’s perma touring Deerhoof answers some questions on the eve of the release of their latest LP ‘Offend Maggie’.

Where and when was ‘Offend Maggie’ written? Was it an easy birth or a troubled conception?

Actually with us it’s always the other way around…an easy conception but a troubled birth. Getting the ideas for songs in the first place is like falling off a log, you know… stuff just pops into your head, and there it is! Even learning to play it isn’t so difficult, but recording it so that it sort of matches what was in your head in the first place, ooh that’s a tough one. Always takes a long time, and the more you work on it (we mix everything ourselves on computer) the easier it is to forget what your first idea actually was…

Who is Maggie and why do you wish to offend her? What’s the concept behind the album? ‘Friend Opportunity’ dealt a lot with personal relationships and the way they act, does ‘Offend Maggie’ continue this introvert theme or is it a more extrovert record?

The record is about offending Maggie but that doesn’t mean it’s Deerhoof doing the offending – we’re just telling the story you see. Not to cop out but I always hope that our records are both introvert and extrovert depending on when you listen to them. The best way to understand what the title is about is to hear the music, see the cover art, read the lyrics – each of them explains the rest of them…