Say Anything is my favorite band of all time and Max Bemis is that band's frontman. From the moment I heard their music for the first time, I was drawn into Max's bluntly honest lyrics and his angry voice that he once referred to as "the drunken sailor routine." The first time I saw them live, I was completely blown away at their intensity and how they and their fans seemed to transform into one passionate being.
Since May 20th 2006, I've had the pleasure of seeing Say Anything live 11 times. That first show completely blew my mind and only helped to permanently place them as my favorite band. After that show, my best friend and I got the chance to talk to a few members of the band. We spoke with guitarist Jake Turner for a good 10 minutes, and then had the opportunity to give Max a quick hello as he sat in their tour van. From then until now, I had the opportunity to talk to them about 5 times and every conversation got better. The fact that a few of the members recognize me and sometimes approach me before I approach them has made loving this band a sometimes surreal experience.
(The second time I met Max [but my first opportunity for a picture] after their Myspace Secret Show at the North Star Bar on May 23, 2006.)
The point of voicing all of those things was to help make whoever reads this better understand why this past Thursday afternoon was an exciting, nerve-wracking and practically mind-blowing occurrence. On Thursday afternoon, I was given the opportunity to interview Max Bemis.
I can honestly say that I felt like I was going to throw up because my nerves were so bad as I waited for Sony Records to call me. I stumbled over my words as I tried to get out the first question, but as soon as Max started talking, it felt like I was talking to an old friend and I immediately relaxed. Talking to him as a journalist was an entirely different experience than talking to him as just a fan. He answered every question thoroughly, even rambled at times, and the nerves that plagued him when fans would bum rush him seemed to never have existed. He was humble, funny and terribly sweet, and I don't think I could have asked for a better interview.
I'm currently in the process of transcribing that interview and will post it soon. Before the interview or the article I'm writing from it goes online, I felt that I should let everyone know how much it meant to me to talk to my favorite singer/songwriter. Call me crazy if you wish, but there's no musicians I love more than Max Bemis and his band.
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