Critics tend to flagrantly use the term wunderkind to describe anyone under 25 with a modicum of talent. But other than Justin Bieber, has there really been a true pop music
wunderkind in the past ten years? If you can't think of one, meet San Francisco garage
rocker Ty Segall. At the fresh young age of 23, Segall has already released five full-length LPs of sun-drenched, fuzzed-out, psychedelic pop, including 2010's Melted (which landed on a slew of year-end best-of lists), and Live in Aisle 5 (a vinyl-only recording that just arrived in record stores last week).
Today, Segall set sail on the Bruise Cruise Festival, a three-day cruise from Miami to the Bahamas featuring performances by Vivian Girls, Black Lips, Thee Oh Sees, Surfer Blood, and more. If you weren't able to secure passage on the sold-out ship, you can catch Segall's rave-up live show at the Mercury Lounge in New York on March 8, assuming the cruise ship doesn't capsize. PAPERMAG caught up with Segall before he embarked on the high seas to discuss the impending cruise, his breakneck work ethic, and if it's ever appropriate to use the word "hella."
So the Bruise Cruise sets sail soon. Have you ever been on a cruise ship before?
Never been on a cruise before. It's a new experience.
I just read that the Bruise Cruise is sharing a ship with 2,000 regular Carnival
cruise passengers. Seems like this could be a recipe for hilarity or disaster. What are
your expectations?
It should be very hilarious, awesome, and weird. There could be some really strange
moments.
Your new live album, Live in Aisle 5, has two fantastic covers -- "Baby Baby Baby"
by the Vibrators and "Don't Talk to Me" by GG Allin. Do you have a favorite cover
song to play?
It changes all the time. For awhile it was Black Sabbath's "Paranoid." We're not really playing a cover right now. But a really fun one I like to play is "Annette's Got the Hits" by Redd Kross. I love that song.
Live in Aisle 5 is 30 unrelenting minutes of live rock 'n' roll. What are the key ingredients for an action-packed set list?
I think it's just gotta flow really well. And you can't take too many breaks. At least, I don't think we should. I like playing three songs in a row really fast, even letting them blur together a little bit. Just to keep everyone going. I think transitioning well and making everything flow is the key to a good set list.
San Francisco's home to a burgeoning underground rock scene and there's a trend where everyone's playing on each other's records. If you could play on any band's album throughout time, whose record would it be?
I'd wanna play drums on Blue Cheer's Outsideinside.
You grew up in Orange County, but now you're a staple of the San Francisco music scene. Do you identify yourself as more of a Northern or Southern Californian?
Equally both. I grew up in Southern California, so that's part of my perspective and existence fundamentally. But the Northern California mentality, especially the San Francisco vibe of openness, is a big part of me, too.
I guess what I'm trying to ask is if you're comfortable using the word hella?
No, I don't feel comfortable saying hella. But hecka -- I'm down with hecka.
A handful of your songs -- like "It #1" or "My Sunshine" - are instant party-starters. If you're at a dull party and you want to get people off their asses, what song would you play?
Hawkwind's "Silver Machine" or "Ace of Spades."
Live in Aisle 5 is your fifth full-length LP in three years. Do you have another LP in
the works or do you plan on slowing down in 2011?
There's another full-length record coming out in June. And there's a weird EP thing coming out in March. And for Record Store Day, I'm doing a T. Rex covers EP. We play "Fist Heart Mighty Dawn Dart," "The Slider," "Woodland Rock," "Salamanda Palaganda," and "Elemental Child." It should be fun.
It doesn't sound like you're slowing down. Is Goner Records releasing your new LP?
No, actually it's coming out on Drag City.
I've read you're an avid surfer. What's more exhilarating: playing a great concert or riding a perfect wave?
When you play a good show, there's a connectivity with the crowd, and it's like this communal sharing of energy. You're just vibing off each other. It's amazing. But then surfing is more like ... it's not a selfish act at all, but it's very solitary if you're riding a wave. You're connected with the ocean. It's a spiritual thing. It's a whole different kind of energy than if you're playing a really good show and people are psyched on it. Surfing is more like therapy for me, and playing an insane show feels like getting a giant hug from everyone in the room.
