Ten Questions For YACHT

I love YACHT, otherwise known as Jona Bechtolt, otherwise known as one half of the Portland duo, The Blow. As YACHT, Jona makes eclectic pop/hip-hop/dance music all on his laptop, and boy is it awesome. Just look at his MySpace page and see where he quotes yours truly: "YACHT's not just music, it's a way of life." Couldn't have said it better myself... but oh wait I did say that!

Bechtolt's currently on tour with LCD Soundsystem, but he was kind enough to take some time to answer my questions, go off on a few rants and even admit that it's been a while since he's had some action. Then for those of you that can't get enough YACHT, I've also included this adorable video for his summer jam, "See A Penny (Pick It Up)" -- which, by the way, gives major props to his hometown.

NY Doll: Why YACHT?

Jona Bechtolt: Originally the band was called YOX, then OXYOX then YAUGHT. Now it's just YACHT. The inspiration came from a sign me and my oldest, Neal, saw in North Portland on our way to a WNBA game. It's certainly not the most unique name in the world, but people seem to like it, and now it's sort of "stuck," for better or worse. Marriage -- one of my record labels -- wanted me to change it -- I think they actually said "adapt it" -- to YACT, but we compromised when I agreed to trim down some of the more ambitious CD-ROM features from "IBIYYMIR," which were starting to get pretty expensive. I personally don't think you can put a price on creativity, but Michael and I have differing opinions on that, and have kind of agreed to disagree. And that's fine. I'm not 110 percent sure I'd go on record as saying I'll work with them again, but that's probably another interview, right? Although, if you would indulge me a little, I mean, seriously, YACT?? Who are we kidding here? Is that *really* going to sell more records? Both Michael and Wes-Frinn dumped -- in all honesty -- close to $5800 on researching "marketable brands," saturation ratios, basically this-that-and-the-other-thing and I suppose my FIRST question -- and my fiance Cynthia happens to agree with me on this, if we're keeping score, Mike -- my first question would have to be what kind of accountability am I as the artist facing for THAT expense? Or have you forgotten about me in the shuffle? Maybe if we weren't so concerned with, oh, I don't know, something as seemingly fucking moot -- at THIS point, anyway, with 7K pressed and three more on the way if we go international with this, which it's looking more and more like we wil -- something as preposterously moot as an already licensed band name when, again, this is not just my opinion but those of several close friends around me, we could, perhaps -- and I know this is an unorthodox business strategy -- but maybe we could get in on the ground floor of something special? I suppose I would ask what your fiance thinks of this, Michael, but we all know how that turned out, don't we? (*NY Doll's note: OH SNAP!)

NYD: If you weren't YACHT, who would you be?

JB:111010101010101010101000010101010111101010101001010101001100101000010101 01010101010101010010101010

NYD: What's a typical day like for YACHT?

JB: Well, right now I'm on tour with LCD Soundsystem. You can imagine, right? Ups and downs, for sure, and sometimes I just feel bananas. I definitely try to keep in touch with friends via email; a lot of my time I'll spend video chatting with Neal or cybering Cynthia. I exercise a fair amount on the road, and try to read as much as possible. Often you can find me relaxing with an issue of Men's Health or Newsweek in front of the venue.

NYD: Got any crazy fan stories?

JB: Once this girl made me an Eeyore cake but I couldn't eat it because I was doing Atkins at the time. I don't know who told her Eeyore was my favorite, but it was really a very sweet gesture. I gave it to my lighting guy.

NYD: Would you consider yourself part of a musical movement?

JB: I guess electroclash, jungle, or adult contemporary/smooth rock/jazz.

NYD: What are your favorite restaurants in NYC?

JB: Gosh, there's so many. I love the Big Apple, and I love taking a bite of it, too.
Here's a whole range, from high brow to high chow and everything in between:
Kate's, Foodswings, Sbarro, Kellogg's Diner, Angelika's Kitchen, the Red Lobster near Nederlander Theatre, Milon.

NYD: What bands are you currently into?

JB: Dashboard. I love Chris and his music. Thank you Chris for sharing your music and your gift.

NYD: What's the best thing about playing live?

JB: I just get a real rush from the crowd. Do you know what I mean? I don't think there's anything like dominating a stage.

NYD: Can you briefly describe your songwriting process?

JB: Usually it starts with a beat or simple bass loop. Something that bumps, something that hits. If it gets Neal dancing, I know I've done my job. Children have this kind of unbridled honesty that is completely free of context and pretense. You should see his drawings. Amazing. Anyway, like I said, if I can get Neal and -- heaven forbid -- Cynthia dancing, I know I've done my homework. It's gotta be absolutely slamming, though. It has to be raw. Lyrics typically come afterwards, but it's not entirely uncommon for me to draw inspiration from a certain line or turn-of-phrase. I keep fairly detailed journals and dream notebooks that I'm always cribbing choice tidbits from. If it moves, that's all that matters, though. For example, a lot of those great Chemical Brothers or Prodigy songs don't have words -- or if they do you can't even tell what the heck they're saying -- but they totally bang. It's all about the feeling, really.

NYD: What sort of mood are you in right now?

JB: Playful, I guess. Horny. It's been a while.