QRO interviewed Tim Nordwind, bassist/vocalist for OK Go, where he talked about their new album, Hungry Ghosts, PledgeMusic, confetti, Dune and more…
QRO: Something about the band I’ve always admired is this ‘anything goes’ mentality that seems to prevail in how you guys write and create music. Is that trait of the band something that was decided on when you guys started or a reaction to seeing how your peers did things?
Tim Nordwind: It’s just the type of people we are. I don’t think it’s ever been a conscious decision to be creative and open minded to ideas. Maybe it’s the way we were raised, or maybe it’s that we all feel so comfortable together. It’d probably get boring to make things if we were constantly saying “no” to ideas.
QRO: I’ve read that with Hungry Ghosts, you guys will be releasing songs very different than your previous works. What’s your take on those kinds of albums that bands release? And by that I mean the albums that are different than an already established style?
TN: We’ve been a band for almost 15 years. We’ve grown up in OK Go and our ideas on music and art have shifted and changed. Hungry Ghost is very representative of us as people and songwriters now which is different then us at 21 years old making our first record. We embrace change and doing what feels best in the moment.
QRO: What was it about “The Writing’s On the Wall” that made you guys choose for it to be the first tune that the world would hear from the new album?
TN: We really like that it effectively pushes and pulls on the heartstrings. It does what only music can do which is to communicate several different emotions at the same time. We call it the ‘happy/sad’. It felt like an interesting way to reintroduce ourselves after a few years of being away.
OK Go’s video for “The Writing’s On the Wall”:
QRO: How was it working with Dave Fridmann again on an album?
TN: Hungry Ghosts is our second album with Dave Fridmann, so we obviously like working with him. He’s an incredibly creative engineer and producer, but also a fantastic musician. So he’s a lot of fun to work with because he’ll play along as much or as little as you want him to. Dave’s studio is the world’s most fun musical playground and it’s a joy to be there.
QRO: Looking back now, what do you think of the PledgeMusic experience and what prompted the band to give that a go?
TN: Our PledgeMusic experience has been an art project unto itself. It’s a great way to be in communication with our fans in a creative way. We’re offering to make fake documentaries of people’s lives based off of no facts whatsoever. We’re designing shoes for people. Dan [Konopka], our drummer, is drawing caricatures of fans who pledge. So it’s been a really fun project to be involved with.
QRO: Live shows tend to evolve with the release of new albums and with you guys that’s definitely been a staple of your career. How have the new tracks helped the live show to evolve and what do you guys have planned?
TN: We’ve really gone all out with our new live show. It’s become incredibly experiential. We make a song with the audience, blast them with confetti, there is a ton of video, interesting production affects, and we still have a lot of pieces to add to the show as we continue to tour. The new music has really inspired us to push the show forward in modern and fun ways.
OK Go playing solely with handbells live at 2010 Musicfest in Oak Ridge Park, Union County, NJ:
QRO: I think you guys are the only band I’ve ever seen to utilize confetti early on in a show as opposed to the tail end (massive cheers to that). When it comes to the live shows, what do you feel it is you want fans/newcomers to take away from the band?
TN: We want the fans to feel like they’ve been invited to our party. And we try to really create an experience that makes them feel inspired, excited, and like traveled an emotional arc with us.
QRO: Since you guys are famous for your videos, I was curious to know if they are any videos/directors you guys have been fond of recently that you’d like to share with our readers?
TN: I just watched Jodorowsky’s Dune on the plane back from Tokyo. I admire Alejandro Jodorowsky’s incredible and clear vision. His imaginative and psychedelic take on the worlds he creates are really fascinating. And I just love how is driven by his ideas, anything for the idea.
OK Go playing “Here It Goes Again” live at 2010 Musicfest in Oak Ridge Park, Union County, NJ:
