Ben Lee Talks About Making Music for The Old Headz, DJ DADBOD & Working with His Musical Heroes (Interview)
Ben Lee pictured with two blue bears (SOURCE: @benleemusic Instagram / CREDIT: photographer unknown)
Ben Lee has had a career trajectory that can be best described as "strange," "eclectic," and "interesting" at various stages throughout the past 20 years. Some brief, albeit extremely "interesting" career highlights include Ben's 1990 Alternative Rock band, Noise Addict, opening for Sonic Youth, plus, the Beastie Boys' label, Grand Royal Records, signed and released albums from both Noise Addict and Ben Lee himself, a later re-booted version of Noise Addict even included Lou Barlow (Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh) and Laura Meyerratken... close affiliations with producer and guitarist T-Bone Burnett, actress Claire Danes and singer Kylie Minogue, collaborations with Evan Dando (The Lemonheads,) Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother, The Graduate) as Radnor & Lee, Shakira, with Bens Folds & Kweller as The Bens, Benji Madden (Good Charlotte,) Mandy Moore, Rooney, Zooey Deschanel, Sean Ono Lennon, and more.
Lee has released 18 solo albums on an assortment of labels, including everything from covers albums to mixtapes, a beer-themed musical album, an Islam-themed kids' album, and a full-album cover of Against Me!'s New Wave. Lee even recently appeared on the third season of The Masked Singer Australia competing as The Professor. I reached out to Ben Lee (I guess about a year or so ago) through email about his DJ DADBOD remix/mash-up project he started posting short video clips of and relating to during the peak of the original COVID-19 Pandemic. I ordered drink coasters embellished with QR codes linking to a stream of Lee's DJ DADBOD mash-ups and after chatting a bit, he soon told me about his then-forthcoming album, This One's for The Old Headz.
Across This One's for The Old Headz, Lee is accompanied by equally seasoned veteran musicians, drummer Jon Wurster (The Mountain Goats, BobMouldBand, ex-Superchunk) and bassist Jason Narducy (BobMoldBand, Verböten, Split Single.) It was produced by fellow Australian musician, song-writer, and producer Justin Stanley, who has previously collaborated with the likes of Beck, Snoop Dogg, and Leonard Cohen. I've been privately listening to and enjoying the album these past couple months via a press stream/advance and I can assure you, it's undeniably awesome! This One's for The Old Headz dropped this past Friday, September 20, 2024 on Ben Lee and his wife, Ione Skye's label imprint/multi-hyphenate, Weirder Together. I would honestly say, having been a long-time fan and supporter of Lee's musical output (at least) since 2005's Awake Is The New Sleep, that Old Headz effectively sounds like a culmination of all of his previous albums, assorted sounds, and miscellaneous projects released throughout his career.
During the roll-out and lead-up to the album release, Lee has unveiled a single for "Lovers" and singles/music videos for "Heavy Metal" (paying tribute/homage to 1988 documentary The Decline of Western Civilization, Part II: The Metal Years,) "So Damn Hard (to Be So Damn Good,)" and "Positive Energy." Ben & I had a career-spanning conversation with a primary focus on Old Headz, this past May and have been in communication over the months since. The interview below was conducted via email and has been lightly edited for general clarity. Ben Lee's This One's for The Old Headz is now available on Weirder Together. Plus, I would strongly recommend subscribing to Ben's Weirder Together Substack newsletter for a constant stream of career updates and a barrage of exciting exclusives.
I. What are your Top 3 favorite Ben Lee releases you feel are most "slept-on" and should have garnered most recognition/acclaim when initially released? Why for each choice?
Ben Lee: “NO RIGHT ANGLES” - AN AWAKE [IS THE NEW SLEEP] ALBUM TRACK INSPIRED BY TIMOTHY SPEED LEVITCH ABOUT DISMANTLING THE NYC GRID SYSTEM.
“POINTLESS BEAUTY” - CAME OUT OF MY FRUSTRATION AT NOT HAVING AS NATURALLY BEAUTIFUL VOICE AS RUFUS WAINWRIGHT.
“SIDE VIEW” - A GRANDPAW WOULD TRACK ABOUT AN AWKWARD FAN ENCOUNTER AT 14 YEARS OLD.
II. How did your whole DJ DADBOD side-gig start? What were a couple of the most difficult sets of tracks to blend together?
Lee: IT REALLY STARTED BECAUSE WE WERE THROWING A WEIRDER TOGETHER PARTY AND I DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO USE THE GEAR, SO I HAD A COUPLE OF LESSONS. THEN, [SAMANTHA] RONSON DM’ED ME ABOUT SERATO DJ PRO AND I STARTED TO MAKE STEMS OUT OF SONGS. THEN, I WAS JUST PLAYING AROUND WITH MASH-UPS FOR FUN. HONESTLY, IF I HADN’T HAVE GOTTEN SUCH A GREAT REACTION TO MY [INSTAGRAM] POSTS, IT WOULD HAVE JUST STOPPED THERE. THE MASH-UPS THAT WORK WELL USUALLY HAPPEN PRETTY EASILY. SOME OF THEM JUST DON’T WORK, DESPITE MY BEST EFFORTS.
III. What made you decide to cover Against Me!'s New Wave back in 2007? Are there any other albums you have or would want to cover in a similar fashion?
Lee: I JUST FELL IN LOVE WITH IT ON THE PLANE. I WAS HEADED TO AUSTRALIA TO DO PRESS FOR RIPE AND I LOVE HAVING A CREATIVE PROJECT GOING WHILE I’M DOING [PROMOTION] TO KEEP ME SANE. IT GAVE ME SOMETHING TO DO WHEN I CAME BACK TO MY HOTEL ROOM.
IV. When was the last time you spoke with your fellow Bens Folds & Kweller? I'm sure you get asked this quite often... but have there ever been any plans to do a follow-up to your self-titled 2003 The Bens EP?
Lee: KWELLER AND I STAY IN TOUCH. FOLDS KINDA DROPPED OFF; NOT SURE WHERE HE IS. HIS LIFE SEEMS TO MOVE IN CHAPTERS. HE’S ONTO ANOTHER ONE. WE’VE TALKED ABOUT IT BEFORE, BUT TIMING IS A VERY DELICATE THING. THE RIGHT MOMENT WHERE THESE KIND OF THINGS CAN WORK FOR THREE VERY INDEPENDENTLY-MINDED SOLO ARTISTS IS VERY RARE.
V. What was it like working with Rooney, Mandy Moore, Benji Madden (Good Charlotte,) Matt Chamberlain (Bob Dylan, The Wallflowers, Frank Ocean,) Todd Simon (TV On The Radio, The Lions, Breakstra,) and more on your 2007 album, Ripe?
Lee: ALL GOOD PEOPLE. THAT WAS A FUN PROJECT BECAUSE COMING OFF AWAKE [IS THE NEW SLEEP,] I HAD A PRETTY GOOD BUDGET AND LABEL SUPPORT, SO KINDA WENT ALL-OUT MAKING A BIG STUDIO RECORD. THE KINDA THING YOU SHOULD TRY ONCE.
VI. How did you and your band, Noise Addict, first meet the Beastie Boys and get them to issue your early releases on their label, Grand Royal Records, as well as your 1995 debut solo album, Grandpa Would?
Lee: WE SENT OUT DEMOS TO WATERFRONT RECORDS, A LOCAL SYDNEY SHOP AND LABEL. THE HEAD OF WATERFRONT, STEVE STAVRAKIS, WAS STARTING A NEW LABEL, FELLAHEEN [RECORDS], WITH A LOCAL PROMOTER, STEPHEN PAVLOVIC. THEY SIGNED US AND SHARED [OUR] MUSIC AROUND WITH SOME OF THE US ACTS THAT WERE TOURING AUSTRALIA, LIKE SONIC YOUTH AND THE BEASTIE BOYS. THEY BOTH OFFERED TO HELP OUR BAND IN THE US.
VII. What was it like getting to work with two of your musical idols and sources of inspiration, Evan Dando (The Lemonheads) and Lou Barlow (Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh,) on Dando, Lee, Petersson, Schwartzman's "Dead or Anything" 2-track single and Noise Addict's it was never about the audience (2009,) respectively?
Lee: WORKING WITH ARTISTS I LOVE IS ONE OF THE GREAT PERKS OF ACHIEVING SOME KIND OF NOTORIETY. SOMETIMES, WORKING WITH PEOPLE YOU ADMIRE CAN BE A TOUCH DISAPPOINTING, BUT MOSTLY, IT’S FASCINATING. GETTING TO KNOW THE MIND BEHIND THE MUSIC IS WHERE THE GOLD OFTEN IS.
VIII. Did you ever think "Catch My Disease," "We're All In This Together," and "Gamble Everything for Love" from your 2005 album, Awake Is The New Sleep, would become as wildly successful as they collectively ended up becoming?
Lee: YES AND NO. THAT RECORD HAD A GREAT VIBE AND THERE WAS A REAL FEELING OF ORGANIC MOMENT AROUND THE MAKING OF IT. BUT, OBVIOUSLY, YOU CAN’T EVER IMAGINE WHAT IT FEELS LIKE FOR A RECORD TO CONNECT THE WAY AWAKE [IS THE NEW SLEEP] DID; PARTICULARLY IN AUSTRALIA, BUT, ALSO, IN SPAIN, [THE] NETHERLANDS, ETC.
IX. What can you tell us about the various functions of Weirder Together as a record label, podcast, Substack newsletter, management company, variety show, etc.?
Lee: THE NAME WEIRDER TOGETHER IS REALLY JUST A CONTAINER FOR EVERYTHING IONE AND I ARE INTO. WE ARE OBSESSED WITH CREATIVITY AND CULTURE. WE WANTED TO CREATE A SPACE WHERE WE COULD PUT OUT STUFF WE MAKE AND STUFF PEOPLE WE LIKE MAKE. THE REASON THERE IS SO MUCH DIVERSE CONTENT AND DIFFERENT MEDIUMS IS THAT WE AREN’T REALLY INTERESTED IN LIMITING IT TO ONE TYPE OF MEDIA; THAT DOESNT MAKE ANY SENSE IN A DIGITAL AGE. WE FIND PEOPLE WE LIKE AND BELIEVE IN AND WE SUPPORT THEM IN MAKING WHATEVER THEY WANNA MAKE.
X. What’s the intended meaning and/or significance behind the title of your forthcoming new album, This One's for The Old Headz?
Lee: “THE OLD HEADZ” ARE THE PEOPLE WHO WERE IN THE SCENE BEFORE YOU. THE OLDER PEOPLE AT THE CLUB THAT HAVE WATCHED CULTURE CHANGE. THEY HAVE GOOD STORIES FROM THE PAST, BUT THEY, ALSO, LOVE BEING PART OF THE SCENE NOW. AT SOME POINT, WE BECAME THE OLD HEADZ. WE’RE LEANING INTO IT.
XI. Who or what would you readily cite as some of your greatest sources of inspiration and influence while recording and creating This One's for The Old Headz?
Lee: THE REPLACEMENTS, TEENAGE FANCLUB, CAMP COPE, [AND THE] LEMONHEADS.
XII. What did the typical song writing, creation, production, instrumentation, etc. processes behind This One's for The Old Headz generally entail?
Lee: I WROTE THE SONGS OVER ABOUT A YEAR OR TWO, AS USUAL. BUT, THEN, I GOT THE BEST POWER-POP RHYTHM SECTION IN THE GAME, JON WURSTER AND JASON NARDUCY, OUT TO LA AND WE CUT THE RECORD STRAIGHT TO TAPE OVER THREE DAYS. THEY WERE INCREDIBLE. IT WAS A TRANSCENDENT EXPERIENCE.
XIII. We noticed there's a song on the album called "Heavy Metal," which (we won't give too much away, but) mentions a handful of Metal artists. What are some of your personal all-time favorite Heavy Metal albums while growing up in Australia?
Lee: I LEANED MORE TO THE GLAM [METAL] SIDE OF THINGS, SO MÖTLEY CRÜE, SKID ROW, [AND] GUNS N’ ROSES; THE GOOFY STUFF.
XIV. How would you say the sounds heard across and employed throughout This One's for The Old Headz differ from your previous selection of released albums?
Lee: IT’S KIND OF A LOUD GUITAR POP RECORD, WHICH IS MORE LIKE SOME OF THE NOISE ADDICT STUFF, BUT IS, ALSO, THERE ON GRANDPAW WOULD AND RIPE. A COUPLE MOMENTS ON AWAKE [IS THE NEW SLEEP]. IT’S ALWAYS BEEN PART OF WHAT I DO. I JUST LET IT RIP THIS TIME.
XV. What's planned next for either Ben Lee and/or Weirder Together?
Lee: [THIS ONE’S FOR THE] OLD HEADZ IS A BIG DEAL FOR THE LABEL. IT’S THE FIRST TIME WE’VE TAKEN A BIGGER SWING AND PUT SOME MONEY BEHIND SOMETHING, SO THAT WILL BE INTERESTING. WERE ALSO STARTING TO DEVELOP SOME PODCAST PROJECTS THAT COULD BE [INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY] (I.P.) FOR TV OR FILM. WERE CO-PRODUCING SOMETHING WITH MAE MARTIN. IT’S INTERESTING. WERE TRYING TO FOLLOW THE FLOW AND DO PROJECTS WE ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT!
