“How much longer will I dream? I get so tired of just waking up to me.”
Born three years ago when all its members were just a tender 19, Twin Peaks is a band that shouts “youth.” With a dreamy, dirty 60’s feel, every album takes you to a place inside yourself that wants to let go. You get lost in the rawness, the realness, the immediacy of this band, and at concerts, you see its members lose themselves right back. As a group of young guys with a predilection for corduroy pants, Twin Peaks is fun and liberating, for sure. However, make no mistake, their youth in no way overpowers their substance. Their songs are refreshingly truthful, almost visceral, in a way that cements their skill and allegiance to sound. Being an embarrassingly large fan, I had some questions about these honest lyrics that constantly parade my brain, and in the midst of Twin Peaks’ North American tour, bassist/vocalist Jack Dolan had the answers. Read the interview (where I try to sound as normal as possible) below:
HER CAMPUS: How important is honesty when writing?
JACK DOLAN: In my opinion it’s probably the most important aspect of being a songwriter. My favorite artists tend to give the audience a little look into their minds for a moment and that approach doesn’t really leave much room for any dishonesty. Instead of trying to mirror or imitate feelings or emotion, you provide your own, creating a perspective for others that’s unique and probably different from theirs.
HC: What have you written (song/tweet/text/anything) that you’re most proud of? Why?
JD: I’m writing a bunch of stuff right now since we’re in between records that I’m pretty excited about. As far as stuff I’ve written in the past, I’m probably most proud of “Getting Better” off our last record. It was one of those songs that was pretty therapeutic for me to write. It helped me come to terms with a lot of ugly stuff in my life and how to move on from it. From what I’ve heard, it’s produced similar results for others, which was also a big goal for me. Writing music that actually physically helps people is cool as f**k.
HC: As the digital age rages on, people are constantly searching for efficiency. What makes writing, a fairly complicated process, still relevant in this time of instant gratification?
JD: I think there’s definitely a lot less respect for writers right now, but by no means do I think people feel it’s irrelevant. No matter how many blogs, twitter accounts, or facebook posts that exist, people will still find a way to communicate things differently and make real emotional connections through all kinds of forms of writing. From what I can see, songwriting in particular is something that keeps evolving all the time.
HC: What song made you realize that lyrics are important?
JD: Off the top of my head, I think “Five Years” by David Bowie is one of the best songs lyrically I’ve ever heard. It’s a narration of this horrible chaotic scene, but somehow makes it all seem really beautiful. Everything feels like it’s flowing in slow motion and you can picture it happening in your head. It’s a very powerful song.
HC: Do you prefer writing on a laptop or on paper?
JD: I prefer to write on paper because it makes it more of a physical activity. You scratch things out, move things around, underline certain things or whatever you gotta do. When it’s all said and done, you have this little blueprint of the whole process.
HC: What’s the last book you read that made you learn something?
JD: The book I’m reading right now is kind of a cheesy science fiction book about how artificial intelligence reacts to our dependence on the sun. It sounds crazy, but that sort of stuff gets the creative juices going for me, for sure. Aliens are raw.
HC: Not directly writing related, but if Donald Trump was a fictional character, he would totally be Mr. Kurtz from Heart of Darkness, right?
JD: I certainly hope it doesn’t turn out that way. We just found out today that he’s the Time Magazine person of the year, so the whole thing does have a little bit of an Orwellian/1984 feel to it, in my opinion. Big Brother is probably real after all.