This Ain't No Side Project
By Marc Hawthorne. Originally appeared in Fizz Magazine. November 94.
It’s nice to have friends in high places, but there’s always a catch. Just ask David Berman, lead singer/songwriter and founding member of the Silver Jews. When he start the band with a couple of college buddies in the late 80’s, nobody gave the band much thought. But now that the others two members of the Silver Jews - Steve Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich - have made quite a name for themselves with the almighty Pavement, people have started to take notice. Problem is, people won’t stop comparing them with Pavement. Berman figures it’s inevitable, but the popular misconception that the Silver Jews is some sort of Pavement side project is really starting to bug him. Nevertheless, the band just recently released their first full-length album, entitled Starlite Walker, on Drag City. Eleven songs full of quirky melodies, unorthodox lyrics and folk-driven passion, Starlite Walker is sure to set people straight about the ability of the Silver Jew’s material to stand proudly on its own. But don’t expect the Silver J. train to come rumbling through your town anytime soon, because a live band they are not. This interview took place sometime in the afternoon during the middle of last November (1994). Though very soft-spoken, the head Jew had quite a bit to say.
M: Marc Hawthorne D: David Berman
M: Who all is in the Silver Jews?
D: The core members are me, Bob Nastanovich and Malkmus. And we sometimes play with (Pavement drummer) Steve West, so I guess in the end, the constant member are me, and Malkmus and Nastanovich, but I’m actually doing a recording with some other people under the name Silver Jews, so that doesn’t mean anything anymore anyway.
M: Who are you recording with?
D: It’s a band up here that are this amazing band that I’m a really big fan of, and I just want to record with them for the hell of it.
M: What are they called?
D: They’re called the Scud Mountain Boys. They’re this local band that is just incredible.
M: So no matter who you record with, you’re gonna call yourselves the Silver Jews?
D: It’s weird because, the Silver Jews, unlike a band that come together just for the purpose of becoming a band and the members, may or may not develop a friendship. The Silver Jews is always like a friendship first, and the music is sort of an expression of the friendship. Just like talking, or hanging out together would be another. I like playing with other people. It’s always been my project as much as Pavement is Steve’s project, and I guess I’m kind of burnt on all the Pavement talk and stuff like that, and I’d like to do something on my own. I’m going to do another project with Will Oldham (of the Palace Brothers) that’s going to be called the Silver Palace. So maybe just for now I’m going to play with other people, but it will always come back to the original line-up at the end.
M: When did the Silver Jews first get together?
D: We’ve been playing since the late ‘80’s in college in Charlottesville (The University of Virginia). The first time we started calling it Silver Jews was when we all moved up to New York together in 1989 right after college.
M: So how did you guys first meet?
D: Bob and I met in the hallway of a dormitory, and Steve and I met on a way to a concert. We both caught a ride with the same guy to go see the Cure.
M: How did you come up with the name Silver Jews?
D: Silver Apple, Silver Beetles - you know - we wanted to be a Silver band, and Silver Jews, we just liked the sound of it. Coincidentally, I happen to be Jewish, but I don’t think that had anything to do with it. I can’t even remember thinking of it when it came about, so it just goes to show how it appeared one day. I don’t think there was any thought about it.
M: How did the process of creating Starlite Walker differ from your previous stuff?
D: Most obviously because it was recorded in a 24-track studio and The Arizona Record was recorded on a hand-held walkman, except for the last song which was recorded on four track. Number two, all the other stuff I wrote together with Steve, and this record I wrote by myself. Number three, the songs were written out beforehand, and were worked on more.
M: It sounds like on the new album you are singing more of the lead vocals and Steve is singing more of the background vocals, but sometimes it’s hard to tell you guys apart.
D: Yeah, on this record Steve’s singing more background vocals. On the other ones, some of the songs were 50/50, or 75/25, me/Steve. Some people have a hard time telling the differences, wich always makes me laugh, because Steve has a lot more versatility as a singer. But I think it just comes from… well, probably you and your friends talk alike or sound alike. That happens after hanging out with someone for many years.