The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart is a New York-based rock band.

They have released two critically acclaimed albums. They played The Bottleneck on October 13.

Guitarist/vocalist Kip Berman recently wrote in to discuss his hobbies, trying to write songs while on tour and the qualities he looks for in great songs.

For more info on the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, check out http://www.thepainsofbeingpureatheart.com/

How old were you when you first started playing guitar?
I was 13, and I tried to figure out Nirvana songs with my friend who had some drums in his basement with very limited success.

Were your parents musical? Did you come from a musical family?
It sounds pretentious to say I came from a “musical family.” That sort of thing is reserved for the press kits of artists that want their greatness to be perceived as genetically fated, advancing a pre-emptive rebuttal against anyone who might question whether the songs they hear are in any way memorable. It’s as if being talented at writing songs is like inheriting your dad’s hair color or your mom’s nose. I don’t think it is. “Quirkiness” is another such quality that gets played up in bios, as if every four chord pop song you hear is the result of some zany, ethereal misfit whose lack of etiquette and social graces are in equal portion to their raw artistic genius. Perhaps because my background is so eminently normal, I am a bit biased, but I have little patience for such things.

That being said, my Grandpa, who I adore, was a professional violist, and I grew up playing the violin and viola (not particularly well). When I was 13, I got an electric guitar because I wanted to be like Kurt Cobain. But it’s weird, because I’m nothing like Kurt Cobain – I have brown hair, for one. So, a little later, I readjusted role models to Joey Ramone, Stephen Pastel and Jonathan Richman.
What was the first concert you went to?
When I was 14 I started to go to local punk shows. There was a record label called “Creep Records” that had bands like Plow United, The Orphans, 3rd Year Freshmen and Super Hi 5 that would play around where I lived. Maybe the names of the bands aren’t super recognizable, but the ethos of people around my age just going up and playing songs was and still is really inspiring. I was mostly into Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer at the time, but for some reason got really into the punk bands too, even though it was a different aesthetic and ethic. Good songs and lyrics are transcendent, and when you’re young, you’re open minded enough not to pay too much attention to genre.

How did the Pains of Being Pure at Heart first come together?
We were all friends in New York, hanging out, eating pizza and going to shows. I had written some songs and asked Alex and Peggy to play them with me, and we played our first show at Peggy’s birthday party. Kurt was my roommate and joined a few months later when we wisely ditched our “one drum beat” drum machine.

How has your songwriting process evolved since you first started out?
It hasn’t, really. My favorite songs are direct and immediate, and I believe the most memorable rocknroll, pop or whatever you call it is the simplest. There’s nothing worse than hearing a band that’s “really matured on their latest record.” As for “Belong,” it’s just better recorded than the one we did before, but the songs are basically the same – three and a half minute blasts of weird feelings.
What was the first song you wrote for “Belong?”
I don’t know, maybe “Belong?” I wrote most of them in 2008, prior to even our first album coming out. So we had these songs a long time – the last song we wrote for the album was “Heart in Your Heartbreak.”

Lyrically, what inspires you?
Weird feelings, bad feelings and good feelings.
Do you ever write songs on the road?
I’m trying to write one now on a tiny, little keyboard. You can’t really record guitars, bass or real drums in a van, so it necessitates writing on a keyboard with kitschy drum sounds and try to imagine what it might sound like when we all try to play it. But generally, no, I sort of hole away in my bedroom and compose timeless works of pop genius in between checking football scores and playing mass effect.

What have been some of your favorite gigs you’ve played over the years?
We’re not really an airbrushed arena band- the kind of band that can show up, play their set perfectly and offer the same kind of canned emotional connection with any audience, whether they’re in Berlin or Boise. Every show for us is pretty different, and a lot of them are frustratingly bad – but when it goes right, at least we know it’s genuine. I never leave the stage without being covered in sweat. And then I go to our merch table to hang out. It’s really important that bands never separate themselves from the people that pay money to come see us. I remember on our first tour with The Wedding Present, David Gedge would go out and shake people’s hand and sign records and stuff – and he’s been doing this for 30 years. It was really cool to see he didn’t act like he was better than anyone, and that he realized that there’s a reason people come to a show instead of just listening to the record at home.

Are there any albums that you always find yourself listening to?
Felt “Me and a Monkey on the Moon,” Jesus and Mary Chain “Darklands,”

Puro Instinct “Headbangers on Ecstasy,” The Auteurs “New Wave.”

What are your hobbies outside of music?
I don’t really like other aspects of life – I guess I like petting dogs, pinball and crossword puzzles. But I’d rather be in Pains than have a pinball machine or a dog.

What’s your favorite color?
Yellow.

What have been the biggest obstacles you’ve had to overcome in your career?
I have few of the qualities that are prerequisites for being what I want to be. I would never get to the next round in American Idol. But I know good songs can come from unlikely places because so much of the music I love is performed by those who can barely sing, dance or otherwise fulfill the traditional demands of pop stardom. I don’t mind being an “unlikely place” – but It’d be pretty cool to be Katy Perry, Beyonce or Justin Timberlake. I really admire the work ethic of people like that – it’s easy to romanticize beautiful losers, it’s only fair to acknowledge a few beautiful winners too.