Interview: Brendan Benson

How much time have you spent in the Bay Area?
I lived in Berkeley and Oakland. I had girlfriend who went to Mills. I loved it. That was the toughest part of moving to Detroit: the food, there is nothing to eat. There are no good grocery stores. Well, there is actually one and I drive half an hour to it twice a week.

What did you like to eat in the East Bay?
Asian food. There is no good Chinese in Detroit. It takes on a whole new meaning, there, lots of greasy crap.

Any specific restaurants out here you’d recommend?
Something on College and it was really good. I went to Gordo’s every day and had a rice and bean burrito. Gordo’s on College was the best, but not the Gordo’s anywhere else. And if I had to say the best mission burrito, La Cumbre (with the picture of Zapata on it). I don’t like cheese. I like it simple; rice and beans and pico de gallo. If you can make that taste good you’ve achieved something.

I will say, though, to go ahead and ruin everything. I didn’t love coming here [to San Francisco], FYI. I loved the East Bay. If you lived in East Bay, you weren’t in the club. I just thought San Francisco was kind of dirty and you couldn’t park, of course I had to drive, and I was hassled constantly by bums.

And the food wasn’t that good, coming from Berkeley and Oakland with all the great Indian places. We would come to the city expecting to have an amazing typical San Francisco great meal, and we were always disappointed. Everything was the same: a bunch of garlic. There was one place I like, though. Universal Café was so good. They had some salad with sunflower seeds. People in San Francisco were quick to dismiss the East Bay. I guess it’s like that anywhere, if you come in over bridge or tunnel it’s not so cool. But, I just never found a decent cup of coffee in San Francisco. Café Fanny was my favorite in the East Bay.

What are the best and worse things about being on tour?
The best thing is the show, which is maybe not so obvious. It’s the one and only great thing that happens. I don’t like days off. Everyone else likes it, but I don’t. Because [the show] is the couple hours of the day that I have a reason, a purpose. The other twenty-two hours I’m lost, toting my suitcase around, opening closing it, and foraging for food. That’s the worse part of touring is the traveling. Everything is a mystery all the time and it gets to be too much. I’ve been on a tour for over a year now, and I want something familiar and to know what’s good.

What are the best and worse things about being a musician?
I don’t think it’s very glamorous. I come across a lot of people on tour who expect to party with me, or stay up late and do crazy things. I just want to go to bed. They can’t understand so they’re disappointed. I’m doing it every day. This is their one day a week to go out, and I’m so lame. I’m just at that point now. When you start off a tour or a leg of tour, you feel differently, you’re ready to party. Now I’m just trying desperately to take care of myself, to do something good for my body. But all there is is lots of waiting around with lines and beer sitting there. You really have to seek out something else. Go do something, go find a museum.

What do about writing music?
That’s my favorite part. It’s like you become possessed and nothing else matters and it recedes, it’s magical. It’s a moment.

What’s your favorite song on the new album?
I’m kind of over it. I’m working on a newer album. So I’m more excited about the songs on that. This record is pretty old now. But I do have fun playing it live. To play live my favorite song is “The Alternative to Love”.