Interviews: Tim Kasher (The Good Life/Cursive)

I recently exchanged some emails with Tim Kasher, the frontman and songwriter behind both Cursive and The Good Life. We mainly focused on the new album from the latter band, Help Wanted Nights but also touched on some of his future plans – which include a new album from Cursive – and other details.

You can click Read More for the interview.

Because both of your
projects seem to be based around your
songwriting, how do you decide what
becomes a Good Life song and what
goes into Cursive?

Upon turning 30, I realized it was time to start writing more substantial pieces, something I had dabbled with in the past, something I had always intended to do, but was lacking the discipline to take on.

At this point I write them at separate times, on
different years, but when I initially started writing for both, I had an
obnoxious attitude that I took to either. Obnoxious, as in, "I'm writing a
Cursive song
today, so it's got to be angsty and aggressive" or,
"Here goes Good Life - I wonder if I can think up something really
Americana and sad…"
Okay, so it was never
that ridiculous, but when I look back at how hard I tried to keep the two bands
apart - which seemed so vital at the time, to justify the existence of either
project - well, I guess it seems
forced to me now. I was shoving either
band into genres, though I didn't realize it at the time.

All that being said,
these days I just write for a specific album, and as songs pop up that clearly
sound like they should be for the other band, well, if it's right for the
album, then that takes precedence.

I understand this album shares
its name with a screenplay and also punctuates moments from that story. Can you
tell me a little more about it?

Upon
turning 30, I realized it was time to start writing more substantial pieces,
something I had dabbled with in the past, something I had always intended to
do, but was lacking the discipline to take on.
So, 30 - you gotta start
sometime. Screenplays are a great stepping stone from pop songs and album
writing as they are still incredibly skeletal, so in my opinion seem far more
manageable than long fiction, which in my early thirties I still feel I lack
the discipline to even think about, much less dive into.

As
for connecting it to the Good Life album, it's all part of a grander day dream:
"What if I could actually get this made, it would need a soundtrack… I
could be that soundtrack!" I've been feeling like I've stuck my neck out a
bit too far, openly talking about the connected projects, but that's why we
released the album separately - at this moment, it's NOT the soundtrack to a
screenplay, but the 4th Good Life album. If things go well, then perhaps it
will have a chance to be a soundtrack as well. Fingers crossed, leading us to
the next question…

What is the status of the screenplay? Do you
see it appearing in any other forms (book/play/movie)

The status is remarkably not so dreadful, there
are a few different companies who have been working on financing for a very
modest, small budgeted film, which is so much more than I could ever possibly
ask for,
and pardon me, if I'm coming off too lewdly humble, but seriously,
the movie industry is so fucking expensive and seems so insulated that getting
anything produced at all is REALLY exciting.
Oh, and there is a stage
play version as well - to fully answer your question - and though this will
come off as dangerously opportunist, I would love to pass it on to anyone
interested in putting it on in their community!!

In a sense,
"Album of the Year" was a concept record, as is "Help Wanted Nights"
the same could be said for the past few Cursive records. Do you usually form
the songs around the idea or do you find that glue afterwards?

Older albums were written in the "find that
glue afterwards" sense, but "Album of the YEar" and "Happy
Hollow" were written more specifically to fit a theme (Happy Hollow) or
narrative (Album…). With "Help Wanted Nights", I'm hoping listeners
will regard it as loosely thematic, but not heavily conceptualized.

Good
Life records seem to follow right after Cursive records; even when you took a
relatively longer break, it still seemed to hit the next year. Is that
something to do with how your write?


I thought Cursive records were following the Good Life records, ha
ha ha. If it has anything to do with how I write, I wouldn't know what it is…
I think it's just the timing of it all; by the time one band puts out a record,
it seems like the other band is overdue to record one.

The new
album seems much more optimistic than Album of the Year does that have anything
to do with your moving to LA?

No.
I actually just moved to LA in April, as the record was being mixed. But I
appreciate you recognizing it as more optimistic! I certainly think it's more
optimistic, or at the very least shows a broader range of emotions.  Interviews I've been doing lately have
been regarding it as depressing, and though I can't tell them they're listening
to it wrong, I can't help but wonder if they are only wallowing in the darker
material.

How was the tour with Mastodon / Against Me?

Honestly, incredibly fun. I had no idea what to
expect going into it, and it ended up being one of the best tours I have ever
done. I think I'm getting better at enjoying tour - or maybe I enjoy them more
because
I don't tour as endlessly as I used to.  All the bands were sweethearts - I hope that doesn't soil
Mastodon's reputation.

What's next for
you?

The Good Life is doing
shows throughout the fall, and I'll be working on Cursive songs in between the
tours. I will likely catch some movies and drink amongst friends as well.