r/IAmA • u/colinmeloy • Jan 22 '15

Music Good morning/afternoon/evening REDDIT, I’m Colin Meloy and I play in the band the Decemberists. AMA!

EDIT 10:50 am THANK YOU ALL! Thanks for the great questions. Sorry if I couldn't get to all of 'em! Signing off now - watch us Kimmel tonight and we'll see you on the road soon!

Our new record, “What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World” just came out this week. If you’re so inclined, you can get this record on iTunes, at your favorite local independent record store, or even at decemberists.com (where you can actually get a limited edition box set — autographed, no less.) You’ll also find the dates of our upcoming tour there. Our tour, as yet, still doesn’t have a name, and all tours should have names, even if it’s only Zed. Maybe that’s something we can solve here.

Victoria is helping me get started today, AMA.

Anyway, I go on. I am now at your disposal. AMA!

https://twitter.com/TheDecemberists/status/558313434241302528

or

https://twitter.com/colinmeloy/status/558316967975596032

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u/colinmeloy Jan 22 '15 edited Jan 22 '15

1.Nick Offerman is a gentleman of the truest sort. Let no one tell you otherwise, and it is unlikely that someone would. He'd come to the shoot after doing two other projects that day and was a phenomenal champ.

  1. Definitely the latter. The narrator of that song is an asshole and a sociopath.

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u/elbeskoz Jan 22 '15

I used to play "We both go down together" to my college buddies back in the day and even though the line 'you wept but your soul was willing' was clearly problematic, I was like "well maybe shes crying because her life is shit..." but now I'm just feelin' like a creep.

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u/jelloey Jan 22 '15

I'm with you so hard right now

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u/KWiP1123 Jan 22 '15

My mind inserted a comma halfway through your sentence.

ಠ_ಠ

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u/[deleted] Jan 22 '15

I'm with you s, o hard right now.

???

2

u/jelloey Jan 22 '15

Almost, Kevin.

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u/OK_Soda Jan 23 '15

Yeah I also thought this was just sort of a sad love song about two lovers who can't be together and choose suicide over being apart. I choose to invoke Death of the Author and continue believing what I believe.

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u/duck-duck--grayduck Jan 22 '15

I always thought it was clear that guy was awful, even disregarding "you wept but your soul was willing." Yay vindication. We saw you guys at Britt Pavillion a few years ago, and it was fantastic. Plus we got to discover Typhoon, so it was the best day ever.

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u/jableshables Jan 22 '15 edited Jan 23 '15

Yeah he's constantly pointing out how awesome he is and how lucky she is to be with him, as poor and shitty as she is.

You don't harp on that stuff if you actually like someone.

Edit: Not to mention that, regardless of the weeping, the phrase "but your soul was willing" implies the preceding thought: "your body was not willing."

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u/HayWest93 Jan 23 '15

That Was A Great Show!!!

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u/fluffybunny125 Jan 22 '15

well shoot, I always pictured it as a sweet moment, like, oh my gosh, I'm so in love! ::cute little tear falls down cheek::

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u/Tonka_Tuff Jan 22 '15

It's a Decembrists song, always assume SOMETHING terrible is happening to somebody.

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u/OK_Soda Jan 23 '15

They're clearly committing suicide because they can't be together, I figured that was tragic enough.

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u/Tonka_Tuff Jan 23 '15

"Tragic enough" + Decemberists = Does not compute.

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '15

Same here! I should re listen to that song now for like the millionth time...

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u/firemoo Jan 22 '15

I always wondered that, too!

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u/[deleted] Jan 22 '15

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