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I couldn't define for you what it is I like about ANYTHING. It's just that intangible thing, the realization that there's a life behind this thing and this is evidence of one human being's needs. That exists in everything from the most wildly abstract art to Top 40 stuff. Even outside the realm of art, you walk into someone's house and see how they organize objects. Or it's in the shoes somebody chooses to put on or the dirt stains around the light switch – just evidence of something going on, something real. -Scott McMicken |
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"I would feel like an asshole if we were doing anything other than that! It feels awful to go into the making of anything with really strong, demanding expectations about your experience with it," says McMicken. "It's a function of our lives, it's a process we're involved with, so personally and on a purely selfish level it needs to be fulfilling. It needs to feel good. Beyond that, if I were to stop and think about what I hope people get out of it, this is just a thing a bunch of dudes like to get together and do, and it does mean something to them. I say that because from my standpoint, looking at art or listening to music, I really have no parameters on what it is I like. I couldn't define for you what it is I like about ANYTHING. It's just that intangible thing, the realization that there's a life behind this thing and this is evidence of one human being's needs. That exists in everything from the most wildly abstract art to Top 40 stuff. Even outside the realm of art, you walk into someone's house and see how they organize objects. Or it's in the shoes somebody chooses to put on or the dirt stains around the light switch – just evidence of something going on, something real."
 Dr. Dog |
"It's very easy to see, especially in the context of art in popular culture, that there's a lot of illusions and puffed-up chests. That's fine because at the end of the day that serves some function for people, too. If I had to go on trial about it I'd say it's a destructive element and an exploitation of people's fears and weaknesses. But, I know I'm subject to the same things so I don't feel especially judgmental saying that," McMicken continues. "Again, the fate notion comes in as a pretty relevant tool for looking at this. When the fate thing with this record trickled in as an album title – which we tend to establish early in recording – I had no objection to it but it challenged me. It's this notion that's so real but also so romantic, and because I was considering that I opened myself up to it. When you open yourself up to a certain idea it finds you."
So much so that McMicken has recorded a "way, way more personal" solo album since Fate entitled It.
"It was this cathartic thing for me. I'd built up so much muck and so much obstruction to my sense of self-worth," says McMicken. "Literally in one night, I did a 180 on seemingly the most incidental circumstances. With this new perspective I could dig into things that I was struggling with but with a much clearer lens, a much more harmonious sense of what they meant in my life. I hung onto that feeling long enough to crank out eight or nine tunes, singing 'em all into my four-track in my room. The reason it's called It is one of the songs talks about the saying, 'It's all in how you look at it.' Then all the verses are this laying out of things – 'It's cursed. It's praise.' ending in the refrain of 'It's all in how you look at it.' These things are gonna come and go. You can't control them but you have the power of perception."
"Fate" is a power word. Like "God" or "Soul," it vibrates with associations despite its one syllable brevity. Only its construction is perfectly simple; its meaning is fluid and open to interpretation. Naming one's album Fate almost tempts it in some ways.
"Now that it's said and done, I think we tempted it for sure [laughs]. It's a living, breathing beast in my life, and I started to see everything in these terms. But, it's by no means a dogmatic thing. I've come to feel about fate that it's this constant duality, this constant balance between realizing life is both within your control and not in your control," says McMicken. "There's simple ways of applying that to your understanding. It's like, 'Here I am today and there's obviously nothing I can do about that.' So, a reconciliation of your own personal history and the choices you've made is absolutely necessary. You can't resist those things. All you can do is use them as these tools to measure the value of life and the mistakes or the right moves you've made. If you're interested in being a happy person, if you're interested in growing and staying on top of things, you can't carry around this baggage. You have to step up and take responsibility for what's gotten you where you are AND realize that the future lies ahead of you. From this stronger vantage point you can move in that direction with more security but also realizing these elements are going to keep popping up, coming and going over time, and you're going to make mistakes and not know what to do."
Dr. Dog is on tour now, dates available here.
Check out exclusive interviews, live footage and more with Dr. Dog on JamBaseTV here!
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