Marnie Stern Interview

Here is an interview that I did with guitar shred girl Marnie Stern for Vice Magazine.

Marnie Stern

Hot girl wanks off guitar. Cool!

Guitar solos are ruling. No matter how much some old guy in the pub, dribbling into his bitter at closing time goes on about how important three-chords and ’76 and blah and blah and blah are guitar solos still rip. That’s why people stand on tables and play air guitar when people put Maiden on the jukebox. Shit, even punk bands like Integrity and Ringworm knew the power of some high-end tapping. When you go see Marnie Stern play its probably one of the greatest things ever. You get the big shit eating grin bit and the pump your fist in the air bit because at last it feels like you are at that Van Halen show that you always secretly dreamed of being in the front row for; except its like Don Caballero in the middle of an epilectic seizure are the backing band. And then you open your eyes and a beautiful, frail, elfin pixie from heaven is playing this stuff. The usual sweaty guy doing windmills with his foot on the monitor and shorts so short his wrinkled turkey-skin sack is hanging out is nowhere to be seen. It’s a pretty great feeling. Like thinking you have got three numbers on the lottery but then the Thunderball comes out too. Bonanza!

I heard that you didn’t listen to any music until you were 23. What were you doing instead?

When I was little I’d listen to the classic rock station but while I was at NYU doing journalism I was really just into that, the studying really. Also, all I had to listen to there was the radio and the radio in New York sucks big ass. I was more into reading. Mostly Presidential biographies.

Who are your favourite Presidents?

Lincoln, Adams and Clinton.

Would that be your dream jam, you on guitar and Bill on Sax?

Maybe that would be my moms dream.

OK, how did you go from Presidents to wanting to be a guitar hero?

I went to go see Neil Hagerty from Royal Trux one night in Brooklyn and he had this big white double neck and basically just wanked off all night and I just knew that was what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a guitar wanker.

Your music sounds like you have attention deficit disorder.

Quite the opposite. I am very compulsive. I knew I wanted to be good at the guitar so when I made that decision that was all I did. Practice guitar for three or four hours a day. I am also very lazy and hate socialising so it all fitted in. I could just stay in my apartment ignore everyone and practice in this weird reclusive world. To begin with I didn’t even have other humans to play with. Just my I-Pod. Now I have Zach (Hill of Hella) playing drums which is pretty awesome actually

What was your I-Pod called?

I didn’t know that you could give them names.

Marnie Stern’s album ‘In Advance Of The Broken Arm’ is out now on Kill Rock Stars.

www.myspace.com/marniestern1