Ah, here it is. Your weekly-ish fix of in-depth journalism with only the highest standards. Not Spin, or Rolling Stone, or even Pitchfork ask the hard hitting questions like we do here at LiquidGeneration. I mean where else could you find out what type of food Sam Coomes of Quasi compares the band to? And let me tell you, it's definitely not a steak. So sit back, clear your mind of all impure thoughts and be bewildered by the LiquidGeneration e-mail Interview with Quasi. But first, go to this post from Tuesday and download "The Rhino" from their new record When The Going Gets Dark out now on Touch & Go Records. Enjoy!
LIQUIDGENERATION: Have you ever met a celebrity type (be it another musician, actor, producer or whatever) that was just a complete ass for no apparent reason? If so, we would like to give you the opportunity to tell that person what you think of him/her.
QUASI: Ah jeez, I feel like if I just went talking shit about whoever for no good reason, just to be amusing or whatever, then I’d be just the sort of complete ass you’re referring to. I’m not interested in celebrity types anyway. Musicians in general I tend to get along with.
LG: So we hear that one of the key developments to the style of Quasi was the use of a Roxichord. Since we here at the world renowned LiquidGeneration studios only use Casio Keyboards, could you please tell us exactly what a Roxichord is? Oh I can’t resist, is it what Brian Eno plays on For Your Pleasure?
QUASI: I think, if I remember right, Eno more or less just twiddled knobs &
made sound on those records, not really keyboard per se. You’re making a play on words. I heard the Dr. John song “Right Place Wrong Time” on the radio the other day, & that has a roxichord going all through it. I run it through a fuzz box when I play it, but I don’t actually use it too much any more.
LG: We went to Pandora (a website where you enter an artist name and it gives you suggestions of similar artists) and plugged in Quasi, and the first three “similar artists” we got were: Mates of State, Viva Voce and Kay Hanley. Do you agree with the computers suggestions, or should we still not entirely rely on machines to tell us what we like?
QUASI: Again, this is a joke, no? Obviously relying entirely on machines is about the most idiotic idea I can think of. Anyway, we played a show with Viva Voce, & to my ears they don’t sound much like us. I never really heard Mates of State, & I don’t know who Kay Hanley is, so I couldn’t say for sure, but my guess is the similarities are superficial at best. The proportion of misinformation & bullsh*t to good information on the internet is pretty sh*tty.
LG: If you had to compare the sound of Quasi to any type of food, what would it be and why?
QUASI: Mushrooms, becasue of the fruiting body and mycelial web.
LG: As a duo, how do you create the incredibly huge sound on your latest record, When The Going Gets Dark? Do you always record a specific part first, or is the process a little bit more chaotic and random?
QUASI: Well, we put bass on most songs on this record, & also more reverb & delay. I think that makes for a heavier sound. But usually when we record, it’s drums & either piano & guitar, then other stuff goes on top. Everything usually plays off the drums. We’ve been trying to leave 
more room for chaos, cuz that’s where the fun is.
LG: Do either of you have any tattoos? If so, please tell us which one you regret the most. You know, like our music guy Nixon has a portrait of Yoda on his back…that’s pretty regrettable.
QUASI: I have several tattoos, just like everyone else & their mother. I don’t regret them at all. The eye on the new records back cover was taken from one of my tattoos.
LG: What’s the last record you bought, borrowed or stole?
QUASI: I just borrowed a bunch of Jandek records.
LG: You’ve been in the “music business” for a pretty long time now. Is there anyone out there that you’ve never had a chance to work with that you would really like to collaborate with? We think it would be awesome if Jacques Lu Cont (remixer and producer extraordinaire/Founding member of Zoot Woman) did one of his famous euro dance mixes to “The Rhino.”
QUASI: I hate euro dance music.
LG: There is and has always been a political side to the music of Quasi, as evidenced from the homepage of your website and the lyrical content of many of your songs. Do you feel that all artists have a responsibility to voice their opinions in regards to the current political climate? Wow, that sounded smart…
QUASI: I think artists have a responsibility to express themselves honestly, so if you are pissed about the political situation, then it’s natural to put that into your thing. If you don’t want to do that for fear of irritating some supposed audience or whoever, that’s pathetic, but otherwise, I don’t think “all artists” have any specific inherent responsibilities. Best advice I ever got: don’t pussy out.
LG: Finally, some of us will be at your show in Los Angeles at Spaceland on April 26. Do you think that if you have time you could give us a hug? Thanks!
QUASI: Anything is possible. Thanks also.
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