Behind Closed Doors with Chris Walla (from Death Cab for Cutie)

It is pretty "cool" to catch up with an artist on the day of their first solo album release, but then again it is just pretty cool to catch up with Chris Walla all together. Probably should have talked more about music with him, but instead pried more into his personal life ...
                                                   


Buzznet: Do you have a morning bathroom routine? If so what does it entail from when you get out of bed until you are dressed for the day?

Chris: Whatever it is – shower or toilet it always involves the radio. I have these little radios in every room in the house. I think that is as much a routine as anything else. Always have the radio cranked up!!

Buzznet: Who was your first kiss? Details ... How old were you? Where were you?

Chris: My first kiss was when I was 15. It was at a horse show in Olympia, Washington… I used to show ponies when I was kid. I really didn’t know what was supposed to be happening and there were a lot of teeth. To this day I would say it was pretty fantastic, the sort of thing that any film maker would have wanted to write about in a film. The sky was beautiful, sun had just gone down in the middle of an empty street. Really cool, really good.

Buzznet: What do you have hanging on your walls in your bedroom? Posters? Artwork?

Chris: Only one thing on the wall in the bedroom. And that is a painting my Carson Ellis, it is a painting of insects, sort of still life insect study, pretty big pretty dramatic slightly creepy.

Buzznet: Do you have any fetishes? Any pet peeves?

Chris: No fetishes to speak of. There are kind of a lot of pet peeves. Well it's, the dumbest littlest things. If the Britta pitcher doesn't get filled up all the way. If there is not enough water in the Britta pitcher, for me to make a pot of coffee. For the most part I am a pretty decent person to live with. 

Buznet: What is the first quality you look for when attracted to someone?

Chris: Confidence. Some sort of optimism. They are not exactly one thing, but they sort of tie together. Confidence and optimism is the first deal breaker for me.

Buzznet: What do you wear to sleep at night?

Chris: Just a t-shirt usually.

Buzznet:  Do you have a nickname?

Chris: Not really… a lot of people call me by my last name. My dad had a series of nicknames and some started to stick to me… they just were not good.

Buzznet: What was your first job? What was your worst job?

Chris: First job I don’t really remember. My worst job, I for sure remember that. I was a janitor for only about 6 months, I cleaned this computer ship manufacturing warehouse and among other things I cleaned the hot room, which was really a drag and probably against a whole bunch of laws. I was living in Seattle.

Buzznet: If you could be in the Summer Olympics which sport would you compete in? Any why? 

Chris: I don’t even know what half the sports are in the Summer Olympics. I think I understand the Winter Olympics a little more. If the question was about the Winter Olympics I could say something. I kind of hate the water. I won’t swim; I haven’t been in the water since 1990.

Buzznet: What song do you know every word to, but be totally embarrassed that you know so well?

Chris: I don’t think there is anything I am embarrassed about loving musically. It is one of the things I am the most proud of that I am not embarrassed about anything I listen too.

Buzznet: What text message or voicemail do you regret sending to someone so much that you will never forget doing it? Who was the person?

Chris: In the wake of an artwork debacle – the third Death Cab record – I sent an email to Josh who runs Barsuk, the message was really pretty cold, pretty terrible. I have a real fondness for the word unacceptable, if used in the right way and the right context it is the most powerful word. (For example, if you are on a service call with Qwest- it just never goes the right away.) If you approach the person you are not getting anywhere with, you can just zero in on it. Captipalizing the "u" of unacceptable in an email – which was just meant to express distaste and sadness, is just really unfair. The whole message to Josh was really just; well it was just a nasty incident we had with the pressing of that artwork. It was ultimately nothing more then just a drop of water.

Buzznet: Which era do you most wish you lived in and why?

Chris: I think I am perfectly happy in the present era.

Buzznet: Do you have any scars? If so what happened? If not name one imperfection on your body?

Chris: I have two significant scars. One is on the heel of my left hand. It was given to be my one of my friends in the 4th or 5th grade, he was swinging a push broom at me with apparently some real intense harm and in my trying to block the push broom with my hand, the head of the nail tore through the heal of my hand, in a particular unharmonious way. There is that.
Also ... in my left hand I cut about a dime size chunk off my middle finger with about a dime size blade. Part of why there are not many guitar pieces in the last Death Cab for Cutie album.

Buzznet: If we gave you sourdough bread and you could put anything on your sandwich what would it be?

Chris: Oh um a sandwich! I think I made my favorite sandwich in all human history just two days ago. The Pete's smoked tofu, a few slices of yellow bell pepper, few slices of cucumber, spinach, little bit of garlic powder, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, a copious amount of veganaise and some horse radish mustard. Oh and the bread has to be toasted.

Buzznet: When you hear the word “oatmeal” what is the very first thing that comes to your mind?

Chris: Maple syrup. I think that is sort of the perfect oatmeal companion.

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