Wavves

Wed 9th Mar, 2011 in Features

The name Wavves implies a relaxed tone, the alas of a carefree beach-dweller, but Nathan Williams is not that person, right? He’s a musician with three critically acclaimed albums; the latest of which, King of the Beach, topped many end of year lists. He has toured the world (and still is; our own Golden Plain coming up), been considered a noise-rock prodigy and is dating the girl behind equally-as-lauded Best Coast, Bethany Cosentino. So he has to take something seriously, right?

“I’m just wavving,” is how Nathan answers the phone. I’m suddenly reminded of his on-stage breakdowns, the controversy over his Wavves-branded weed grinders, and my own naivety. Something tells me this won’t be another interview about music and performing. Nevertheless, I decide to get things started.

“We’re driving through Wyoming, right now,” he explains, putting away my question about the background noise. “It’s pretty good. The tours been great, so far. Lots of gambling. Lots of wrestling… Mostly gambling and robbery. Are there casinos in Australia? Like, good ones?”

I inform him of Crown and StarCity casinos, and their knack to be filled with Japanese businessmen and others on long corporate trips. “If they take our money, then I’m definitely looking forward to gambling in Australia,” he quips. He grabs onto the point about the businessmen. “Yeah, the last time I was there you guys were full of Japanese businessmen. You’re awfully close to Japan. And Vietnam. And I love Vietnamese food. You got any Vietnamese food? My favourite is Pho Thai. The soup.”

Deciding to play along a little longer, I mention a story about a Vietnamese dish that is made with most of the chicken or cattle offerings available to the cook. “Hey Stephen!” he calls out to bassist Stephen Pope. “This guy says that in Vietnam there’s this soup that has everything in it! [To me] Stephen wants some, he says. Can you air-deliver it to us? We’re in Wyoming.” He quickly interrupts my segue towards a more tour-based question. “Stephen ate a monkey once,” he jibes. ”[To Stephen] Steve, how’d the monkey taste? [To me] He said it was awesome, like a big steak of bacon. We went to a party, in Mexico City, and it had…”

Nathan’s cell phone passes through what I hope is just a signal dead zone. He comes back with, ”...I won’t have a monkey, I won’t have sheep’s blood, but everything else IS ON!” I may have just missed the ten most important seconds of the interview. Informing him of the situation, he sympathises, “Yeah, it’s pretty shoddy here. There’s not a lot of signal towers in Camp Ka-war-ragh? Ka-wahn-narh,” he spends the next few moments trying to say the name of his location. ”...Wyoming.”