OK Go just released their 5th studio album, "And the Adjacent Possible". Founding bassist, Tim Nordwind discusses with me the last 11 years in 15 minutes.
Harry: OK Go’s And the Adjacent Possible tour starts this week to support their new album which, to me has a super hopeful name all about all the options available to us if we're just open to making a move in any direct ion. I also feel this is visualized in their latest video Love. I’ve got bassist Tim Nordwind from OK Go who can tell me what was really going on. Tim thanks for taking the time to talk about the new album.
Tim Nordwind: Yeah. thanks for speaking with me.
Harry: OK, go was created in 1998, 26 years ago and now you have five studio albums, seven LP’s, two live albums, 29 singles released, 12 compilation appearances, and several awards for ingenuity and creativity. Your newest album came out just 10 days ago. Before that, your last album came out in 2014. Why don't you just start from there and tell me everything that’s transpired in the last 11 years?
Tim Nordwind: Oh my gosh, that's a big question. Yes, we put out our 4th record, Hungry Ghosts, in 2014 and then we made like six or seven videos for that record all of which took anywhere between 3 to 6 months to make. And when we weren't making those videos we were on tour nonstop basically. So you know most bands put out a record and tour it for a year and then go back into the studio. We’re, I guess a little different in that we tend to like promote one record for 3 to 4 years because we make these insane videos that are attached as these like crazy art projects to the album and stuff. So basically from 2014 to like I don't know earliest 2019 we were touring and making videos and we started slowing down in 2019, but we sort of resurrected a new type of show for the bands that we were doing in performance art centers where we live score our own videos essentially which basically means It's sort of a theatrical and cinematic experience. There's a big movie screen behind us and we're sitting in front of it playing the songs that you know go with the video and it's an all-ages events and it's a chance to kind of sort of chronologically go through all the videos and music that we've done throughout the years. So like in 2019, we were starting to go around to performance art centers and put on what feels a little bit more like a cultural event than a rock show, you know. And then sort of focus some time and energy on that. As we were then starting to sit down to write the beginnings of what became this new record, And the Adjacent Possible … around that time, a couple of the guys in the band had kids, then there was the pandemic, then we all started doing individual projects while you know also sending demos to each other. Damien and Kristen directed a film. I acted in a film. Dan, our drummer, was producing and mixing for other bands and stuff like that. Andy, our guitarist, is a programer so you know we were sort of like checking out other things in the world, but all the time still in touch with each other. In 2024, We finally got to a point where we could just focus on finishing the record and at that point, I think we have somewhere around like 20 songs that we will down to you know, 12 or 13 that we like finished and finally released. That's kind of how we get to 2025.
Harry: I really appreciate you actually delving into all of that history for me. I was gonna ask you, when did you start to see the bubbles of opportunity in front of you for this new album to come together. When did you see that, Oh this was gonna happen, but I think you answered it was it was 2024 then?
Tim Nordwind: Yeah by 2024 we had several months of being in the studio together. We produced this record ourselves this time just at a home studio. Yeah, this is the first time I think where we sort of scheduled other things outside of the band; factored other things outside of the band into our own band schedule you know?
Harry: You mean like Ron Persky?
Tim Nordwind: Yeah I was doing sort of alter ego comedy performance art character and I'm still doing, called Ron Persky who is sort of like A middle-aged songwriter, who believes that, you know, music can bring friendship to anyone who is willing to do it. Essential like anyone can write a song and like he basically reaches out to anyone who will write a song with him to make friends. I was spending a lot of time as well, but yeah, I think by like 2024 we had amassed enough finished demos that we were like, OK, let’s, you know, let's just like focus and we eventually went to our long time collaborator Dave Fridmann to help us mix the record. Dave, you know, if you don't know, he's produced our last two records. He's known for his work with Flaming Lips, MGMT, Tame Impala, Vampire Weekend - bands like that. So we went to his studio which is in sort of like Northwest outside of Buffalo essentially in New York and spent a couple weeks there. And he took what sounded like a crazy mixtape of songs you know just like a lot. There's a lot of genre hopping between songs and sometimes within the songs themselves and somehow [he ]built this really nice sonic frame for it that helps kind of glue it all together finally. We were we were just like really experimenting with styles and genres and sounds and all of that. And when we went when we were like we loved every song individually we just don't know if this is a record or not you know. And he was like it's a record. It's a record. It's fine. He helped really convince us that this is a body of work that feels like it belongs on the same record.
Harry: How many demos do you think he started off with before drilling down to these 12?
Tim Nordwind: Oh gosh, we started with somewhere between 40 and 50. We have like a folder of things. We have a sort of like “A” folder and “B” folder. The “B” folder is like parts of songs that we just absolutely love and we know there's something in it, but like it's gonna take, you know, it's gonna take some work to really get it into sounding like a complete song. And the “A” folder has always has stuff that comes in sounding damn near complete from the start, you know. So we have to balance between the “A” folder and the “B” folder always gets bigger and bigger every record we make essentially. So you know, between those folders we had about 40 songs. What was nice like there's a song on the record called a Stone only Rolls Downhill that I think was initially demoed for our third record Of the Blue Color the Sky. The song that all of us have always loved and never quite knew how to finish and I'm very happy that like we took it out with the “B” folder and actually finished it this time.
Harry: Sometimes Sometimes it's just a matter of timing when you can release that song or put it together with another compilation of music.
Tim Nordwind: Yeah, for sure and you know, I mean some of it is like there were these demo lyrics that were attached to it. Jjust, you know, I think once we realize like some of this is just like … we thought those were the lyrics but like this time around we were like, maybe those aren’t the lyrics. You know like maybe it needs to be you know, a slightly more hopeful, tone or something. I remember thinking about that song like the lyrical content was sort of moodier in a way that we just didn't relate to anymore, you know. Sounded like the thoughts of someone younger than what we are now, you know. So like just having the perspective to kind of understand that and then to be able to like come to it with like a fresher mind I think it was super helpful, you know.
Harry: Well yeah, I mean over the years you start to evolve you start to mature and the sounds and the lyrics of all kind of need to go in that same direction with that might how have your your goals changed since founding OK go for the band
Tim Nordwind: How have our goals changed? I mean, I think one of the biggest things that I think has come out of our experience is sort of the understanding that like the stuff that's gonna be the most worthwhile for us to put out is the stuff that feels most unique to us, you know. I think it's kind of normal for a lot of people to chase trends; be concerned about what, you know, what's popular on, you know, radio, or TikTok or whatever, you know, whatever. And I think we've become much more comfortable with kind of like actually tuning most of that out for ourselves and just being concerned with like what is the thing we can make that is going to feel and sounds like only we could have made this? And those are the things … I think maybe we used to run away from that a bit because we felt like, I don't know, like even though it came out of us we felt like yeah, but we can't do that because we don't make that kind of music, you know, right? You know, like we're supposed to make a different type of music. And we have shed all of that kind of like second-guessing when it comes to songwriting though and that's a really really nice place to be. And I think like maybe the experience with the videos has sort of taught us that about our music. That like that, you know the closer it can feel like it's coming straight from us, the better off we’re probably gonna be.
Harry: Yes, I think that's actually a really great take on the position that you're in. You guys have the ability to really make sure that creativity comes first and making sure that it stays as earnest as it ever was.
Tim Nordwind: Yeah
Harry: And and I think that is you get that from kind of being comfortable and having some success behind you to know that, you know, you can you can now loosen the rain a little bit on on that and and just work together creatively and, and I mean, if it isn't evident in your songs, because I know the music comes first you put those together first and then we start making these videos, and you know my my family we love we love the music of OK Go, and whether we've seen the video or not. But it is far easier for us to share the music if we're like hey you gotta check on this video. You're not gonna believe this.
Tim Nordwind: Sure and, you know, for us that is 5000% OK, you know. I mean it's like we made the music we made the videos, like it's all coming from us. And so we're happy however people wanna share it basically. And I think we know that probably more people have seen the videos, than have like sat down and listen to the record, but that's OK. You know, I mean, either way there they're hearing the song. That I don't know that's that. I guess that's just weird post modern world we have we entered into 26 years ago basically it's just gotten more and more like that as time going on.
Harry: Well, yes but I also say no because people if they know OK Go they expect a video you know you guys took the time to go ahead and make videos before this album released. I don't know if you've done that in the past or not but people.
Tim Nordwind: Yeah that we've always … That's an interesting point actually, one that like, we desperately wanted to change this time around you know like we wanted to have a video at the beginning of the record we never had that before.
Harry: The other thing though is, this is why I say no, is no one still, 26 years later, does it like you guys do it? I know that everybody wants to put a label on what kind of music you are what you're doing or whatever but that's I think the beauty of what you're able to do is to explore new boundaries all the time.
Tim Nordwind: Yeah, I mean I think that's what keeps us very very interested in what we do. I think we would be incredibly bored if we had to sort of follow one formula for our entire careers that works really well for some bands and I think for some bands, that's like all they want, you know. I guess we’re just not those types of people. We want to be able to explore whatever gets us excited on any given day and luckily, I think one of the beautiful things about how we came to be known is that all that's ever really been expected of us is that we you know kind of make insane things you know like what is expected of us is that we chased and challenge ourselves and sort of pull emotion, you know, find emotion and connectivity anywhere we can. And that’s, for us, that is like that feels very open ended and very exciting. And we're kind of lucky that that's all that's really ever been expected of us.
Harry: From a listeners perspective it's also very exciting to just even have the anticipation of knowing what you guys are gonna come up with next so I gotta tell you we really appreciate it. Thank you so much for your time. OK
Tim Nordwind: That's awesome
Harry: Thank you so much for your time. OK Go’s And the Adjacent Possible tour starts this week. I'm gonna see you on the 27th at the Agora in Cleveland. Thanks again so much for your time to.
Tim Nordwind: Thank you take care.