Weed Jokes And Puke Bonding

BY MILÈNE LARSSON, PHOTO BY MAJA FLINK

While other bands sweat their asses off, only to be met with a bad review, all Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino had to do was write some songs with lyrics like, “The sun was high and so was I” and, “When I’m with you I have fun,” put them online, and now they’re headlining shows all over the place. Why? Because no one likes the sound of trying too hard or the smell of sweat—you sweat it, you lose. It’s a simple rule, really. And Best Coast are as laid back as bands come; they use words like “chillax” a lot and effortlessly take you on a sunny sonic vacation to some enchanted 60s beach, where everyone pulls off a bikini and animals can talk. Shit, even pretentious indie kids who still own a cassette player, and still make real mix tapes, like them.

Vice: How long has Best Coast been a band now?

Bethany Cosentino:

I started writing songs in April last year. Then I asked Bob, who I played together with in Pocahaunted, if he wanted to join last summer. He was the only person I knew that I could tolerate playing music with.

So Pocahaunted disbanded because you weren’t seeing eye to eye?

Well, OK. I didn’t like playing music with that girl. And so the truth comes out…

Is this your first big tour?

It’s our first time touring Europe and we’ve been on the road for a month now. Ally, our drummer who joined recently, and me get terrible motion sickness. We once had to drive for eight hours to go to our next show, and we were both lying in the backseat puking the whole time. But I guess it brings us closer, supporting each other while taking turns running to the bathroom.

Puke bonding. That’s nice…

BC:

We take motion sickness pills now.

Good. Your cat is cute. It’s a boy, right?

BC:

How did you know?

It has orange stripes, and only male cats have them. I saw him in that photo everyone uses when they write about you.

BC:

It’s funny because Ally just took that pic in my kitchen on her cell phone. Then pitchfork got a hold of it, somehow, and now it’s everywhere. It’s the same with that other picture, the one of me wearing sunglasses on my bed. My mom took that. It’s kind of weird that people use those pics.

You’re lucky, people dig out private pics of you and some are even making fan video-tributes to your songs. You don’t have to lift a finger.

BC:

I know, I really didn’t expect that! I had just dropped out of college and didn’t know what I was doing. So I recorded some songs, because I was bored, and now we’re on tour for like a 100 years.

Labels must be fighting to sign you, competing with who can buy you the fanciest dinners and stuff, right?

BC:

We can’t really talk about that just yet, so you should just write that we answered, “No.”

Sure. When will the album be out then, and does it have a title yet?

It’s called

Crazy For You

, after one of the songs, and will be out this summer, in July. All the songs on the album are new.

How come?

BC:

People seem to only care about “When I’m With You,” so we didn’t include that song on the album. But all the new songs are recorded in the same studio where we recorded it, so they’ll sound pretty much the same. Sound quality wise, at least. I don’t know. To me they’re just songs. I think the reason people like “When I’m With You” so much is because it was the only one of our songs that was properly recorded in a studio. Now they’re all studio-recorded.

I like how simple your lyrics are.

BC:

I don’t believe in writing stuff in metaphors. I mean, why not just tell it as it is? It’s funny, people sometimes ask me about what the lyrics mean, and I’m just like, “Um, isn’t it obvious?”

I guess people aren’t too familiar with unpretentious indie bands. You even look like you could have some funny jokes up your sleeves.

BC:

We do, we do! Our best one is, “in one.” Get it?

Um, in what?

BC:

Haha! It’s an insider band joke, really. We don’t expect people to get it. Someone said that in reference to some guy being dead once, so we picked it up and use it for describing when we feel like shit. If it’s really bad you go, “I’m so in one, I’m out of one.”

That’s the best Best Coast joke?

BC:

We have some Chinese jokes too, that Bob made up when we forced him to smoke a lot of weed. As he’s Chinese, they’re not racist or anything. It was so funny, he said stuff like, “Weed Asian” instead of “Weed Demon.” Do you know that song?

No.

BC:

And then he said, “Two Asians and one bowl of rice.” I guess they’re not so funny now that we’re not smoking…

What about your band name then, isn’t it kind of a joke on hip hop?

BC:

Yes, and there are a bunch of other reasons for the name too. Like it has my initials, and we wanted a name that had California-vibes.

What was the first song you ever learned to play on guitar?

BC:

“All the Small Things” by Blink 182, or no, actually, I think it was “Damnit.” Or was it “Basket Case” by Greenday? It was one of those. I had a great guitar teacher who told me to bring a mix tape with all the songs I wanted to learn how to play.

Bob:

That’s what all the sucky guitar teachers tell you to do!

BC:

I don’t know Bob, it was all power chords and that’s all I use in my music now. I guess you can say Best Coast started with Blink 182. Or Blink 1801, as they say in China, Bob.

Was that another Chinese joke?

BC:

Haha. You’re starting to get it now!

I don’t know… Let’s just stick to music. Off the top of your head, if you made a road trip mix tape, what would be on it?

Anything by Rihanna. “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over” by Lenny Kravitz, “Good Life” by Weezer, or actually, make that “My Name Is Jonas,” since that’s the name of our tour manager.“Pieces of Me” or “Autobiography” by Ashlee Simpson. “I’m Shakin’” by Rooney, “November 18th” by Drake, “Taking Back Sunday” by MakeDamnSure, “Misery Business” by Paramore [Bob takes out his iPod and blasts out some Ashley Simson and Lenny Kravitz].

BC:

This is the real Best Coast!