David Koechner Interview
Say hello to David Koechner from the Naked Trucker and T-Bone show. You might also remember him from Anchor Man. Either way, he’s a hoot.
David Koechner: Stovetop!
Justin Stover: How did you know my childhood nickname?
David: Is it really?
Justin: Yeah.
David: What about Stovepipe?
Justin: That one too.
David: Well, I think I’m almost out. What about just Stover. Have you had it before?
Justin: Yeah, well the one that has had the most longevity is Stovetop. I’ve had that since I was a kid.
David: It’s like your hobo name.
Justin: (laughs) Yeah, you’ve unearthed a lot of scars.
David: (Laughs)
Justin: So what’s your nickname besides T-Bone and Champ Kind?
David: (Laughs) Yeah, really. Ah, I guess people…I get Koechy or Koechs…
Justin: Which one has the most childhood wounds with it?
David: Ah, none of them are wounded. Koechy, cause it’s too cutesy. When I was growing up in grade school I was quite small and they would call me Big Dave. An ironic nick name
Justin: Yeah, I bet. So you were really small at that age?
David: Oh yeah when I was a kid I was always the shortest kid in the class.
Justin: No way!
David: Yeah, I didn’t start growing until high school. And my mom told me later, she said, “Oh I was sure you were going to be as short as your Uncle Tom,” who is only five foot tall. And it’s so weird in my head, I knew I was gonna be as tall as Uncle Jim. Isn’t it crazy? So maybe it was sure will and determination. “Nope, I’m gonna be taller.”
Justin: I was gonna say, when you pull out the brass knuckles in Anchorman you’re huge! I was like, “Man, I wouldn’t want to fight him.”
David: (Laughs heartily)
Justin: I was like, “I’ll take on Farrell and the other guys but not him.”
David: Anyone could beat me up. I’m not a fighter.
Justin: You’re not?
David: No.
Justin: You pulled it off well. Were any of those guys actually fighters in that scene?
David: No . . . although Vince Vaughn apparently has been in a bar fight or two.
Justin: Makes sense. Well, I’ll fill you in a bit on this. I’m writing for a music site, so I’ve got a few music-related questions. And since you’ve got a music CD out I’m sure it works out well for you. And I’ve dug a little into your past so we’ll see how much is accurate.
David: Okay.
Justin: But as far as musical endeavors thus far, tell us a bit about your “musical autobiography.” Like, were you in any high school bands or choir or anything?
David: I did choir in high school and I was a baritone.
Justin: Really?
David: Yup.
Justin: How tall were you then?
David: (laughs) I was probably five foot five weighing 110 pounds. Baritone. I remember … oh, I was also in swing choir. Which was the jazzier version of choir (starts laughing.) We’d go out as a twelve person group instead of the 32 that were in choir and, you know, play old folks home.
Justin: That’s where the market is for that kind of thing
David: But I think … it certainly made me nervous to sing back then. I wasn’t confident with my voice. I don’t think I was actually a real baritone, I was probably a …
Justin: Soprano?
David: (Laughs) Yeah, a soprano. No, I sing in the key of G and A, I think , is where I usually wind up. A lot of G. But that was the earliest foray into music,. And I remember one time the choral instructor brought someone else in as a vocal coach…and they made me … for whatever reason, I had to come down. And as an exercise, that the person had us do was, like, have us act as if you’re picking up the piano and sing “La-la-la …” you know, do the scales. And I remember it was embarrassing … and weird. And I was not that confident, I was like, “God, I don’t want to get these wrong!” And I was one of, like, three people who had to do it. But the exercise had a purpose. I can’t remember what it was now. But I remember one of the other people in the choir was like, “I’ll be god****ed if I’m gonna fu**in’ hold the piano and go ‘La-la-la.’” So I thought to myself, “F**k you! If she made you do it you would have! You would have rather said no to that and have to go the principal’s office? Big guy. And I hate your perm!”
Justin: How could you hate a perm?
David: Cause it looks ridiculous.
Justin: Now, you said that you were a ‘G’ for range?
David: Yeah.
Justin: Is that what inspired you to do Gin and Juice?
David: (Laughs) No. It’s just…I’ve always loved that song. And we had been doing it in our stage show, and so we worked it out and made it our own and fit it in as a little story.
But we had this theory that rap was derivative of square dancing. And that we had met this square dance caller called Calvin Broadus. Have you heard our CD?
Justin: No, but I’ve seen the show.
David: Oh, cool … cool.
Justin: It’s impressive that you knew Snoop’s real name. You definitely know music. Hey, what bands are do you listen to?
David: Current or growing up?
Justin: Well, start with the ones growing up and then move onto the current ones.
David: Alright. Well, The Beatles, of course. Stones. Ah … Pink Floyd, The Who. Iggy and The Stooges. Creedence Clearwater, was always into them. Lou Reed. Velvet Underground.
Justin: Good stuff.
David: Do you like Lou Reed?
Justin: Definitely. Mostly his later stuff like New York Stories … you know, “Romeo had Juliet”
David: Oh, great album
Justin: And of course Velvet Underground. I don’t know much of his solo stuff in between. What about Tom Waits, you into him?
David: Oh Tom Waits! I love him!
Justin: I caught him in Detroit last summer. Amazing show.
David: I bet. His songs are all like movies! How have they not made all his albums into movies? I know that he did a couple stage shows.
Justin: Yeah, Big Time and Alice.
David: Right, but nothing that has been released on DVD or anything. But yeah, they could put like … The Heart of Saturday Night on stage … it would be amazing.
Justin: You got that right. But yeah, what other bands?
David: Well, there’s some 80s stuff like REO Speedwagon. Even some of those Midwestern bands. You know, like The Replacements.
Justin: Definitely. Do you like Paul Westerberg’s solo stuff?
David: Not as much as The Replacements. But Westerberg’s such a great songwriter.
Justin: I really liked his stuff on the movie Singles.
David: Yeah, oh from around his 14 Songs albums? That was a great album.
Justin: Yup. I really liked that song “Silver Naked Ladies.”
David: Definitely.
Justin: What about current stuff?
David: I like a lot of current stuff. Wilco. Son Volt. The early Uncle Tupelo. Some of the Canadian bands, like The Hold Steady.
Justin: Great band, a lot of good music coming from that way.
David: I also like Jonathan Richmond. I was with my kids and I had put a bunch of songs on their iPod-boom box that we were listening to, whatever those things are called. And Jonathan Richmond’s “Road Runner” came on. And you know, it goes on forever, right? And so I kept singing the refrain, “Radio on!”
Justin: (laughs)
David: And then right before it would start again I’d ask, “What is is? ‘Radio on! Road runner road runner. Radio on!’”
Justin: (Laughs)
David: So … and each song that would come up I’d say, “I really like this song …” Cause I put on their iPods, well nothing with explicit lyrics, but I put on what they want. But you know, if my daughter wants Hannah Montana she can have it. But then she also gets (starts laughing) Jonathan Richmond.
Justin: (Laughs) So no explicit stuff. Then I’m assuming you can’t put any of your own stuff on there?
David: Right. Unless, as I told someone earlier, if its’ a racy song that has explicit lyrics, I only look at it as an opportunity to have a conversation with my child.
Justin: That’s right. And those are the most awkward conversations to start, I imagine.
David: (laughs) Well, you might as well talk about it. You know what? As far as I’m concerned language is not a weapon. Language is an instrument of information. And so there aren’t bad words. There are inappropriate words. There are hurtful words. But, you know, it’s just an opportunity to find the power of words and not hurt someone with them.
Justin: So it’s all timing.
David: Right. And plus, it’s the thing that makes us all common as humans. And nothing is foreboded.
Justin: For sure. So is this philosophy one that was taught to you through your improv work? I know that you were in Second City …
David: Yes. Well, before that I was in a place called the “Improv Olympics,” the IO. Run by a guy named Dell Close, who was the coolest cat to ever teach improvisation. He’s the legend and the guru of long form improvisation, and he’s probably the greatest influence on my career. But his whole thing was “truth in comedy.” So, yes…to answer your question … that’s probably where that attitude comes from. Embracing all thoughts and language. “Say yes,” because in improvisation that’s what you’re supposed to do. Say yes to whatever happens. You don’t deny it, you don’t deny it subtly or any other way. Unless that’s the game in the scene. But, you know … “say yes” to everything.
Justin: Right … but now with doing this same thing in your music. You know, I’m amazed at how well you know your music and how passionate you are about. I thought at first that maybe music was just a way to get your comedy in. But it sounds more like two different passions coming together.
David: It really is. I love music. And believe it or not, I don’t play. But I still write music because we all have a song in our head. And, you know, the band, when I say “it goes like this,” they get it. They know what I’m talking about, and we find “it together.”
Justin: But you’ve got the vocal craft down well enough, it seems.
David: Well, I do OK. Especially as the character. I can sing that way and I have confidence in it. Look, I’m not ever gonna kid myself that I’m a real singer. But, it’s a character and we all know it’s comedy, so it’s forgiven. I’m never gonna assault a real singer and say, “Yeah, man … I sing too.” Because I’m flat, I’m pitchy, all those things that, you know, you’re not supposed to be. But it works for that particular act.
Justin: Right. And if it’s really bad there’s always Auto-Tune.
David: (Laughs heartily). That’s right. If it’s bad enough, let’s get out the fix and fix it.
Justin: Alright, for this next question. I wasn’t going to ask this because I hate reading too much into things. And I hate making something that’s supposed to be funny “unfunny” by reading into it too much. But I’m gonna ask it, after all. I notice that there’s a definite political underpinning to your new stuff with “Naked Trucker and T-Bone.” You know, they both have their own sort of “open road” sense of freedom and their own odd idea of justice. And then I found out that you were once a political science major. So, is there a political side to it? Or am I reading into it.
David: No, no. There’s … certainly in the stage show there’s an overt influence and a real subversive elements that was probably watered down somewhat for the television show. Because, you know, you’ve got to choose your battles. But I would say we’re just a boatload of “pinko lefties.”
Justin: Really?
David: Oh yeah.
Justin: Huh. I wasn’t sure because you often play redneck characters who generally aren’t “lefties.”
David: No, my politics is left. I would be all for redistributing the wealth. I read Noam Chomsky.
Justin: Have you read Howard Zinn’s “People’s History of the U.S.?”
David: I have not.
Justin: You need to get it.
David: Is it scary?
Justin: Well … yeah but it’s pretty hopeful in a sense. You know, it focuses a great deal on the marginalized and it gives them a voice, which never happens. And there’s some interesting stuff about early American farmer rebellions and such.
David: Well, you know. All these things. People don’t really have a voice. And if they think they do, they’ve fooled themselves or haven’t really paid attention. There is manufactured consent. All your major media outlets are all owned by multi-national corporations and they give voice to what they want to be heard. Not necessarily what should be heard. There isn’t fair and balanced news. Journalists and the media are not or do not hold themselves to the higher power and calling that they’re supposed to uphold. Well, some do. But certainly not en masse. You know, if a paper is owned by a right wing nut job then that’s gonna come out. I mean, we’ve got so much right-wing radio it’s disgusting.
Justin: Except for Fox.
David: Oh Lord … that place. Unbelievable. You walk into any hotel lobby in the Midwest and they’re always already turned to Fox. The first thing I go do is change it.
Justin: The thing is, you always hear that, you know, “The lefties have taken over the airwaves.” But I’ve seen a huge shift to the far-right for most of these stations.
David: I know. How is it that the word ‘liberal’ is somehow a slander? How did they manage that one? Conservative should be a dirty word. That’s shameful.
Justin: Now, when you say “lefty” do you mean you are a socialist? I mean, I know that’s a hard question to ask because we do indeed live in a representative democracy, a republic, so it’s only so possible to be a ‘full-blown’ socialist, but still there’s some ways to have those leanings. So would you lean so far to the left that you’d consider yourself more into socialism?
David: Oh yeah. I’m a socialist for sure.
Justin: Ok, just making sure. Is it okay to put this on record?
David: You can. No, I’m absolutely a socialist. We’re in horrible trouble in our country. And remember, fascism starts little by little …
Justin: When do you think it started?
David: With Nixon. Well, there was a declared, distinct decision made in the 60s, “How the f**k do we win this back?” Because you remember at one point the Democrats held power over the House of Representative for 40 years. So, there were real social programs and real social strides made, and those ended. You know, I’ve heard Nixon and even Reagan Republicans say that they are embarrassed by what is happening now. And that is not the Republican Party that they knew.
Justin: The thing I find odd is that a lot of the religions of the Religious Right used to be very much in favor of the separation between church and state. You know, a lot of independent Baptist churches, for instance, were independent because they wanted the state to stay out of their business, and in turn the church would stay out of the state’s business. But that seems to have been completely reversed.
David: Exactly. It’s shameful. It goes against the tenets of the Constitution, and it has to be fought. And thank you for talking about it…and please do. Because that’s part of your responsibility. You’re a journalist. And did you know that after 9/11 when the Patriot Act and all of that stuff got instituted? They took the Bill of Rights around and they just asked people randomly about the Bill of Rights without saying “This is your Bill of Rights,” asking, “Should these things be allowed?” And people were saying, “No. No you shouldn’t have that right.” It’s crazy. Alright, they’re giving me the rap up signal.
Justin: Alright.
David: Ok, hey Justin. It was a pleasure. And when The Comebacks comes out in August, you and I will speak again.
Justin: Alright, I’ll write that down. And buzzgrinder.com is where this will be posted.
David: I love it.
Justin: Alright, take care.
David: Ok, brother. Peace.
The Naked Trucker and T-Bones: Live at the Troubadour CD, out Mar 20.
5 Responses to “David Koechner Interview”
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On 03/23/07 7:18 PM, thom said:
tim and eric are so much better
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On 03/23/07 7:19 PM, Jordan said:
hmmm
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On 03/23/07 10:25 PM, dake said:
that really, really, really could have used an editor. 10 pages of idle chit chat’s too much.
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On 03/24/07 10:08 AM, Bradley Spitzer said:
Justin and Seth – - keep up the great work and bring us more real interviews. Reading the actual interaction is much better than a stuffy, edited-for-length piece of crap.
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On 03/26/07 8:31 AM, Justin Stover said:
I appreciate that, Bradley
