A Talk with Ian McGaughey of The Michus, p4

(Page 4 of an interview with Ian McGaughey, member of the 1980s band The Michus.)

Q: Have you seen Kurt recently?

Ian: I haven't seen Kurt in years. I believe he's living out west. If I saw him today I think we'd just pick right up where we left off nearly 20 years ago. Maybe we'd even crank out another tune, who knows?

Q: Do you have a favorite Michus song?

Ian: My favorite has always been "My Cat Is Dead." I think from a production standpoint it's the finest. The layering in of the guitar, punchy drums and fat bass at the beginning is a nice setup into Kurt's vocal. I also feel that Kurt's guitar solo on this track is amazing. I really do. He never felt that he was a good soloist, but you can clearly hear the development of his own style over the course of the songs. The "My Cat Is Dead" solo sounds like we had Robert Fripp sit in. It's really, really good.

Q: How about a favorite lyric?

Ian: That's a tough one. Just about everything that came out of his mouth was golden. I always thought a cool app would be an automatic Michus email signature generator. You know, instead of having some quote from Einstein or Gandhi, have a random line or two from The Michus, like "What would it be like to be born a doorknob?" or "I wear my shirts three days in a row. Who really cares as long as they don't smell too bad?" I guess if I had to pin down one lyric that sticks with me and always makes me laugh, it's from "Party Tonight":
We'll all eat
Like a hog
Play spin the bottle
Kevin has to kiss a dog

Q: Last question — if you could sum up The Michus in one word, what would it be?

Ian: It would have to be "fun." The songs are full of fun. They're joyful. Even as Kurt sings about killing his parents or microwaving his cat, they're somehow full of innocence and pure joy that comes through louder than anything else, even louder than the guitar solo in "She Died At The Bank." That's the magic of The Michus to me. "Fashion Sucks" typifies that. If you're not smiling by the time you get to the ending, you're dead.