Beck Reflects on His Career and the Meaning of a Devil's
In a wide-ranging interview, musician Beck discusses his artistic evolution, the 'slacker' label, and the enduring legacy of his introspective work over
Beck has described his decades-long music career as a constant process of digging in a mine for a few worthwhile songs. The artist, who began performing in the late 1980s, said he would make music even if he had to paint houses for a living.
He was answering questions from readers of The Guardian in a new interview. The conversation covered his stylistic shifts, his views on fame, and the cultural moment that launched him.
The Lonesome Core and the Funky Fluke
Beck said the introspective, quieter side of his music is probably closer to his intrinsic self. He described his more energetic, funk-influenced work as a fluke that happened to catch public attention at the time. The artist noted a reversal in listener preference, with his audience now favoring his genreless, introspective songs over his earlier hits.
"I don't have any songs that they play at weddings, like Uptown Funk," Beck said. He recalled telling producer Mark Ronson, "Hey, you made a wedding song."
Disrupting the Machine
The musician reflected on his infamous 1994 MTV interview with Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore. He characterized their antics, which included smashing a telephone with baseball bats, as a youthful attempt to disrupt pre-programmed media. Coming from underground art backgrounds, they saw the mainstream TV opportunity as preposterous and decided to seize the moment.
It was a very youthfully exuberant attempt to try to disrupt everything that was very pre-programmed and uninteresting, Beck explained.
Reacting to the Polished 80s
Beck rejected the 'slacker rock' label applied to him and his peers in the early 1990s. He viewed the term as reductive. The artist framed the grunge and alternative explosion as a reaction against the highly curated, airbrushed pop culture of the 1980s.
He remembered an early visit to a record label where executives told him he looked too messy and rough to succeed. Whoever that was missed the point, Beck stated. We were reacting to how cleaned up everything was, and going back to something a little more raw and real.
Despite the surprise success of his 1994 single 'Loser', Beck said he never had expectations for a long career. He believes lasting power comes from writing good songs. He finds it funny that the catchy, pop-oriented songs from his era, once frowned upon as 'selling out', are now widely loved.
Defining a Devil's Haircut
When asked what a 'devil's haircut' would look like, a reference to his 1996 song, Beck suggested it would have a rockabilly edge. He cited a bizarre mullet style worn by Australian 'sharpies' from the proto-punk era as a potential example.
I think any haircut that has a lot of architecture to it, with wild flights of fancy, he concluded.
Beck also shared anecdotes about other career moments. He revealed he turned down numerous film and soundtrack offers in the late 1990s and early 2000s, including roles in High Fidelity and Ghost World, because he did not want to 'go Hollywood'. He only agreed to voice a character on Futurama after his bandmates pressured him during a long tour bus ride.
His involvement in the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind came through a personal friendship with director Michel Gondry. Beck's cover of 'Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime' for the soundtrack has become one of his most beloved recordings. He connected the request to his 2002 album Sea Change, which initially shocked his fans but is now a fan favorite. The artist noted that people rarely mention his hit album Odelay to him anymore, instead citing Sea Change and Midnite Vultures.
