Semisonic drummer Jake Slichter is used to attention–interviews on TV, reviews in The New York Times, national tours. And things aren’t much different now that he has traded in his drumsticks for a pen.
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Slichter has written “So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star,” a 286-page chronicle of a band whose catchy pop hit “Closing Time” topped the charts in 1998.
An expansion of the band diaries he posted on the Semisonic Web site, Slichter’s book gives readers an insider’s view of what it’s like dealing with major-label execs who love you one minute and can’t look you in the eye the next. He describes the anxiety and cravings for more that follow getting that one big hit. And he reveals what it was like to be the least-experienced–and most fashion-challenged–band member.
Slichter took time out from his nationwide book tour to talk about stage fright, bandmates John Munson and Dan Wilson, and taking center stage. He spoke to us by phone from the Charles Hotel near Harvard University, where he and Wilson first started making music together as students two decades ago.
As the drummer in Semisonic, you were always in the background. How does it feel to be the frontman during this book tour?
It feels great. I wasn’t a good enough songwriter to get more songs on our records. I didn’t want to have bad songs on the records just to have them there. So now that I have a chance to have my words and ideas out there, it’s a thrill to me.
How did your bandmates respond to the book?
They really liked it. John was very surprised about all the stuff about my insecurities and stage fright. He really felt bad. I had deliberately hidden the extent to which I was uncomfortable on the road from Dan and John. They were pros.
Some consider Semisonic a one-hit-wonder band. How do you feel about that?
That’s always such a weird expression. The Replacements didn’t really have any hits, but they were an amazing band. … People say what they say, and if they don’t know your music, that’s the kind of thing they will probably say.
When Semisonic went on hiatus a couple of years ago, did that feel natural or were you bummed out about it?
Well, we weren’t necessarily bummed out about being on hiatus. I think we were bummed out because the year had been so rough. There was a lot of frustration that we went through with our last album (“All About Chemistry”). When we began our hiatus, there was a lot of mutual disappointment among the band members. It seemed like the thing to do.
What’s next for you?
I think I want to write something else. The question is, is it going to be a book? I’d like to make a solo record of my own–not because I think people are waiting for it but for myself.
Do you have any advice for bands that are craving that one big hit?
You just have to keep writing and keep performing. Don’t lock yourself away in a rehearsal room. Get a bunch of shows. Get every show you can. A show is worth 50 rehearsals.
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Edited by Cara Dipasquale ([email protected]) and Curt Wagner ([email protected])