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| Flat Nate, Real Nate courtesy of The Yawpers |
By Matt Chrystal
All Photos by Matt Chrystal Unless Otherwise Noted
It's the end of the year! It's the end of the decade! It's time to talk about Best Ofs! It's time to talk about trilogies! It's time to talk about rock n roll! It's time to talk to Nate Cook of the Yawpers!
Trilogies? You want to talk about trilogies from this decade? That could get dicey. The latest installment of this decade's Star Wars trilogy left me frustrated, with many unanswered questions and an uneasy, unsatisfying feeling. Thankfully, my trilogy of interviews with Nate Cook of The Yawpers has left me with just the opposite. Cook has been candid, ridiculous, fun, informative and entertaining. He also has dropped some pretty amazing one-liners along the way.
Trilogies! Throughout this decade, Nate's band, the Yawpers have released a triad of albums on Bloodshot Records that have each gone onto top my Best Of Lists from their respective year of release. American Man, Boy in a Well and Human Question have all definitely found their way onto my Best Of the decade playlist.
In 2016, I chatted Nate up about the powers of his porn 'stache and the prophecies of American Man.
If you haven't already been initiated, then I dare you to go take a listen to "Doin' It Right," the opening track, on American Man, and not let out your own barbaric yawp of excitement over finding your new favorite band. That album showcases The Yawpers' masterful combination of grittiness, timelessness, and raw energy that grabbed me at first listen and took me on a journey right on through the rest of the decade.
In 2017, I went in for another round with Nate; and over a series of hundreds of dropped calls, I was able to find out more about his magical-mullet and the Oedipal Complex that went along with Boy in a Well.
Boy in a Well encapsulates what the Yawpers are all about. A raucous fusion of punk and rockability that serves as the vehicle to convey Cook's cerebral outpouring of emotions. Cook worked out his trauma from a failed marriage through a fever-dream tale of a boy's abandonment issues after emerging from years in well, set to the backdrop of France during WWI.
Fuckin' A! That's trippy!
The year 2019 had The Yawpers working through a line-up change; saw the release of Human Question after their two-month breakneck studio marathon of writing / recording sessions; and they were somehow able to endure a relentless tour and party schedule throughout the U.S. and Europe.
The band also got to witness the Flat Nate phenomenon, as their fans clamored to get their hands on their own cardboard cutout of Nate, naked and clutching a strategically placed copy of Human Question.
Flat Nate conveniently came in a variety of sizes (I got hold of an 18inch Flat Nate, which accompanied me on several brewery tours and made for great conversations and selfies at rock shows throughout the Tri-State area).
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| Flat Nate on a brewery tour. |
Yes, folks, Flat Naked Nate was a thing in 2019. A promotional gimmick that unexpectedly, went horribly right.
To close out the decade and conclude this trilogy of interviews, I tracked Nate down as he was literally suiting up for rehearsals for the Yawpers' upcoming Big Lebowski-themed blowout in Denver on New Year's Eve. We get to talking about the Flat Nate phenomenon, the making of Human Question and, of course, I got his choices for the Best of 2019… sorta.
UnCool Uncle Matty: How did the Flat Nate promotional gimmick come into existence?
Nate Cook: The story that people imagined happening is actually what happened. If I can remember correctly, one night I was just sitting on my couch and probably drank too much and smoked too much pot. My roommate and I were just hanging around and talking about something I could do to promote the record. It was as simple as me going into the bathroom and taking off all of my clothes, then running out and scaring the shit out of him, with my record in front of my dick. He snapped a photo, and then I somehow convinced my record label (Bloodshot Records) to make it into a life-size cardboard cutout.
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| Flat Nate attending the 8th Garden State Beard and 'Stache Competition |
UUM: Where you surprised that fans wanted a Flat Nate of their very own?
NC: I am still surprised. I'm absolutely blown away. It makes no sense to me.
UUM: Can you share some of your favorite Flat Nate moments?
NC: There were a lot of wonderful posts about (Flat Nate) all over the New Jersey area for quite a while! Thanks for that!
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| Flat Nate with Sarah of Murder By Death |
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| Flat Nate with Aaron and Sarah of Sarah Shook & The Disarmers |
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| Flat Nate with Deer Tick |
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| Flat Nate with Sarah Shook |
There were a few times I stayed at fans' houses while on the road, and they had a Flat Nate which was surprising. I went to one house where the guy had a Flat Nate standing up directly next to the bed where he and his wife sleep together. So it was interesting to know that a 6ft "Naked Nate" is just peering down at them in their matrimony bed.
And a friend of mine ordered one and when he finished unpacking it, his nine year old son walked up to him and said, "Dad, I just don't understand you anymore."
UUM: In addition to calling it "Naked Nate," I have seen it referred to as several other names online but "Flat Nate" seems to be the most common moniker. Do you have a preferred name for your cardboard counterpart?
NC: Nope, that's it. Flat Nate is fine. I think if I spend too much time nicknaming naked pictures of myself, I will probably have to go back into therapy.
UUM: Since we last talked, the composition of Yawpers has changed with the departure of your close collaborator, Noah Shomberg, and the addition of Alex Koshak on drums. Now that some time has passed, can you talk about that transition?
NC: It happens. People change. People leave. It certainly wasn't easy. But, long term, I think we are better for it. If somebody doesn't want to be in a band then why keep them around? I don't have any deep insights on it. I just wish him well.
UUM: Did the transition affect the sound of the band?
NC: The effect was the short amount of time it left us to do the record. Our drummer left us right as we were going into the studio to record, so we weren't left with a lot of leeway. But our sound has changed from record to record anyways, so it is hard for me to pin down whether or not that was the reason for it. Sure, personnel changes must have some effect on our sound. It's just hard for me to quantify what that change is.
UUM: You have been busy producing a new album for The Beeves. Can you tell us about those guys and your experience working with them?
NC: The Beeves are a bunch of twenty and twenty-one year old punk-ass-bitches. They make really vociferous rock and roll. I'm really amped on their record; we recorded at Steve Albini's studio, Electrical Audio. That was pretty cool. That was my second time there as we did Human Question there as well. The record is going to be amazing. I've actually been transitioning into doing more and more production work, and I have really been enjoying that experience.
UUM: The Beeves will be opening for The Yawpers on your upcoming New Year's Eve gig in Denver. You will be covering the soundtrack to the cult classic, The Big Lebowski. I'm sure most folks are thinking about Dylan's "The Man in Me," but I'd be psyched to hear y'all cover Creedence, Kenny Rogers, and of course "Dead Flowers" by The Rolling Stones by way of Townes Van Zandt. What drew y'all to the soundtrack?
NC: This is our third annual NYE event. We do a different soundtrack each year. Last year was Animal House. The year before that was Pulp Fiction. The Big Lebowski is just a cult classic with one of the best soundtracks ever! I am actually putting on some pants as we speak and am heading out to do some Kenny Rogers rehearsals after this. We are getting geared up for this!
UUM: Speaking of getting "geared up," The Yawpers' latest album, Human Question, which was written and recorded in a two-month period, came pretty hot on the heels of its predecessor, Boy in a Well. What's coming up next?
NC: I started working on a solo album (while in Croatia). There's nothing in the works quite yet with The Yawpers. There might be some rumblings of things happening, but really, there's nothing yet. I am just working on some solo material and will hopefully have something out next year.
UUM: 2019 saw the Yawpers take on Europe. What were some take-aways from that tour?
NC: This was our second time in Europe. It was great. It was actually fantastic! If we could just tour Europe solely then I would probably be ok with that. I enjoy it there because everyone is so kind and keeps us well fed. There doesn't seem to be anyone there that was looking down their noses at us because of our life choices. It's a very art-centric culture there that we don't seem to have here in the States. Ironically, though, we have such better music here in the U.S. I think the fact that we (Americans) are so cruel to people that create art, it weeds out the people that are just in in it for the fashion of it all. Whereas, in Europe, people are so nice to everyone that most artists can keep hanging on, even if they are just mediocre.
UUM: Speaking of lifestyle choices, we are coming up on the end of the year. So let's get your choices for Best of 2019. Let's do this in rapid fire. Ready? And go!
UUM: Favorite Album?
NC: Fuck you! God-damn-it! You can't put that question on a rapid fire list! What the fuck?!
UUM; Ok, ok, it's also the end of the decade, so let's make it easier… how about your Most Listened to Album?
NC: Fuck! Ok, I'd be too embarrassed to admit to some of them. So, I'm going to just say Tupac's Greatest Hits.
UUM: Favorite show to binge-watch?
NC: (Long Pause)… I am not good at this. Maybe, The Leftovers.
UUM: Favorite Tour Stop?
NC: Maybe Bern, Switzerland. I am prefacing all my answers with "maybe" because I am too much of a coward to just give you a fucking straight answer.
UUM: Favorite Fetish or Favorite Genre of Porn?
NC: Oh, Jesus Christ dude! I like to jerk-off to the thought of my wife leaving me again.
UUM: (Long Pause) … Do you prefer your bandmate, Jesse Parmet's, hair down or in man-bun?
NC: Half and half!
UUM: Your Drunkest Moment?
NC: 2019!
UUM: In your song, "Man as a Ghost," you have a line exclaiming that your body has no more violence left to give. And if there's ever been a great reminder of our mortality, it's the battle against neck and back pain. How are you holding up with all your travels and trashing about on stage? What do you do for self-care besides self-medicating?
NC: Frankly, my body just collapsed at some point. My neck has started to rectify itself to some degree. But (the collapse) is apparently going to come back in much worse fashion. I am optimistically pessimistic at the moment. So, yeah. I'm back to self-medication! Sometimes that works, right?
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| 3D Nate repping GSBMS courtesy of The Yawpers |
UUM: Thoughts on Today? Hopes for Tomorrow?
NC: My thought for today is that I'm too tired, and I want to go to bed. My hope for tomorrow is that I don't wake up hungover.
The album, Human Question, is out now on Bloodshot Records.
The Yawpers will be performing on 12/31/19 at the Oriental Theater in Denver. Co.
NC: And if you can't be with us in Denver then I can always be with you in Flat Nate spirit!
You can still get a Flat Nate X-mas ornament now at www.BloodshotRecords.com.
For all other info, check out www.TheYawpers.com
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