By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
May 21, 2004
Chris Carrabba may be the most scrutinized man in rock ‘n’ roll. Not necessarily by the critics, but certainly by his devoted fans, who debate everything he does. The frontman for Dashboard Confessional, considered by some to be the poster boy for emo rock, carries this burden surprisingly well.
“I can’t control what people think about me,” he says, phoning from the Los Angeles video shoot for Dashboard’s latest single, “Vindicated,” which is on the “Spider-Man 2” soundtrack.
HERE’S WHAT ELSE CARRABBA HAD TO SAY:
Why fans obsess about his music: I don’t know why I’m so heavily scrutinized, but I know I am. I can’t let myself get caught up in how other people perceive things. But they’re not nearly as hard on me as I am, and they’re far more flattering to me than I am to myself.
On his obsession: I’m beyond a fan of the “Spider-Man” movies. I grew up on the comic book, so I was one of those geeky kids who would rather lose themselves to an imaginary world where underdogs can be accepted.
Why his fans think he’s cool but he doesn’t: I’m around me more. I know me better. There’s just something cool to the core about some rock stars that I look up to, like Dave Grohl. He’s certainly quirky but cool from the inside out. I can’t imagine he had a time where he was gawky.
What music means to you: I grew up infatuated with music and sort of enjoyed dancing between the escapism of some of it and the biting raw self-examination of the rest of it.
Five favorite bands you’d be willing to commit to on a laminated list: It’d be hard to nail it down to just five, but the Beach Boys, the Beatles, Elvis Costello, Jawbox and Jawbreaker.
On liking Justin Timberlake’s solo record: I like his album. There’s no shame in that.
Last good movie you saw: This “Spider-Man” sequel was so good. I’m a big fan of the first one — and the comic book — and this second one is even better. It really is. I liked that there’s a lot more depth.
How “Vindicated” came to be: The filmmakers wanted me to do a song for the movie. After I saw it, I gave them a song I had already written that I thought fit the mood, and a few weeks later, they said it was great, they loved it and wanted to put in on the soundtrack. Something didn’t feel right, so I asked them for one more day and very quickly wrote “Vindicated” and sent it to them the next day. Everyone agreed it was better for whatever reason.
On what happened to “I Need a Sure Thing” (that other song): I took it back! [Laughs]
What you do to pass the time: I’m not a video gamer at all and probably never will be, though my brothers are. I play guitar and skateboard, so I already have an indoor and outdoor activity. But if I were to play a game, it would be the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” one. That’s the only one I’m interested in.
On management’s reaction to your possibly breaking your guitar-playing hand by skateboarding: It freaks them out, but I’m not in jail. I get to lead a life.
Favorite books: I’ve read all of John Irving’s books. The last brilliant book I read was Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, who wrote The Virgin Suicides. It’s a brilliant book [and] I can’t wait for him to write a new book. I found a lot of similarities between him and John Irving, but not in a limited way. They certainly are not from the same era.
Worst job you ever had: I’ve had some doozies. I would say furniture mover. And maybe digging ditches, too. There was a point when I had five jobs at the same time. It seems like you can handle it while you’re doing it, but as soon as you’re not anymore, you can’t imagine how you managed on three or four hours of sleep a night.
What you always do in Chicago: I usually go to the Apple store on Michigan Avenue and hang out in the middle of everything.
