Robert DeLong: The First Kiss, Apologies and Lessons Learned

Take an indie rock drummer, add in a Wii remote and joystick, connect it to a MIDI interface, and you get Robert DeLong. If you’ve ever seen him at a show, you know electronic music is much more than just pushing buttons. DeLong uses drums, keyboards and game controllers to make rock electronica that you have to see live to fully comprehend. He’s most well-known for 2012’s “Global Concepts,” where his drumming shines through a mixture of moombahton and indie dance. He released his first full-length album, Just Movement, early last year and has been touring since. He’ll be bringing his live show to the West Coast, including a stop in his hometown, Seattle. Learn more about the multifaceted musician below:

We got a piece of some pond reed and ate it on both ends until we kissed, like the spaghetti incident in ‘Lady and the Tramp.’ She’s now a lesbian.

What’s the hardest lesson you’ve ever learned?
I think the hardest lesson I learned early on in making music was that you have to ask people to help you with things—I’ve always been pretty self-reliant in my music creation process, but obviously there are so many things that I can’t do on my own. At this point, I couldn’t do most of what I do without help. Besides doing really difficult things like tying my shoes and making macaroni and cheese, I have tons of gear I travel with that I could only assemble and troubleshoot with my wonderful crew. I have a sound guy, video guy and production manager who have all helped me tremendously with putting my show together. I have managers who focus me and help me make money, I have booking agents and business managers—you get the idea. It takes a city to make an artist viable in this modern music industry, so ask for help.

To whom do you owe an apology?
Dillon Francis. I called him a dweeb and a little “bitch-fart.” He was sobbing. I’m sorry, Dillon.

If you could meet anybody from the past, who would it be, and why?
I think Alan Watts would be an amazing guy to have dinner with—everything he said was interesting, and he had such a great and convincing accent. Also, I would force him to listen to some of the ambient music I have made using recordings of some of his lectures.

[Editor’s note: Since DeLong mentioned Watts, here’s a personal favorite: “Music and Life.” ]

What do you remember about your first kiss?
It was with a girl who was a family friend—we were 11 or so, and we were down by my pond (we had a large pond in our backyard—one of the benefits to living in the Pacific Northwest). I told her, “Let’s smoke weed,” but I’m pretty sure I didn’t even know what that meant at the time, so we got a piece of some pond reed and ate it on both ends until we kissed, like the spaghetti incident in Lady and the Tramp. She’s now a lesbian (and a good friend), and I would like to think that I played a pivotal role in turning her off from guys.

What’s your drink of choice?
Right now I’ve been all about Bulleit bourbon on the rocks, or rye Manhattans. I also like Sour Diesel, which is like a drink, but different.

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Robert DeLong: The First Kiss, Apologies and Lessons Learned

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