CU: You have a rotating third guitarist, does it cause problems?

MATT: It has created minor problems in the past when the guy, Peter Schmidt, who has filled in for Tench has had other obligations. But really, it's worked out fairly well. When Tench has been in Russia we just play less frequently.

CU: How does the Bedhead creative process begin, with words or the music?

MATT: There isn't really a set method. Sometimes the words are already in existence waiting for the music to be worked out. Other times, and I'd say this is rarer, the music gives rise to the lyrics. In each case, a lot of fine tuning goes on even after the two have been put together.

CU: What's the true meaning of The Dark Ages? To me, it has a very negative perspective, almost as if no matter what you do, the Dark Ages will always return, yet listening to it always lifts me. What's it written about?

MATT: The meaning of the song may be exactly as you've described it: the words promise little, but the music doesn't as obviously say that. In all honesty, the song came about after an especially bad day.

CU: Who were/are the major influences on the Bedhead sound?

MATT: All the music we listened to when we were really young -- everything from country music to the Who; Joy Division/New Order, Echo and the Bunnymen, that kind of stuff, in high school; and I'm sure there are more names to add to the list. I actually don't listen to music too often. Partly that's because I can't think of anything to listen to, but it is also because I can't stand to hear the same thing over and over. We all really like Arvo Part. But I don't know how immodest it would be to say we've been influenced by him. We like the Velvet Underground, although recently enough is enough. Maybe we're somewhere in the midst of all this disparate stuff.

CU: What do you make of comparisons to Lou Reed/the Velvet Underground?

MATT: I don't mind too much. After all, they're legends. What bothers me are comparisons to bands who also sound like V.U. When you go to the source, you hate to get compared to people going there along with you. I don't mean to say our lives are spent in the pursuit of the Velvet Underground. The only thing about them we probably consciously try to imitate is their versatility.

CU: Is Bedhead a full-time concern for all band-members?

MATT: We all work or are in school, but the answer is yes. Starting this summer, that will be even more so. We'll tour the U.S. in June and July. Our drummer's wife will have a baby in September, but after that we'll head over to Europe for a month of shows. When it comes to recording, everyone always puts aside anything else for it.

CU: Are you aware of any other bands with a similar style to your own?

MATT: That's a hard question. If I say no, I sound like I'm protesting too much. If I say yes, I'm only informed by the things other people have written about us. We occasionally get lumped into the slow music crowd, but I'm not sure what all that means. Some of our songs are slow, some fast; some are quiet, others, I think, fairly loud. If slow music weren't kind of big right now people would say we sound like something completely different.

CU: How do you want people to feel when they listen to Bedhead?

MATT: That's a good question. I wish I knew how to answer it. I guess I want them to feel as you described your own feelings listening to the Dark Ages. I don't want people to hear the lyrics to the exclusion of the music, or the other way around. I'd rather them sense the way the two work together. When songs lend themselves so much to listeners listening to just the words or just the music, they might as well have expiration dates on them. I hope our songs can be listened to more completely.

CU: For the majority of UK bands, the motives of being in a band are for success, for an appearance on "Top Of The Pops", seeing that the US music underground is a very different place, making it constantly difficult to make money without incessantly touring, what goals keep Bedhead together?

MATT: No one but a moron wants to have a number one hit; but no one but a bigger moron records records with the intent that they remain unheard. We would like for the people who might like us to be able to hear us. Of course, that's an incredibly vague thing to say. How do people come to like your music? How do you go about giving it to them without inadvertently bothering a lot of others along the way? To answer your question, this kind of nonsense keeps us together.

CU: What do typical Bedhead lyrics concern?

MATT: I'll let you be the judge of that.

CU: Your touring the UK later this year, unlike the US it's very easy for a band to become relatively "big" overnight here due to the fickle music press, how important is it to you and what expectations do you have of the UK?

MATT: I don't really know what ÒbigÓ over there is. You'd be surprised at how few people over here have heard of Pulp -- I've never heard them, I've just heard of them. But I know they're huge over there, or at least I've inferred that from the press I've seen. I think I can safely say we don't want to be Pulp big. It would be nice to play some good shows, be spared from a bunch of shitty reviews, and come home with a little money. To be completely honest, I have no idea what to expect. But I suspect our parameters of potential success peak at what I think "would be nice," and skid at total misery.

CU: What kind of progression from your first album, Whatfunlifewas, canwe expect on the soon to be released one (titled yet?)?

MATT: The upcoming record, Beheaded [note: that's B E H E A D E D, not BEDHEADED, as some have mistakenly thought and printed], is quieter than the first record. We've been playing most of the songs for quite a while. I don't know how progress fits into to it.

CU: Many people report that the first time they saw you play live, it was almost a spiritual experience, does playing live appeal to you or do you prefer the studio side of things?

MATT: That's a nice compliment. I think I've always thought playing a show is preferable to recording a song, but at least after recording, one's memory can be backed up with proof. There are horrible things that go along with playing live -- like incessant touring. There are equally irritating aspects to recording -- like incessantly playing the same song until you get it right.

CU: Will the Bedhead sound always be guitar-based or are you tempted to experiment with technology?

MATT: Before Bedhead, which is to say before 1992, Bubba, Trini, and I were in a band with a viola player. Using three guitars in Bedhead was initially a way to try to duplicate the sustaining quality of the viola once the guy who played it was no longer in the band. I guess we've thought about different instruments (we've used bells on the new record and an old 7 inch), but I'm not sure if technology is going to provide us with any real options.

CU: Finally, any plans for world domination?!

MATT: Not until we get our hands on a neutron bomb.

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