"You're less likely to die eaten by the rock lifestyle": Matt Berninger, frontman of The National, on the benefits of succeeding past 30

A year ago, the legendary musician and producer Booker T Jones, famous for being a member of Booker T & MG's, as well as for having collaborated with Eddie Floyd, Otis Redding or Neil Young, published his biography,

.

In it, in addition, to review his career, he commented on his most recent projects, such as his work as a producer in what was to be the first solo feature by Matt Berninger, leader of The National.

Booker even gave the title of the album:

.

The problem is that the album was not called that.

The man had gotten confused and endorsed Berninger (Cincinatti, 1971) with the name of an old song from Earth, Wind & Fire.

"The feature was not even finished," recalls the phone the lead singer of The National, one of the most successful bands of the last decade.

Serpentine prison

, as it is called, is a feature length that focuses on Berninger's most intimate version and departs from the attempts of experimentation that have defined the last two works of The National and that led them to win a Grammy in 2018 for their bright

.

In many respects, it is the record that could be expected from the leader of that band that began its rise in 2008, when Barack Obama used his song

for his presentation at the Democratic Convention.

"To make this album I wanted everything to be fast, except moving parts, I didn't want many people in the room for a long time."

The Ohio man has always been a type of those who are a little late, but when they arrive they do it with everything.

He decided to quit his advertising job to pursue music in his 30s. With The National, it took him three albums to achieve something that, with some optimism, could be considered success.

He has been a musician from Ohio in Brooklyn and for a few years he is a New Yorker in Los Angeles.

He shares a group with two sets of twins and writes almost all of his songs with his wife, Carin Bessner.

He is one of the most personal vocalists of the last decade, one of those destined to triumph alone, but also one of those who seems to carry the entire weight of the world on his shoulders.

Too many kilos to take flight.

"I got rid of that burden to try to get ahead on my own," recalls Berninger, who insists that if this album did not happen before it was not because he did not have the confidence to do it or because he wanted to delay it so that it was in line with his way of arriving. a bit late.

"I was going to make a cover album ... I've always had confidence in my head and in my soul, I've always felt happy to be a good person.

I know that I can do things well.

As a middle-class white man the truth is that the world turns in my favor.

I feel like I can dive into the ice water.

It's scary, sure, but I know I can get to the other shore.

Of course, I don't like being in cold water ”.

One of the benefits of being successful past 30 is that you are less likely to die from the rock lifestyle.

Another, that you are able to articulate a speech around that lifestyle.

You have the experience and you also have the wisdom.

Here goes Berninger: “Get away from drugs.

They will kill you.

I know many great artists ruined by drugs.

It is very easy to make the excuse that this is the lifestyle of artists.

Let's see, I smoke weed.

Maybe he's a hypocrite defending sobriety.

Don't smoke cigarettes.

I have not used cocaine in my life.

Mushrooms, sometimes, it's true.

Grass and wine.

No heroin or pills.

They killed Tom Petty!

And Prince!

Keith Richards is not normal.

No one should notice him or try what he does.

I still write songs because I didn't do those things. "

Matt Berninger gets up every morning before five.

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