WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.379 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today we are tuning 00:00:04.379 --> 00:00:06.440 our instruments, we are checking the mic levels, 00:00:06.599 --> 00:00:09.039 and we are getting ready to open a file that 00:00:09.039 --> 00:00:11.839 I have been absolutely dying to get into. I've 00:00:11.839 --> 00:00:13.179 been looking forward to this one. We're looking 00:00:13.179 --> 00:00:16.500 at a band that, by all conventional logic, really 00:00:16.500 --> 00:00:18.539 shouldn't have worked. They were, I mean, they 00:00:18.539 --> 00:00:21.140 were too weird for the radio, too pop for the 00:00:21.140 --> 00:00:24.100 punks, and maybe a little too anxious for the 00:00:24.100 --> 00:00:26.800 cool kids. It is a fascinating case study. You're 00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:29.019 absolutely right. We're looking at a group that 00:00:29.019 --> 00:00:33.259 managed to exist between genres, between business 00:00:33.259 --> 00:00:36.679 models, and even between breakups in a way that 00:00:36.679 --> 00:00:39.359 very few artists ever managed to navigate. They 00:00:39.359 --> 00:00:41.719 didn't just survive the music industry's most 00:00:41.719 --> 00:00:44.240 volatile era. They essentially, well, they hacked 00:00:44.240 --> 00:00:46.560 it. They did. They totally hacked it. They pulled 00:00:46.560 --> 00:00:49.039 off a literal heist of their own music from a 00:00:49.039 --> 00:00:51.219 major label, which we will absolutely get into. 00:00:51.399 --> 00:00:55.200 They predicted the creator economy. A decade 00:00:55.200 --> 00:00:57.600 before YouTube was even a thing. For sure. They 00:00:57.600 --> 00:00:59.579 were so ahead of the curve on that. And they 00:00:59.579 --> 00:01:02.640 managed to break up, reunite, and then kind of 00:01:02.640 --> 00:01:05.159 break up again without ever losing that diehard 00:01:05.159 --> 00:01:08.069 connection with their audience. It's really something 00:01:08.069 --> 00:01:10.430 else. It's a masterclass in artistic integrity, 00:01:10.730 --> 00:01:13.010 you know, doing things your own way. We are, 00:01:13.049 --> 00:01:15.390 of course, talking about the dismemberment plan. 00:01:15.569 --> 00:01:18.430 The dismemberment plan. And before we get into 00:01:18.430 --> 00:01:21.689 the music or the industry politics, which, spoiler 00:01:21.689 --> 00:01:24.170 alert, includes that heist I mentioned, we have 00:01:24.170 --> 00:01:26.200 to start with a name. You have to. Because if 00:01:26.200 --> 00:01:28.019 you were walking through a record store in, say, 00:01:28.099 --> 00:01:32.180 1995, and you saw a CD labeled The Dismemberment 00:01:32.180 --> 00:01:35.579 Plan, you might think, OK, what is this? Scandinavian 00:01:35.579 --> 00:01:37.959 death metal. Right. Or, you know, some kind of 00:01:37.959 --> 00:01:40.560 Norwegian grindcore, something aggressive. Exactly. 00:01:40.560 --> 00:01:42.299 It sounds violent. It sounds like something that 00:01:42.299 --> 00:01:44.519 involves fake blood and, I don't know, spikes 00:01:44.519 --> 00:01:46.959 on stage. But that's not it at all. Not even 00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:49.040 close. Not even close. It's actually a reference 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:51.500 to one of the greatest comedy films of the 90s. 00:01:51.519 --> 00:01:53.920 We were talking about Groundhog Day. That's right. 00:01:54.510 --> 00:01:57.790 1993 Bill Murray classic. Yeah. A perfect movie. 00:01:58.010 --> 00:02:01.030 It really is. So for anyone who needs a refresher, 00:02:01.069 --> 00:02:04.209 picture the scene. Bill Murray is Phil Connors. 00:02:04.329 --> 00:02:07.030 He's trapped in this time loop, reliving the 00:02:07.030 --> 00:02:10.150 same day over and over and over. And every single 00:02:10.150 --> 00:02:12.689 morning, without fail, he runs into this guy, 00:02:12.830 --> 00:02:15.889 Ned Ryerson. Ned the head. Am I right or am I 00:02:15.889 --> 00:02:18.069 right or am I right? The insurance salesman? 00:02:18.090 --> 00:02:20.550 I mean, probably one of the most memorably annoying 00:02:20.550 --> 00:02:24.789 characters in film history. Oh, for sure. Badgering 00:02:24.789 --> 00:02:27.669 Bill Murray, just pitching every possible insurance 00:02:27.669 --> 00:02:30.870 product under the sun. It's this rapid fire monologue, 00:02:31.030 --> 00:02:34.069 single premium life, term life, whole life. And 00:02:34.069 --> 00:02:36.750 you can just see Bill Murray's soul leaving his 00:02:36.750 --> 00:02:39.610 body as it's happening. And buried in that pitch, 00:02:39.810 --> 00:02:42.490 just a total throwaway line, he offers him the 00:02:42.490 --> 00:02:45.030 dismemberment plan. It's such a brilliant blink 00:02:45.030 --> 00:02:47.669 and you miss it moment of dialogue. It's corporate 00:02:47.669 --> 00:02:49.969 jargon that's designed to sound both terrifying 00:02:49.969 --> 00:02:52.150 and completely mundane at the same time. Right. 00:02:52.520 --> 00:02:54.960 It's a policy for, you know, losing a limb, but 00:02:54.960 --> 00:02:56.840 he sells it like it's a toaster oven. It's just 00:02:56.840 --> 00:02:59.300 another product on the list. And the band heard 00:02:59.300 --> 00:03:01.919 that line and apparently just went, that's it, 00:03:01.979 --> 00:03:03.800 that's our name. They've said it's darkly funny 00:03:03.800 --> 00:03:06.500 and it just stuck. And fans eventually just shortened 00:03:06.500 --> 00:03:09.180 it, right, to The Plan or D -Plan. Yeah, The 00:03:09.180 --> 00:03:12.520 Plan or D -Plan, which sounds so much more like 00:03:12.520 --> 00:03:14.280 organized and tactical. Yeah, it sounds like 00:03:14.280 --> 00:03:17.120 a spy movie or something. But the origin is literally 00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:20.020 Bill Murray being harassed by an insurance agent 00:03:20.020 --> 00:03:24.000 about losing his legs. And in a way, that origin 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:26.819 story, that name, it just encapsulates the band 00:03:26.819 --> 00:03:29.419 perfectly, doesn't it? They took something standard, 00:03:29.520 --> 00:03:32.699 a rock band setup, and twisted it into something 00:03:32.699 --> 00:03:35.639 eccentric, a little bit neurotic, and just deeply 00:03:35.639 --> 00:03:37.419 memorable. That's a perfect way to put it. That 00:03:37.419 --> 00:03:39.439 juxtaposition of the terrifying and the mundane. 00:03:39.719 --> 00:03:42.439 Yeah. So let's orient everyone. Who are we dealing 00:03:42.439 --> 00:03:45.110 with here? The dismemberment plan is a seminal 00:03:45.110 --> 00:03:48.129 American indie rock band from Washington, D .C. 00:03:48.150 --> 00:03:50.449 And they formed, fittingly enough, on New Year's 00:03:50.449 --> 00:03:54.590 Day, January 1st, 1993. I love that detail. It 00:03:54.590 --> 00:03:57.629 puts them right in the middle of a really specific 00:03:57.629 --> 00:04:01.610 cultural moment in D .C. And, you know, that 00:04:01.610 --> 00:04:05.389 specific date seems so right for a band that 00:04:05.389 --> 00:04:08.030 would go on to write so much about time and anxiety 00:04:08.030 --> 00:04:10.530 and new beginnings. Oh, for sure. And if you 00:04:10.530 --> 00:04:13.300 try to pin down their genre, well... Good luck. 00:04:13.419 --> 00:04:15.599 Right. You see indie rock, obviously. But then 00:04:15.599 --> 00:04:17.860 you see dance punk. You see math rock. Let's 00:04:17.860 --> 00:04:20.079 break that last one down for a second. When we 00:04:20.079 --> 00:04:21.920 say math rock, we're not talking about songs 00:04:21.920 --> 00:04:25.029 about algebra, are we? No, though with this band's 00:04:25.029 --> 00:04:27.649 lyrical style, maybe you're getting close. No, 00:04:27.769 --> 00:04:30.189 math rock refers to music that uses complex, 00:04:30.449 --> 00:04:32.889 atypical rhythmic structures. You know, most 00:04:32.889 --> 00:04:35.870 rock music is in a very standard 44 time. You 00:04:35.870 --> 00:04:37.370 can tap your foot to it. One, two, three, four. 00:04:37.550 --> 00:04:39.350 It's comfortable. It's predictable. Exactly. 00:04:39.410 --> 00:04:41.949 Math rock just completely disrupts that. It starts 00:04:41.949 --> 00:04:44.670 and stops in weird places. It uses time signatures 00:04:44.670 --> 00:04:49.970 like 78 or 54. It feels angular, jagged. It almost 00:04:49.970 --> 00:04:52.350 forces you to... count along to figure out what's 00:04:52.350 --> 00:04:54.069 happening. It definitely keeps you on your toes. 00:04:54.149 --> 00:04:56.230 You can't just nod your head mindlessly. You 00:04:56.230 --> 00:04:59.029 can't. But what made the dismemberment plan so 00:04:59.029 --> 00:05:01.329 special, and this is really the core of their 00:05:01.329 --> 00:05:04.189 genius, was that they took that intellectual 00:05:04.189 --> 00:05:07.509 mathematical complexity and they somehow made 00:05:07.509 --> 00:05:10.310 it danceable. They made it feel like pop music. 00:05:10.430 --> 00:05:14.149 It was this weird, amazing fusion. And that unique 00:05:14.149 --> 00:05:16.850 sound is what set them up for this incredible 00:05:16.850 --> 00:05:19.730 story. They're famous for slipping through the 00:05:19.730 --> 00:05:22.009 cracks of the major label system. Oh, the slipping 00:05:22.009 --> 00:05:24.990 through the cracks story is just legendary. We're 00:05:24.990 --> 00:05:26.509 going to spend a lot of time on that. We have 00:05:26.509 --> 00:05:29.490 to. And, you know, they cultivated this diehard 00:05:29.490 --> 00:05:32.430 fan base not through massive radio play, but 00:05:32.430 --> 00:05:34.850 through really unique and, frankly, ahead of 00:05:34.850 --> 00:05:36.970 their time engagement. They broke up right when 00:05:36.970 --> 00:05:38.389 they were at their creative peak. peak which 00:05:38.389 --> 00:05:40.569 is such a classic rock and roll tragedy it is 00:05:40.569 --> 00:05:42.329 but then they successfully reunited multiple 00:05:42.329 --> 00:05:45.850 times so today we're going to rely on the band's 00:05:45.850 --> 00:05:48.750 detailed history their discography touring logs 00:05:48.750 --> 00:05:52.189 all of it to really map out how this bizarre 00:05:52.189 --> 00:05:54.189 brilliant career happened all right so let's 00:05:54.189 --> 00:05:56.509 rewind the tape let's go back to northern virginia 00:05:56.509 --> 00:05:59.730 in the early 90s segment one origins and the 00:05:59.730 --> 00:06:02.970 dc sound who is in this band well the core lineup 00:06:02.970 --> 00:06:05.629 that most people know the classic lineup consists 00:06:05.629 --> 00:06:09.199 of eric axelson on bass Jason Cadell on guitar, 00:06:09.459 --> 00:06:12.420 and the frontman, Travis Morrison, on vocals 00:06:12.420 --> 00:06:15.240 and guitar. And the drummer, Joe Easley. Right, 00:06:15.360 --> 00:06:17.779 but Joe wasn't the original drummer. Originally, 00:06:17.800 --> 00:06:20.100 it was a guy named Steve Cummings. Okay, but 00:06:20.100 --> 00:06:23.060 the connection here goes back way before the 00:06:23.060 --> 00:06:25.160 band officially formed on that New Year's Day, 00:06:25.240 --> 00:06:27.360 right? This isn't a situation where your manager 00:06:27.360 --> 00:06:29.899 put an ad in the paper. Oh no, absolutely not. 00:06:30.060 --> 00:06:32.199 These guys had deep roots. They all knew each 00:06:32.199 --> 00:06:34.720 other from high school, specifically Lake Braddock 00:06:34.720 --> 00:06:37.389 Secondary School in Burke, Virginia. I love that. 00:06:37.449 --> 00:06:39.990 It's the classic friends from high school starting 00:06:39.990 --> 00:06:42.850 a band story. There's just something about that 00:06:42.850 --> 00:06:44.769 dynamic, isn't there? You develop a shorthand, 00:06:44.790 --> 00:06:46.949 a way of communicating that you just can't replicate 00:06:46.949 --> 00:06:49.829 with, you know, hired guns. It provides a level 00:06:49.829 --> 00:06:52.089 of chemistry you can't fake, and you can hear 00:06:52.089 --> 00:06:54.269 it in the music. The way the bass and guitar 00:06:54.269 --> 00:06:57.129 lock in together, that comes from years of playing 00:06:57.129 --> 00:06:59.649 together in garages and basements. They formed 00:06:59.649 --> 00:07:01.370 the band officially while they were in college, 00:07:01.569 --> 00:07:04.069 but that foundation was laid in the hallways 00:07:04.069 --> 00:07:07.069 of Lake Braddock. So, Steve Cummings, the original 00:07:07.069 --> 00:07:09.290 drummer, he was there for the beginning. He was. 00:07:09.389 --> 00:07:11.850 He played on their debut album, which is titled 00:07:11.850 --> 00:07:15.290 Just an Exclamation Point. Which is a complete 00:07:15.290 --> 00:07:17.050 and total nightmare for search engines, by the 00:07:17.050 --> 00:07:19.670 way. Oh, it's impossible. Try googling Exclamation 00:07:19.670 --> 00:07:21.730 Point album and see what you get. You'll get, 00:07:21.810 --> 00:07:25.050 like, panic at the disco or something. It's almost 00:07:25.050 --> 00:07:26.689 impossible to find if you don't know exactly 00:07:26.689 --> 00:07:29.790 what you're looking for. It's a very pre -internet 00:07:29.790 --> 00:07:33.589 band name for an album, but after that record... 00:07:34.110 --> 00:07:36.930 cummings left and this is a really pivotal moment 00:07:36.930 --> 00:07:40.310 because you know usually when a founding member 00:07:40.310 --> 00:07:43.470 especially the drummer leaves that early on it 00:07:43.470 --> 00:07:45.709 can destabilize a band it changes the entire 00:07:45.709 --> 00:07:48.089 rhythmic dna right the engine of the band is 00:07:48.089 --> 00:07:50.589 gone it is but in this case the change was arguably 00:07:50.589 --> 00:07:53.230 for the better they brought in joe easily and 00:07:53.230 --> 00:07:57.189 joe easily is just a monster behind the kit a 00:07:57.189 --> 00:07:59.509 completely different kind of player he really 00:07:59.509 --> 00:08:02.889 is his style is so intricate but also so powerful 00:08:03.480 --> 00:08:06.139 Joe Easley joining the band is what really cemented 00:08:06.139 --> 00:08:09.620 what fans consider the classic lineup. And this 00:08:09.620 --> 00:08:12.379 is where we start to hear that truly unique D 00:08:12.379 --> 00:08:15.360 -Plan sound emerge. The chemistry just clicked 00:08:15.360 --> 00:08:18.079 into place. It did. So let's talk about that 00:08:18.079 --> 00:08:20.139 sound. You mentioned math rock and dance punk. 00:08:20.540 --> 00:08:23.060 When I listen to the band, particularly the stuff 00:08:23.060 --> 00:08:27.519 after Joe joined, I hear a lot of anxiety. Danceable 00:08:27.519 --> 00:08:30.540 anxiety. That is a perfect description. Emo -tinged 00:08:30.540 --> 00:08:32.519 is another label that gets thrown around a lot, 00:08:32.559 --> 00:08:34.460 especially from that era, but it's just too simple 00:08:34.460 --> 00:08:36.320 for them. Yeah, it doesn't really fit. It doesn't 00:08:36.320 --> 00:08:38.039 capture the whole picture, because if you really 00:08:38.039 --> 00:08:39.899 listen to the rhythms, especially with what Joe 00:08:39.899 --> 00:08:42.019 Easley is doing on drums and what Eric Axelson 00:08:42.019 --> 00:08:45.690 is doing on bass, there is a heavy... heavy influence 00:08:45.690 --> 00:08:49.029 of R &B and dance music. It's funky. The bass 00:08:49.029 --> 00:08:51.850 lines are melodic and propulsive. Which is pretty 00:08:51.850 --> 00:08:54.149 unusual for a bunch of indie rock kids from the 00:08:54.149 --> 00:08:56.450 D .C. suburbs in the 90s, isn't it? Yeah. That 00:08:56.450 --> 00:08:58.289 wasn't really the sound of the moment. It was 00:08:58.289 --> 00:09:00.570 incredibly distinct. You have to remember the 00:09:00.570 --> 00:09:03.250 context. The Washington, D .C. music scene in 00:09:03.250 --> 00:09:06.509 the 90s was completely dominated by Discord records. 00:09:06.629 --> 00:09:10.629 Yeah, Fugazi. Yeah. Jawbox. Shutter to think. 00:09:10.730 --> 00:09:13.269 Exactly. It was the post -hardcore, post -punk 00:09:13.269 --> 00:09:16.470 revival. It was serious music. It was political. 00:09:16.669 --> 00:09:19.289 It had a strong ethical compass. There was this 00:09:19.289 --> 00:09:22.129 whole DIY ethos. And the shows were often very 00:09:22.129 --> 00:09:25.730 stoic. It was very stand still, fold your arms, 00:09:25.750 --> 00:09:27.429 and nod your head appreciably sometimes. Exactly. 00:09:27.429 --> 00:09:29.669 It was intense. It was cathartic, but it wasn't 00:09:29.669 --> 00:09:31.450 necessarily fun in a dance party kind of way. 00:09:31.610 --> 00:09:34.950 And the dismemberment plan took that post -hardcore 00:09:34.950 --> 00:09:37.629 energy, the intensity, the volume, the jagged 00:09:37.629 --> 00:09:40.559 guitars, and the... injected this offbeat, rhythmic, 00:09:40.720 --> 00:09:43.500 almost joyous quality into it. They wanted you 00:09:43.500 --> 00:09:45.519 to move. They absolutely wanted you to move. 00:09:45.639 --> 00:09:48.519 Travis Morrison's stage presence was and is manic. 00:09:48.600 --> 00:09:50.539 He's dancing, he's flailing. They weren't just 00:09:50.539 --> 00:09:52.519 rock. They were incorporating experimental textures, 00:09:52.740 --> 00:09:55.240 keyboards, samplers, and his vocals. They weren't 00:09:55.240 --> 00:09:58.299 just shouting. No, it's this whole range. Sometimes 00:09:58.299 --> 00:10:00.039 he's singing these really beautiful melodies, 00:10:00.100 --> 00:10:02.340 and then suddenly he's almost rapping or just 00:10:02.340 --> 00:10:04.679 talking in this frantic stream of consciousness 00:10:04.679 --> 00:10:08.399 style. The lyrics are so specific and strange, 00:10:08.539 --> 00:10:11.539 full of these little mundane details of life 00:10:11.539 --> 00:10:14.440 that suddenly feel epic and terrifying. It feels 00:10:14.440 --> 00:10:16.259 like the musical equivalent of having a panic 00:10:16.259 --> 00:10:18.940 attack at a disco. That's it. That is the perfect 00:10:18.940 --> 00:10:21.059 summary. It's like they took the raw, nervous 00:10:21.059 --> 00:10:24.100 energy of punk, but the structural complexity 00:10:24.100 --> 00:10:27.340 and groove of like Prince or Talking Heads and 00:10:27.340 --> 00:10:29.440 just mashed it all together into something new. 00:10:29.580 --> 00:10:33.370 And that willingness to blend genres. to be uncool 00:10:33.370 --> 00:10:36.409 in a very cool way, is what set them up for the 00:10:36.409 --> 00:10:38.610 drama that was about to unfold with the actual 00:10:38.610 --> 00:10:41.250 music industry. It really is. They were too weird 00:10:41.250 --> 00:10:43.690 to be easily categorized, which made them a very 00:10:43.690 --> 00:10:46.250 risky bet for a big corporation. Okay, let's 00:10:46.250 --> 00:10:47.870 unpack this because this is my favorite part 00:10:47.870 --> 00:10:50.690 of the story. Segment two, the Interscope incident, 00:10:50.929 --> 00:10:53.649 or as I like to call it, the great rock and roll 00:10:53.649 --> 00:10:57.470 heist. It really is a heist story. And it's one 00:10:57.470 --> 00:11:00.230 of the most fascinating and frankly, funniest 00:11:00.230 --> 00:11:03.500 business stories in... indie rock history. So 00:11:03.500 --> 00:11:06.019 to set the stage The band starts out recording 00:11:06.019 --> 00:11:08.299 for DeSoto Records. Which is a cool, respected, 00:11:08.580 --> 00:11:10.899 independent DC label. It was owned by members 00:11:10.899 --> 00:11:12.779 of the band Jawbox, right? That's right. So they 00:11:12.779 --> 00:11:14.759 were among friends, part of the DC community. 00:11:15.379 --> 00:11:18.539 But in the late 90s, you have this alternative 00:11:18.539 --> 00:11:21.279 gold rush still happening. The post -Nirvana 00:11:21.279 --> 00:11:24.220 explosion. Exactly. Nevermind had changed everything 00:11:24.220 --> 00:11:26.759 earlier in the decade, and major labels were 00:11:26.759 --> 00:11:28.799 still scrambling to sign anything with a distorted 00:11:28.799 --> 00:11:31.019 guitar and a flannel shirt. They were handing 00:11:31.019 --> 00:11:33.299 out these huge contracts like candy, trying to 00:11:33.299 --> 00:11:35.129 find the next big... thing. They were just throwing 00:11:35.129 --> 00:11:37.909 money at walls to see what would stick. And they 00:11:37.909 --> 00:11:39.409 didn't care where it came from. A weird band 00:11:39.409 --> 00:11:43.470 from D .C. Sure. Why not? Precisely. So the dismemberment 00:11:43.470 --> 00:11:47.409 plan, this quirky, funky, anxious band gets signed 00:11:47.409 --> 00:11:49.909 to Interscope Records. And Interscope is a massive 00:11:49.909 --> 00:11:52.769 label. This is Dr. Dre, Nine Inch Nails. No doubt. 00:11:52.929 --> 00:11:54.750 This is the big time. This is the major leagues. 00:11:54.970 --> 00:11:57.929 They release an EP on Interscope called The Ice 00:11:57.929 --> 00:12:00.919 of Boston. The Ice of Boston is such a great 00:12:00.919 --> 00:12:03.299 track. I have to pause on it because it captures 00:12:03.299 --> 00:12:06.659 their whole personality so perfectly. It's basically 00:12:06.659 --> 00:12:09.379 just Travis Morrison rambling over this groovy 00:12:09.379 --> 00:12:12.220 track about being lonely in Boston on New Year's 00:12:12.220 --> 00:12:14.139 Eve. Right. He's drinking champagne by himself, 00:12:14.259 --> 00:12:16.440 watching the tea in the harbor. It's hilarious. 00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:19.840 It's deeply sad. And it's incredibly catchy all 00:12:19.840 --> 00:12:22.059 at once. It's that neurotic storytelling style. 00:12:22.299 --> 00:12:25.320 So here's the setup. They are on the payroll 00:12:25.320 --> 00:12:28.559 of a major corporation. They have a budget. They 00:12:28.559 --> 00:12:30.759 go into the studio to record their breakthrough 00:12:30.759 --> 00:12:32.740 album. This is supposed to be the big one. This 00:12:32.740 --> 00:12:35.080 is Emergency and I. Of their masterpiece. And 00:12:35.080 --> 00:12:37.960 they record it with a major label budget. We 00:12:37.960 --> 00:12:41.159 are talking high quality production, months in 00:12:41.159 --> 00:12:44.460 a professional studio, the best gear, the works. 00:12:44.740 --> 00:12:47.039 They are spending the corporation's money to 00:12:47.039 --> 00:12:49.600 make their art with very little oversight, it 00:12:49.600 --> 00:12:51.899 seems. There's always a but with major labels 00:12:51.899 --> 00:12:54.590 in the 90s, isn't there? Always. Shortly after 00:12:54.590 --> 00:12:56.210 they complete the album, the entire industry 00:12:56.210 --> 00:12:58.990 shifts. There is a massive corporate merger between 00:12:58.990 --> 00:13:01.870 Universal and Polygram. Interscope was part of 00:13:01.870 --> 00:13:04.110 this. And what happens in a merger? It's a corporate 00:13:04.110 --> 00:13:07.990 bloodbath. Redundancies. Restructuring. Entire 00:13:07.990 --> 00:13:10.950 departments are wiped out. And hundreds of bands, 00:13:11.309 --> 00:13:14.190 the smaller, riskier signings, get dropped from 00:13:14.190 --> 00:13:16.529 the label rosters. They just cleaned house. They 00:13:16.529 --> 00:13:19.149 cleaned house. And the dismemberment plan was 00:13:19.149 --> 00:13:21.990 one of the bands on the chopping block. So usually 00:13:21.990 --> 00:13:24.149 this is where the story ends in tragedy, right? 00:13:24.230 --> 00:13:26.590 The band gets dropped, but the label owns the 00:13:26.590 --> 00:13:28.610 master tapes because they paid for the recording. 00:13:29.129 --> 00:13:32.190 And the album just sits in a vault forever. It's 00:13:32.190 --> 00:13:34.980 called label limbo. That is the standard heartbreaking 00:13:34.980 --> 00:13:38.220 story for so many bands from that era. Not only 00:13:38.220 --> 00:13:41.000 is your album shelved, but you, the artist, often 00:13:41.000 --> 00:13:43.360 owe the label all the money they spent on you. 00:13:43.519 --> 00:13:46.379 The recording costs, the video budgets, the tour 00:13:46.379 --> 00:13:49.019 support. It's a debt you can never repay. And 00:13:49.019 --> 00:13:51.120 you can't re -record the songs for another label 00:13:51.120 --> 00:13:53.019 for a certain number of years because of clauses 00:13:53.019 --> 00:13:55.659 in the contract. You're just stuck. You're completely 00:13:55.659 --> 00:13:59.100 stuck. It has destroyed countless careers. But... 00:13:59.360 --> 00:14:01.779 The dismemberment plan, specifically their management 00:14:01.779 --> 00:14:03.960 and the good folks at their old label DeSoto, 00:14:04.159 --> 00:14:06.879 pulled off something truly miraculous. The heist. 00:14:06.960 --> 00:14:09.779 The heist. They managed to negotiate their departure 00:14:09.779 --> 00:14:12.539 from Interscope. and they took the completed 00:14:12.539 --> 00:14:14.759 album with them. They walked out the door with 00:14:14.759 --> 00:14:17.039 the master tapes of Emergency and I. Okay, wait, 00:14:17.120 --> 00:14:18.539 let me make sure I understand this completely. 00:14:18.820 --> 00:14:21.240 They got Interscope, this giant corporation, 00:14:21.700 --> 00:14:24.740 to pay for the entire recording of their masterpiece. 00:14:24.940 --> 00:14:28.120 Yes. A major label budget. And then when Interscope 00:14:28.120 --> 00:14:31.220 dropped them, they just left with the tapes. 00:14:31.539 --> 00:14:34.539 Yes. They took the album back to their indie 00:14:34.539 --> 00:14:37.740 label, DeSoto Records, for release. But what 00:14:37.740 --> 00:14:40.080 about the debt? Did they owe Interscope all that 00:14:40.080 --> 00:14:43.200 money for the studio time? No This is the truly 00:14:43.200 --> 00:14:46.019 insane part. They had no debt to the major label. 00:14:46.139 --> 00:14:48.279 They walked away free and clear. They essentially 00:14:48.279 --> 00:14:51.600 recorded a major label budget album and got to 00:14:51.600 --> 00:14:54.159 release it independently with zero financial 00:14:54.159 --> 00:14:56.679 consequences. That is unbelievable. That's like 00:14:56.679 --> 00:14:58.820 getting a bank to build you a mansion and the 00:14:58.820 --> 00:15:00.659 bank just hands you the keys and tears up the 00:15:00.659 --> 00:15:02.539 mortgage because they're too busy firing the 00:15:02.539 --> 00:15:04.820 loan officer to care. That's a perfect analogy. 00:15:05.159 --> 00:15:08.139 The band later described it simply as slipping 00:15:08.139 --> 00:15:10.759 through the cracks. It was such a chaotic time 00:15:10.759 --> 00:15:13.250 in the industry. Executives were getting fired 00:15:13.250 --> 00:15:15.629 and rehired. Entire A &R departments were being 00:15:15.629 --> 00:15:18.029 shuffled around. Files were getting lost. In 00:15:18.029 --> 00:15:20.309 the grand scheme of this multi -billion dollar 00:15:20.309 --> 00:15:23.769 merger, the dismemberment plan was just a tiny 00:15:23.769 --> 00:15:26.289 line item that nobody was paying attention to. 00:15:26.450 --> 00:15:28.129 They were a rounding error. They were a rounding 00:15:28.129 --> 00:15:30.750 error. And in that confusion, their team was 00:15:30.750 --> 00:15:33.529 savvy enough to secure their freedom and, crucially, 00:15:33.750 --> 00:15:36.929 the rights to their own art. Wow. That phrase, 00:15:37.090 --> 00:15:40.049 slipping through the cracks, it's so key to their 00:15:40.049 --> 00:15:42.480 whole story. Because if they hadn't slipped through, 00:15:42.620 --> 00:15:44.679 if that album had been shelved... We might not 00:15:44.679 --> 00:15:47.000 be talking about them today, honestly. Because 00:15:47.000 --> 00:15:49.419 Emergency and I, released in 1999 on DeSoto, 00:15:49.620 --> 00:15:51.559 became their critically acclaimed masterpiece. 00:15:51.960 --> 00:15:54.759 It's the album that defined them. If that record 00:15:54.759 --> 00:15:56.820 had been locked away in a vault, or tampered 00:15:56.820 --> 00:15:59.179 with by corporate A &R guys trying to find a 00:15:59.179 --> 00:16:01.700 hit single, their entire trajectory would have 00:16:01.700 --> 00:16:03.220 been different. It would have been destroyed. 00:16:03.559 --> 00:16:06.139 Instead, they got to make the exact record they 00:16:06.139 --> 00:16:08.490 wanted. on someone else's dime and release it 00:16:08.490 --> 00:16:10.850 on their own terms. It's the ultimate indie rock 00:16:10.850 --> 00:16:13.470 dream. So they escape the Death Star with the 00:16:13.470 --> 00:16:16.470 plans, pun fully intended, and they release Emergency 00:16:16.470 --> 00:16:19.789 and I. This brings us to segment three, The Peep 00:16:19.789 --> 00:16:24.259 Years, from about 1999 to 2002. This is the golden 00:16:24.259 --> 00:16:27.139 era. Emergency and I comes out in 99, and the 00:16:27.139 --> 00:16:30.399 critical reception is just rapturous. Pitchfork 00:16:30.399 --> 00:16:33.580 gives it a 9 .6. College radio is all over it. 00:16:33.679 --> 00:16:35.860 The indie press, what was then the blogosphere, 00:16:36.120 --> 00:16:38.419 everyone loved this record. And then they followed 00:16:38.419 --> 00:16:41.120 up with Change in 2001, a very different sounding 00:16:41.120 --> 00:16:43.639 album, much more somber and mature in a lot of 00:16:43.639 --> 00:16:46.440 ways. It is. It's less frantic, more introspective, 00:16:46.440 --> 00:16:49.500 but also brilliant. And critically, these two 00:16:49.500 --> 00:16:51.899 albums raised their profile significantly. So 00:16:51.899 --> 00:16:54.080 they're critical darlings. Were they selling 00:16:54.080 --> 00:16:55.419 millions of records? Were they buying sports 00:16:55.419 --> 00:16:58.039 cars? No, and that's a really important distinction 00:16:58.039 --> 00:17:00.860 to make. We are talking about critical and cultural 00:17:00.860 --> 00:17:04.440 success versus massive commercial success. By 00:17:04.440 --> 00:17:06.700 the time the band eventually broke up a few years 00:17:06.700 --> 00:17:09.400 later, each of those albums, Emergency and I 00:17:09.400 --> 00:17:12.920 and Change, had sold roughly 22 ,000 copies in 00:17:12.920 --> 00:17:16.259 the U .S. OK, so 22 ,000 in the grand scheme 00:17:16.259 --> 00:17:19.039 of things, you know, compared to SYNC or Britney 00:17:19.039 --> 00:17:20.980 Spears, who were selling millions a week at that 00:17:20.980 --> 00:17:23.240 time. That's yeah, that's a rounding error. It 00:17:23.240 --> 00:17:26.039 is tiny commercially, but in. In the indie world, 00:17:26.200 --> 00:17:30.140 that's a success. 22 ,000 loyal fans who buy 00:17:30.140 --> 00:17:32.319 the record come to every show and buy a T -shirt. 00:17:32.440 --> 00:17:34.559 That is a sustainable career. That allows you 00:17:34.559 --> 00:17:37.339 to keep touring and making music. And their cultural 00:17:37.339 --> 00:17:39.660 profile was much, much higher than those sales 00:17:39.660 --> 00:17:41.640 figures might suggest. And they were getting 00:17:41.640 --> 00:17:43.579 some absolutely insane touring opportunities 00:17:43.579 --> 00:17:45.240 based on that reputation. I was looking through 00:17:45.240 --> 00:17:48.329 the logs here. Pearl Jam. Yes. In the year 2000, 00:17:48.569 --> 00:17:50.849 they were invited to open for the entire European 00:17:50.849 --> 00:17:53.589 leg of Pearl Jam's tour. That is a massive platform. 00:17:53.829 --> 00:17:56.650 Pearl Jam fills arenas and stadiums. That feels 00:17:56.650 --> 00:17:59.130 like a really weird mismatch, doesn't it? It's 00:17:59.130 --> 00:18:01.710 a huge mismatch on paper. You have Pearl Jam, 00:18:01.869 --> 00:18:05.309 who are this earnest, classic rock grunge institution. 00:18:06.029 --> 00:18:08.890 Eddie Vedder is this icon of sincerity. Right. 00:18:08.970 --> 00:18:10.869 And then you have the dismemberment plan coming 00:18:10.869 --> 00:18:14.109 out, playing this frantic, synth -heavy... dance 00:18:14.109 --> 00:18:16.789 punk song about urban alienation in 78 Time. 00:18:17.009 --> 00:18:18.950 It must have been a real culture clash for those 00:18:18.950 --> 00:18:21.049 audiences. Imagine you're in a stadium in Italy 00:18:21.049 --> 00:18:23.609 waiting to hear Even Flow and instead you get 00:18:23.609 --> 00:18:26.369 this band with a song called The City where Travis 00:18:26.369 --> 00:18:28.549 Morrison is just yelping about his life. It must 00:18:28.549 --> 00:18:31.289 have been a trial by fire. But what an opportunity. 00:18:31.490 --> 00:18:34.230 It exposed them to tens of thousands of people 00:18:34.230 --> 00:18:36.910 who never would have stepped foot in a tiny D 00:18:36.910 --> 00:18:39.890 .C. punk club. Absolutely. And then, arguably, 00:18:40.009 --> 00:18:42.089 an even more fitting and more important tour 00:18:42.089 --> 00:18:44.910 happened in 2002. The Death and Dismemberment 00:18:44.910 --> 00:18:47.049 Tour. The legendary name. They co -headlined 00:18:47.049 --> 00:18:49.769 with Death Cab for Cutie. This was a brilliant 00:18:49.769 --> 00:18:52.109 move. A stroke of genius, really. You have Death 00:18:52.109 --> 00:18:54.289 Cab, who are just on the cusp of breaking huge 00:18:54.289 --> 00:18:57.430 with their melodic, deeply emotional indie rock. 00:18:57.609 --> 00:18:59.130 And you have the dismemberment play, and the 00:18:59.130 --> 00:19:01.289 names just fit together perfectly. Death and 00:19:01.289 --> 00:19:03.690 dismemberment. It sounds like an insurance claim 00:19:03.690 --> 00:19:06.490 again. It does, but it was this perfect pairing 00:19:06.490 --> 00:19:09.069 that cross -pollinated their fan bases. If you 00:19:09.069 --> 00:19:12.410 liked the incredibly detailed emotional lyricism 00:19:12.410 --> 00:19:15.210 of Ben Gibbard, you found something to love in 00:19:15.210 --> 00:19:18.289 Travis Morrison's lyrics. If you liked the jagged, 00:19:18.289 --> 00:19:20.990 high -energy musicality of D -Plan, maybe you 00:19:20.990 --> 00:19:23.269 learned to appreciate the subtle craft of Death 00:19:23.269 --> 00:19:26.210 Cab. It was the perfect Venn diagram of sad, 00:19:26.390 --> 00:19:29.390 smart college kids in the early 2000s. It really 00:19:29.390 --> 00:19:32.220 was. And it forged these creative ties between 00:19:32.220 --> 00:19:35.180 the bands that lasted for years. It solidified 00:19:35.180 --> 00:19:37.759 both of their places as leaders of that indie 00:19:37.759 --> 00:19:40.279 rock scene. Now, speaking of being leaders and 00:19:40.279 --> 00:19:42.359 being ahead of the curve, we have to talk about 00:19:42.359 --> 00:19:44.220 something they did in 2002 that I think just 00:19:44.220 --> 00:19:46.319 proves they were living in the future. The remix 00:19:46.319 --> 00:19:48.680 experiment. This is one of my favorite details 00:19:48.680 --> 00:19:50.980 about the band because it shows how incredibly 00:19:50.980 --> 00:19:53.539 forward thinking they were. You have to put yourself 00:19:53.539 --> 00:19:56.339 back in 2002. The internet was not what it is 00:19:56.339 --> 00:19:58.839 today. There was no SoundCloud, no Bandcamp. 00:19:59.039 --> 00:20:01.700 Social media was barely a concept. Many people 00:20:01.700 --> 00:20:04.259 were still on dial -up modems. And the music 00:20:04.259 --> 00:20:06.579 industry was terrified of the internet. Napster 00:20:06.579 --> 00:20:09.599 had just been shut down. The RIAA was suing 12 00:20:09.599 --> 00:20:12.079 -year -old kids for downloading MP3s. Digital 00:20:12.079 --> 00:20:14.819 music was the enemy. Exactly. The industry was 00:20:14.819 --> 00:20:16.900 in full -on panic mode, trying to lock everything 00:20:16.900 --> 00:20:19.440 down. And in the middle of that... hostile climate, 00:20:19.599 --> 00:20:22.920 what does the dismemberment plan do? They upload 00:20:22.920 --> 00:20:25.539 the raw music tracks, the stems from the two 00:20:25.539 --> 00:20:27.940 most beloved albums, Emergency and I and Change, 00:20:28.220 --> 00:20:30.859 to their website for free. Can you explain stems 00:20:30.859 --> 00:20:32.940 for any listener who might not be a music producer? 00:20:33.160 --> 00:20:35.980 Sure. Stems are the isolated individual tracks 00:20:35.980 --> 00:20:38.170 that make up. a song. So you'd have just the 00:20:38.170 --> 00:20:40.069 vocal track, just the drum track, just the bass 00:20:40.069 --> 00:20:42.349 line, just the keyboard part, all separated. 00:20:42.630 --> 00:20:45.170 So they gave the actual raw building blocks of 00:20:45.170 --> 00:20:47.690 their art to the public. Right. And they put 00:20:47.690 --> 00:20:49.369 out a call to action. They said, here are the 00:20:49.369 --> 00:20:51.730 pieces, remix our songs, do whatever you want 00:20:51.730 --> 00:20:53.910 with them, chop them up, add new beats, turn 00:20:53.910 --> 00:20:56.329 a rock song into a techno track, go wild. That 00:20:56.329 --> 00:20:59.789 is so risky. From a traditional standpoint, you're 00:20:59.789 --> 00:21:01.490 basically handing your art over to strangers. 00:21:01.670 --> 00:21:03.650 Yeah. You're completely losing control of it. 00:21:03.789 --> 00:21:05.750 But that's the point. They trusted their fans. 00:21:06.119 --> 00:21:08.200 We saw the Internet not as a threat, but as a 00:21:08.200 --> 00:21:11.079 community. And it worked. The fans responded 00:21:11.079 --> 00:21:15.079 in a huge way. And the result was an entire album 00:21:15.079 --> 00:21:17.980 released in 2003 called A People's History of 00:21:17.980 --> 00:21:21.079 a Dismemberment Plan. A People's History. A great 00:21:21.079 --> 00:21:23.740 nod to the Howard Zinn book. Very DC intellectual 00:21:23.740 --> 00:21:26.720 of them. Very on brand. But think about the level 00:21:26.720 --> 00:21:28.950 of engagement here. They weren't just broadcasting 00:21:28.950 --> 00:21:31.210 to their fans. They were actively collaborating 00:21:31.210 --> 00:21:34.250 with them. This was Web 2 .0 behavior in a Web 00:21:34.250 --> 00:21:37.029 1 .0 world. They were building an online community 00:21:37.029 --> 00:21:39.869 before that was a marketing buzzword. It turned 00:21:39.869 --> 00:21:42.230 the listeners into participants, into creators. 00:21:42.470 --> 00:21:44.950 That kind of connection creates a loyalty that 00:21:44.950 --> 00:21:47.369 you just can't buy with billboard ads or magazine 00:21:47.369 --> 00:21:50.529 covers. Absolutely. And that deep abiding loyalty 00:21:50.529 --> 00:21:53.150 would be tested very, very soon because just 00:21:53.150 --> 00:21:55.490 as they were riding this incredible wave of creativity 00:21:55.490 --> 00:21:58.190 and touring success, everything came to a sudden 00:21:58.190 --> 00:22:01.230 halt. Second four, The Breakup. It's January 00:22:01.230 --> 00:22:06.009 19, 2003. A dark day for D -Plan fans. The band 00:22:06.009 --> 00:22:08.490 posts a message on their website announcing they 00:22:08.490 --> 00:22:11.009 are going to break up. They promised a few final 00:22:11.009 --> 00:22:12.970 tours to say goodbye, but the writing was on 00:22:12.970 --> 00:22:15.990 the wall. The plan was over. Why? I mean, why 00:22:15.990 --> 00:22:18.869 break up then? They're co -headlining the Death 00:22:18.869 --> 00:22:21.509 and Dismemberment tour. They're releasing innovative 00:22:21.509 --> 00:22:24.029 remix albums. They have this devoted fan base. 00:22:24.250 --> 00:22:26.769 There were no reports of massive infighting or 00:22:26.769 --> 00:22:29.250 drug scandals. It seems to be the classic and 00:22:29.250 --> 00:22:31.970 in some ways most respectable reason, quit while 00:22:31.970 --> 00:22:34.849 you're ahead. They felt they had said what they 00:22:34.849 --> 00:22:37.289 needed to say as a unit. They didn't want to 00:22:37.289 --> 00:22:39.950 become a band that just churns out mediocre albums 00:22:39.950 --> 00:22:41.950 to pay the bills. They wanted to preserve the 00:22:41.950 --> 00:22:43.849 integrity of what they had built. I can respect 00:22:43.849 --> 00:22:46.019 that. It's better to burn out than fade away, 00:22:46.119 --> 00:22:48.160 as they say. Yeah. But the way they went out. 00:22:48.640 --> 00:22:50.720 The final show drama. This is straight out of 00:22:50.720 --> 00:22:52.740 a movie script. It is. It's almost too perfect. 00:22:52.940 --> 00:22:54.759 Yeah. So the plan was to have the final show 00:22:54.759 --> 00:22:58.640 on July 28, 2003. And they chose a very specific, 00:22:58.819 --> 00:23:01.220 very meaningful venue, Fort Reno Park in D .C. 00:23:01.339 --> 00:23:04.000 Fort Reno is legendary. It's an outdoor public 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:06.640 space. They have free shows all summer. It's 00:23:06.640 --> 00:23:10.119 very DIY, very punk rock. It represents the whole 00:23:10.119 --> 00:23:12.200 ethos of the D .C. music scene. It's the heart 00:23:12.200 --> 00:23:15.380 and soul of the D .C. summer concert scene. But 00:23:15.380 --> 00:23:18.720 the key words are outdoors and summer in D .C. 00:23:18.819 --> 00:23:21.740 Oh, no. I know where this is going. The weather 00:23:21.740 --> 00:23:24.940 in D .C. in July is either a sweltering swamp 00:23:24.940 --> 00:23:28.279 or a biblical thunderstorm. There is no in -between. 00:23:28.670 --> 00:23:30.890 And on that night, it was the thunderstorm. A 00:23:30.890 --> 00:23:33.190 heavy rainstorm rolled in. We aren't talking 00:23:33.190 --> 00:23:35.509 a little drizzle. We are talking a complete deluge. 00:23:35.950 --> 00:23:40.450 And the stage at Fort Reno is not exactly a state 00:23:40.450 --> 00:23:42.250 -of -the -art covered amphitheater. Right. It's 00:23:42.250 --> 00:23:44.210 basically a concrete slab. And it threatened 00:23:44.210 --> 00:23:46.390 to destroy all their electronic gear. Remember, 00:23:46.609 --> 00:23:49.029 this is a band that uses samplers and keyboards. 00:23:49.390 --> 00:23:52.269 Water and high -voltage electricity do not mix 00:23:52.269 --> 00:23:54.309 well. So the fans are there, standing in the 00:23:54.309 --> 00:23:56.069 mud in the pouring rain, waiting for the last 00:23:56.069 --> 00:23:58.680 show ever, and the sky just... opens up. It was 00:23:58.680 --> 00:24:01.059 chaotic. Most fans were actually driven off by 00:24:01.059 --> 00:24:02.819 the weather. They tried to play, but they couldn't 00:24:02.819 --> 00:24:04.960 do their full set. It was truncated, it was messy, 00:24:05.079 --> 00:24:08.039 and it just felt unresolved. Incomplete. You 00:24:08.039 --> 00:24:10.740 can't end a 10 -year career on a rainout. That's 00:24:10.740 --> 00:24:12.779 just too depressing. It feels like a cosmic joke. 00:24:13.339 --> 00:24:16.140 Precisely. And the band realized this wasn't 00:24:16.140 --> 00:24:18.859 the way to say goodbye. This wasn't the closure 00:24:18.859 --> 00:24:21.700 that they or their fans deserved. So they added 00:24:21.700 --> 00:24:25.259 one more show, the real finale. September 1, 00:24:25.319 --> 00:24:28.579 2003. And they did it right. They booked the 00:24:28.579 --> 00:24:32.140 legendary 9 .3 Euro Club in D .C. The holy grail 00:24:32.140 --> 00:24:34.279 of D .C. venues. The perfect place for a send 00:24:34.279 --> 00:24:36.940 off. They dubbed it the one last slice show. 00:24:37.140 --> 00:24:39.440 One last slice. I assume that's another Groundhog 00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:41.420 Day reference. Or maybe they just wanted pizza. 00:24:41.539 --> 00:24:43.160 It's actually a lyric from one of their songs, 00:24:43.240 --> 00:24:45.420 The Jitters, but it fits that vibe perfectly. 00:24:45.599 --> 00:24:48.619 Just grabbing one last moment. The show was, 00:24:48.740 --> 00:24:51.140 of course, completely sold out. It was emotional. 00:24:51.359 --> 00:24:53.759 It was sweaty. It was cathartic. It was the proper 00:24:53.759 --> 00:24:57.200 closure that everyone needed. And then. That 00:24:57.200 --> 00:24:59.859 was it. Silence. The dismemberment plan was no 00:24:59.859 --> 00:25:03.039 more. Which brings us to segment five, the post 00:25:03.039 --> 00:25:06.940 -breakup era from 2003 to about 2010. What happens 00:25:06.940 --> 00:25:08.660 when the music stops and the members have to 00:25:08.660 --> 00:25:11.700 figure out what's next? Well, life goes on. But 00:25:11.700 --> 00:25:13.960 the members, being creative people, didn't stop 00:25:13.960 --> 00:25:16.599 making music. Travis Morrison, the frontman, 00:25:16.779 --> 00:25:18.880 had a batch of songs that were originally intended 00:25:18.880 --> 00:25:22.299 for a post -change D -Plan album. Since the band 00:25:22.299 --> 00:25:24.940 was done, he took those songs and released them 00:25:24.940 --> 00:25:29.039 on his solo debut, Travis Dan, in 2004. Travis 00:25:29.039 --> 00:25:31.299 Dan. Now, we have to address the elephant in 00:25:31.299 --> 00:25:35.940 the room here. That album got... let's say, mixed 00:25:35.940 --> 00:25:38.460 reviews, didn't it? It was incredibly polarizing. 00:25:38.480 --> 00:25:41.539 And mixed is being very generous in some corners 00:25:41.539 --> 00:25:44.299 of the music press. The influential website Pitchfork 00:25:44.299 --> 00:25:48.359 famously gave it a 0 .0 rating. 0 .0. That is 00:25:48.359 --> 00:25:50.579 aggressive. That's not just, we didn't like it. 00:25:50.660 --> 00:25:53.039 That's a statement of contempt. It was incredibly 00:25:53.039 --> 00:25:55.599 harsh. And to be fair, the album was very weird. 00:25:55.680 --> 00:25:58.119 It was experimental, it was quirky, and it lacked 00:25:58.119 --> 00:26:00.440 the tight, cohesive energy of the full band. 00:26:00.559 --> 00:26:02.359 It definitely alienated some people who were 00:26:02.359 --> 00:26:04.500 just hoping for Emergency and I Part 2. Right. 00:26:04.700 --> 00:26:06.619 But others found it charming and interesting. 00:26:06.859 --> 00:26:09.019 It's a fascinating artifact of that time, and 00:26:09.019 --> 00:26:11.819 it really shows you how powerful and, frankly, 00:26:11.920 --> 00:26:15.019 brutal music criticism could be back then. Meanwhile, 00:26:15.279 --> 00:26:18.599 Eric Axelson, the bassist, went in a completely 00:26:18.599 --> 00:26:21.400 different direction. He filmed a new band called 00:26:21.400 --> 00:26:23.599 Maritime. Oh, I remember Maritime. They were 00:26:23.599 --> 00:26:25.680 great. Yeah, he teamed up with former members 00:26:25.680 --> 00:26:28.440 of the Promise Ring. Another legendary band from 00:26:28.440 --> 00:26:31.339 the emo scene. That is basically a super group 00:26:31.339 --> 00:26:35.319 for sad indie rock kids of that era. Totally. 00:26:35.420 --> 00:26:37.200 And Maritime Sound was very different. It was 00:26:37.200 --> 00:26:39.059 much more melodic, more straightforward indie 00:26:39.059 --> 00:26:42.460 pop. They released a string of really solid albums. 00:26:42.779 --> 00:26:46.000 Glass Floor in 2004, We the Vehicles in 2006, 00:26:46.660 --> 00:26:49.460 Heresy in the Hotel Choir in 2007. They had a 00:26:49.460 --> 00:26:52.140 really good run. It was much less chaotic than 00:26:52.140 --> 00:26:55.420 D -Plan. More polished, more mature in a way. 00:26:56.200 --> 00:26:59.519 a different side of Axelson as a musician. So 00:26:59.519 --> 00:27:01.299 everyone is busy. They're pursuing their own 00:27:01.299 --> 00:27:03.799 projects. And during this time, usually reporters 00:27:03.799 --> 00:27:06.859 are constantly asking, when is the reunion? Are 00:27:06.859 --> 00:27:08.619 you guys getting back together? What was the 00:27:08.619 --> 00:27:11.279 official stance? Travis Morrison was quoted pretty 00:27:11.279 --> 00:27:13.519 definitively during this period. He said the 00:27:13.519 --> 00:27:15.460 band probably wouldn't get back together except 00:27:15.460 --> 00:27:17.720 to drink beer. Which is the most relatable reason 00:27:17.720 --> 00:27:19.420 to get back together with your high school friends, 00:27:19.539 --> 00:27:22.059 to be fair. It is. It seemed very clear. They 00:27:22.059 --> 00:27:24.349 were still friends. But the musical project was 00:27:24.349 --> 00:27:28.930 over, done, finished. Until 2007. The one -off 00:27:28.930 --> 00:27:31.490 reunion. This wasn't a cash grab. This wasn't 00:27:31.490 --> 00:27:33.470 a nostalgia tour. This was for a very serious 00:27:33.470 --> 00:27:36.470 cause. It was a charity concert benefiting Callum 00:27:36.470 --> 00:27:38.569 Robbins. That's the son of J. Robbins, right? 00:27:38.630 --> 00:27:41.269 From the band Jawbox. Yes. J. Robbins was their 00:27:41.269 --> 00:27:43.309 label mate on DeSoto. He'd produced for them. 00:27:43.369 --> 00:27:46.109 He was a huge figure in the D .C. scene. His 00:27:46.109 --> 00:27:48.450 young son was diagnosed with a serious health 00:27:48.450 --> 00:27:50.950 condition, and the community rallied around the 00:27:50.950 --> 00:27:54.049 family to help with medical bills. The dismemberment 00:27:54.049 --> 00:27:57.089 plan agreed to play one show. at the Black Cat 00:27:57.089 --> 00:28:00.410 nightclub in D .C. to raise money. Just one show. 00:28:00.789 --> 00:28:03.450 And the reaction must have been insane. It was 00:28:03.450 --> 00:28:05.609 immediate and overwhelming. Tickets sold out 00:28:05.609 --> 00:28:08.089 in minutes. The demand was so high they actually 00:28:08.089 --> 00:28:10.170 had to add a second show the night before just 00:28:10.170 --> 00:28:12.789 to handle the overflow. Wow. The reaction was, 00:28:12.930 --> 00:28:15.369 as the reports say, overwhelmingly positive. 00:28:16.039 --> 00:28:18.640 It proved that even after four years of silence, 00:28:18.759 --> 00:28:20.779 the fan base hadn't gone anywhere. They were 00:28:20.779 --> 00:28:23.420 just dormant waiting. But that was just a one 00:28:23.420 --> 00:28:25.240 -off for charity, right? Right. They played the 00:28:25.240 --> 00:28:27.420 two shows, raised the money, and then went back 00:28:27.420 --> 00:28:29.559 to their separate lives. Correct. It was a beautiful 00:28:29.559 --> 00:28:31.660 moment for the community, but it wasn't a full 00:28:31.660 --> 00:28:33.400 -blown reunion. That wouldn't happen for another 00:28:33.400 --> 00:28:36.880 three years. All right, segment six, the uncanny 00:28:36.880 --> 00:28:41.019 return from 2010 to 2015. I do love that pun. 00:28:41.160 --> 00:28:44.460 It is a good pun. So we jump forward to 2010. 00:28:45.000 --> 00:28:48.119 Rumors start swirling. And then the Washington 00:28:48.119 --> 00:28:52.299 Post reports it. The band is reuniting for a 00:28:52.299 --> 00:28:55.779 tour. And the reason, or the catalyst, was the 00:28:55.779 --> 00:28:58.380 vinyl reissue of Emergency and I, right? Yes. 00:28:58.750 --> 00:29:01.670 Barsuk Records was doing a high -quality deluxe 00:29:01.670 --> 00:29:04.250 reissue of the album. The band decided to get 00:29:04.250 --> 00:29:06.089 back together to play some shows to support it. 00:29:06.190 --> 00:29:08.690 But Eric Axelson was very, very cautious in the 00:29:08.690 --> 00:29:10.490 press at the time. He gave an interview where 00:29:10.490 --> 00:29:12.950 he explicitly said, we're not planning a new 00:29:12.950 --> 00:29:14.970 record. He said they were just taking it day 00:29:14.970 --> 00:29:17.430 by day. The classic manage expectations move. 00:29:17.509 --> 00:29:19.450 Don't promise anything you can't deliver. Exactly. 00:29:19.990 --> 00:29:22.630 But the tour was a massive triumph. They kicked 00:29:22.630 --> 00:29:24.369 the whole thing off by playing on Late Night 00:29:24.369 --> 00:29:26.769 with Jimmy Fallon. Which is a huge national stage. 00:29:26.950 --> 00:29:29.630 A far cry from a rainy park in D .C. For sure. 00:29:29.750 --> 00:29:32.349 They played sold out shows at the 9 .30 Club 00:29:32.349 --> 00:29:35.269 and the Black Cat again. They played major festivals 00:29:35.269 --> 00:29:37.210 like the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago 00:29:37.210 --> 00:29:40.470 and the Roots Roots Picnic in Philadelphia. And 00:29:40.470 --> 00:29:42.809 unlike a lot of nostalgia acts that get back 00:29:42.809 --> 00:29:44.990 together and just kind of phone it in, by all 00:29:44.990 --> 00:29:47.589 accounts, they sounded tighter and more energetic 00:29:47.589 --> 00:29:50.309 than ever. And usually these reunion tours are 00:29:50.309 --> 00:29:52.950 just that. You play the hits, collect the check 00:29:52.950 --> 00:29:56.410 and go home. But something shifted around 2012. 00:29:56.829 --> 00:29:59.690 The creative itch came back. In August of 2012, 00:29:59.970 --> 00:30:02.609 they booked a couple of small, low -key shows 00:30:02.609 --> 00:30:05.609 in Baltimore and Fredericksburg, Virginia. Sweaty 00:30:05.609 --> 00:30:08.029 shows, as they call them. Exactly. Small clubs, 00:30:08.230 --> 00:30:10.710 no pressure, just for the diehards. And at those 00:30:10.710 --> 00:30:13.910 shows, they debuted eight brand new songs. Eight? 00:30:13.990 --> 00:30:15.849 That's not just a little experiment. That's basically 00:30:15.849 --> 00:30:18.410 a new album. It was. And Travis Morrison confirmed 00:30:18.410 --> 00:30:20.730 it. He told a reporter they were back in the 00:30:20.730 --> 00:30:23.250 lab. And this led to their fifth studio album 00:30:23.250 --> 00:30:26.009 and their first in 12 years, Uncanny Valley, 00:30:26.269 --> 00:30:28.680 which came out in 2013. I have to talk about 00:30:28.680 --> 00:30:30.720 the marketing for this album because it is so 00:30:30.720 --> 00:30:33.539 perfectly on brand for the dismemberment plan. 00:30:34.200 --> 00:30:36.799 They released the lead single, a song called 00:30:36.799 --> 00:30:41.119 Waiting, via a telephone number. 252 -64 -D -PLAN. 00:30:41.420 --> 00:30:43.400 You literally had to call a phone number on a 00:30:43.400 --> 00:30:45.619 landline or your cell phone to hear the new song. 00:30:45.839 --> 00:30:49.309 Who does that in 2013? We had Spotify. We had 00:30:49.309 --> 00:30:51.829 streaming. It was already the dominant way to 00:30:51.829 --> 00:30:54.190 listen to music. It's just so them. It's tactile. 00:30:54.329 --> 00:30:57.430 It's mysterious. It forces you to engage in a 00:30:57.430 --> 00:30:59.329 different way. It's very much in line with their 00:30:59.329 --> 00:31:02.410 remix experiment ethos from a decade earlier. 00:31:02.829 --> 00:31:05.250 Always doing things a little differently to create 00:31:05.250 --> 00:31:07.490 a unique connection with the fans. So they release 00:31:07.490 --> 00:31:09.849 Uncanny Valley on Partisan Records. They release 00:31:09.849 --> 00:31:12.089 other singles like Invisible and... Daddy was 00:31:12.089 --> 00:31:14.309 a real good dancer. Great, great song titles. 00:31:14.430 --> 00:31:15.910 And the album showed a different side of them, 00:31:15.950 --> 00:31:18.809 maybe a bit calmer, a bit more mature. The anxieties 00:31:18.809 --> 00:31:20.470 were maybe a little different now that they were 00:31:20.470 --> 00:31:22.390 middle -aged dads instead of 20 -somethings, 00:31:22.390 --> 00:31:24.230 but it was still distinctly them. And then what 00:31:24.230 --> 00:31:26.769 happened? They toured the album. They did. They 00:31:26.769 --> 00:31:29.150 played the final All Tomorrow's Parties Festival 00:31:29.150 --> 00:31:32.509 in England in November 2013. They played a big 00:31:32.509 --> 00:31:34.950 New Year's Eve show in Boston at the end of 2014. 00:31:35.630 --> 00:31:38.500 And then... they just went quiet again they just 00:31:38.500 --> 00:31:40.680 slipped away there was no formal breakup announcement 00:31:40.680 --> 00:31:44.799 this time no one last slice show just a hiatus 00:31:44.799 --> 00:31:47.259 they slipped back into the shadows which brings 00:31:47.259 --> 00:31:50.640 us finally to the present day segment seven the 00:31:50.640 --> 00:31:54.579 modern era from 2023 to right now and for almost 00:31:54.579 --> 00:31:57.599 a decade there was total silence nothing it seemed 00:31:57.599 --> 00:32:00.160 like that was really it this time but on january 00:32:00.160 --> 00:32:03.160 31st 2024 they just completely surprised everyone 00:32:03.160 --> 00:32:06.000 i remember this it came out of nowhere No warning, 00:32:06.059 --> 00:32:08.880 no press release, just a new track appeared online. 00:32:09.140 --> 00:32:11.420 They released a cover of a song called Unrequited 00:32:11.420 --> 00:32:14.119 by the band Circus Lupus. Circus Lupus, another 00:32:14.119 --> 00:32:16.440 classic DC band from that Discord record scene. 00:32:16.519 --> 00:32:18.859 Exactly. It was for a tribute album called Yesterday 00:32:18.859 --> 00:32:21.460 and Today. DC does Discord, a compilation celebrating 00:32:21.460 --> 00:32:23.839 the legacy of that hugely important label. And 00:32:23.839 --> 00:32:25.839 the liner notes said they recorded it in August 00:32:25.839 --> 00:32:28.579 of 2023. So they were secretly hanging out in 00:32:28.579 --> 00:32:31.150 a studio again. They were. And that amazing cover 00:32:31.150 --> 00:32:34.309 song was just the appetizer. Because shortly 00:32:34.309 --> 00:32:36.869 after that dropped, they announced the 25th anniversary 00:32:36.869 --> 00:32:40.589 tour for Emergency and I. Six reunion shows starting 00:32:40.589 --> 00:32:43.450 in September 2024. They're playing festivals 00:32:43.450 --> 00:32:46.309 like Best Friends Forever and Vegas and United 00:32:46.309 --> 00:32:50.849 Sounds NYC. They're back. It's amazing to see 00:32:50.849 --> 00:32:53.529 the longevity of this band. Think about it. They 00:32:53.529 --> 00:32:56.670 started as a bunch of college kids in 1993. Now 00:32:56.670 --> 00:32:59.609 in 2024, they're a legacy act. They can disappear 00:32:59.609 --> 00:33:02.470 for nearly a decade, reappear with one song, 00:33:02.609 --> 00:33:05.329 and sell out venues instantly. The excitement 00:33:05.329 --> 00:33:07.569 is still there. It really speaks to the quality 00:33:07.569 --> 00:33:09.369 of the music, doesn't it? It just doesn't sound 00:33:09.369 --> 00:33:11.809 dated. You can listen to Emergency and I today. 00:33:11.869 --> 00:33:13.730 It sounds like it could have been released yesterday 00:33:13.730 --> 00:33:15.829 by some cool new band in Brooklyn. That's the 00:33:15.829 --> 00:33:18.569 benefit of their unique genre blending. Because 00:33:18.569 --> 00:33:21.170 they weren't strictly grunge or strictly pop 00:33:21.170 --> 00:33:23.829 punk or strictly emo, they didn't age poorly 00:33:23.829 --> 00:33:25.849 when those specific trends died out. They built 00:33:25.849 --> 00:33:28.390 their own sonic island and it's timeless. So 00:33:28.390 --> 00:33:30.170 let's try to wrap this all up. Let's put a bow 00:33:30.170 --> 00:33:32.410 on it. What does it all mean? What is the legacy 00:33:32.410 --> 00:33:34.410 of the dismemberment plan? I think if you look 00:33:34.410 --> 00:33:36.549 at the big picture, they represent the ideal 00:33:36.549 --> 00:33:40.549 indie success story, but a weird version of it. 00:33:40.609 --> 00:33:44.019 How so? They maintain creative control. Almost 00:33:44.019 --> 00:33:47.480 by accident, they survived the major label meat 00:33:47.480 --> 00:33:49.960 grinder, that whole Interscope incident, and 00:33:49.960 --> 00:33:52.720 somehow came out winning. They cultivated a fan 00:33:52.720 --> 00:33:55.259 base that treats them like family, not just like 00:33:55.259 --> 00:33:58.160 content providers. And they did it all on their 00:33:58.160 --> 00:34:00.559 own terms. Right. When they wanted to stop, they 00:34:00.559 --> 00:34:02.660 stopped. When they wanted to come back, they 00:34:02.660 --> 00:34:04.559 came back. There was no sense that they were 00:34:04.559 --> 00:34:07.900 chasing fame or money. Not at all. And their 00:34:07.900 --> 00:34:10.099 willingness to experiment with technology and 00:34:10.099 --> 00:34:12.960 fan engagement, the remixes, the phone number 00:34:12.960 --> 00:34:15.800 hotlines, it kept them from ever feeling like 00:34:15.800 --> 00:34:17.519 a nostalgia act, even when they were playing 00:34:17.519 --> 00:34:19.460 reunion shows. They didn't chase the trends. 00:34:19.579 --> 00:34:21.500 They kind of just waited for the trends to catch 00:34:21.500 --> 00:34:24.000 up to them. Exactly. They avoided stagnation, 00:34:24.000 --> 00:34:26.480 which is the death of so many bands. So here 00:34:26.480 --> 00:34:28.940 is the provocative question I want to leave our 00:34:28.940 --> 00:34:31.079 listeners with as we finish up. Go for it. They 00:34:31.079 --> 00:34:33.880 released that cover track in 2024 without any 00:34:33.880 --> 00:34:35.989 warning. They have a very long and established 00:34:35.989 --> 00:34:38.989 history of saying, we have no plans, right before 00:34:38.989 --> 00:34:40.829 they announce a massive plan. They said they 00:34:40.829 --> 00:34:42.889 wouldn't reunite. Then they did for charity. 00:34:43.090 --> 00:34:45.630 They said no new album. Then Uncanny Valley dropped 00:34:45.630 --> 00:34:47.130 out of the sky. I see where you're going with 00:34:47.130 --> 00:34:48.829 this. Are they just back for a quick anniversary 00:34:48.829 --> 00:34:53.829 tour? Could there be a sixth album secretly in 00:34:53.829 --> 00:34:55.789 the works right now? Are they back in the lab 00:34:55.789 --> 00:34:57.750 again, getting ready to slip through the cracks 00:34:57.750 --> 00:35:00.590 one more time? With this band, you can absolutely 00:35:00.590 --> 00:35:03.119 never rule it out. Their entire history tells 00:35:03.119 --> 00:35:05.480 us that the plan is always subject to change. 00:35:05.679 --> 00:35:08.320 I really hope so. For a band that sings so much 00:35:08.320 --> 00:35:11.139 about anxiety, their music brings a lot of people 00:35:11.139 --> 00:35:14.440 a weird kind of joy. It really does. So if you've 00:35:14.440 --> 00:35:16.679 never listened to The Dismemberment Plan, or 00:35:16.679 --> 00:35:18.719 if it's been a while, do yourself a favor. Go 00:35:18.719 --> 00:35:21.579 stream Emergency and I, or better yet, buy the 00:35:21.579 --> 00:35:24.360 vinyl reissue. Check out that new cover of Unrequited. 00:35:24.880 --> 00:35:28.579 It rips. And when you listen... pay very close 00:35:28.579 --> 00:35:30.559 attention to the drumming on a song like the 00:35:30.559 --> 00:35:34.340 city or the bass line on you are invited it is 00:35:34.340 --> 00:35:37.079 a master class and how a rhythm section can be 00:35:37.079 --> 00:35:39.760 both complex and groovy at the same time thanks 00:35:39.760 --> 00:35:41.659 for diving in with us on this one it was a blast 00:35:41.659 --> 00:35:43.239 we'll catch you on the next one keep listening 00:35:43.239 --> 00:35:43.480 you