The Mac Weekly: No Good For No One Now has a strikingly different feel from Owen in some respects (more streamlined songwriting, usage of electric guitar, varied vocal approach) and is really similar in other respects (a general melancholy and spacey vibe, lyrical content, etc.). How strongly do you feel the records resemble one another?

Mike Kinsella: It's funny you should bring that up, because I remember telling people while I was in the process of recording No Good that I couldn't tell if it sounded so different from my first record that anyone who liked the first one wouldn't even like the new one, or if it sounded so similar that they'd be like "geez, can't Mike write a *new* song? ?" And I guess now that I'm done with it I still can't tell. I do know that process of making both albums were quite different. When I made Owen, I usually just had a bunch of random guitar parts written. So I'd record them and the construct an entire song (or to some extent the entire album) piece by piece. But with No Good I went in with transitions in songs, and vocal melodies and words for specific parts, so I think that No Good as a whole is a little more straight forward.

MW: No Good For No One Now is a pretty richly layered record. What were the specifics of the recording experience (length of time, location, etc.)? What kind of technical equipment are you working with, is this expensive stuff or your basic four track set-up that just manages to sound really pro (as a non-musician I can pretty much never tell)? Do you think you would be able to make the records you do if you had to book time in a 'traditional' studio with an outside producer?

Kinsella: I recorded it in the upstairs of my mom's house, and it took about a month or so. I just use pro-tools on a Mac. There are definitely plenty of "reminders" of home on the record (door slams, phone's ringing), but I don't think I mind them too much. Because I don't really know anything about engineering, the recording of this Owen stuff involves me just trying (quite inefficiently I might add) a bunch of different mic set ups or takes until it comes out close to the way I hear it in my head. So while I suppose I could get rid of most of those slamming doors if I opted to record at a "traditional" studio, I'm pretty sure I'd give up some of the character of recording at home as well. That said, I'm actually pretty interested to hear what a knowledgeable engineer could do with some of my ideas.

MW: It seems like the whole 'one man band' creative approach to Owen is pretty central to what you do. Would you ever consider bringing outsiders into the creative process? Was there ever any notion of bringing your touring band from February to play some of the parts on the record (particularly Bob Hoffnah's pedal steel)? Maybe sometime down the line?

Kinsella: I'm definitely not against it—especially Bob and his pedal steel —but I'm pretty selfish when it comes to writing the songs. I hear them a certain way in my head, I hear the drums and the bass and some accents, so I don't think I'm ready to "collaborate" with anyone right now. But yeah, I'd love to have some friends with a talent for instruments that I can't imagine being able to play come over and help me realize what I hear in my head.

MW: Whenever people make music that can be described as 'personal' or 'confessional' in nature fans have a tendency to confuse the artist with the person and think that they "know" the performer. Do you feel your songs represent an accurate reflection of your overall personality?

Kinsella: Hmmm ... no, probably not. I don't usually sit around all day pining over ex-girlfriends, or stressing about my crooked teeth or anything. I'm usually in a pretty good mood playing the guitar, watching TLC, or running errands. But i'm not too inspired to write "songs" while doing any of those things. It seems like the songs only come out at about 2 a.m. after a night spent alone, you know? And also all of my favorite bands have been on the slow, melancholy side of things. Like The Smiths or The Cure. But the songs are a true reflection of me at some specific point, so I don't know. Maybe? Sort of?

MW: As you're about to embark on a lengthy tour (the first not in support of CMJ chart toppers Rainer Maria) are there any pre-game jitters? Do you enjoy live performance?

Kinsella: Yeah, this is pretty much the first full tour I'm doing with just myself, so I'm definitely nervous. I'm mostly just concerned that there won't be anyone in attendance anywhere, so we'll see. It's going to be just me and my best friend Matt driving around the country for a month, so it should be fun no matter what. I'm not a huge fan of playing out, but I have enjoyed playing live before, when the audience seems to care at all that I'm playing and when it sounds good. But I have no general interest in getting up on a stage in front of people if they have no interest in hearing the songs. Some people like to get up there and try to "convert" people into "fans," but I'd rather just not play if that's the case. You'll notice if you catch me at a show like that—I get really sweaty and start playing my songs faster. Not a good thing.

MW: It seems like you've been lucky enough to be a part of a pretty close knit artistic community between the scene that used to exist in Champaign and your various projects with Tim, Kyle Fischer from Rainer Maria etc. How much of the fun for you in being a musician is just getting to hang with friends/family etc.?