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IE : How do you consume your news ? Even MSNBC is becoming rather shrill . JC : No . No MSNBC . You can only trust independent media . And you have to go all over the place because even independent media will have its agenda . So I like to glean stuff from a collective that isn ’ t fed scripts or aren ’ t in someone ’ s pocket . That way I think you can get a broad picture of what ’ s going on . Websites like Alternet , Truthdig , Truthout , I ’ m forgetting a couple right now . But just look for something that ’ s not trying to sell you drugs or gasoline or cars . But it ’ s not just as simple as advertising . We ’ re in a deep mess , and an important element of a solution will be when all media is either clearly labeled or there ’ s a clarity about the funding . Until
IE : Do you read the New York Times ? JC : Oh , God You can ’ t do that ! If you look at every American pirate invasion , they ’ re always giving it a thumbs-up . Even though there might be some journalists or some articles there that are completely independent , or true and moral , as a whole you know , it ’ s skewed . You know on some level they ’ re going to lie o you about something , so why trust them on anything ?
IE : Are you a collector of anything ? Where you ’ re always on the hunt for a vintage blank ? JC : I ’ m always on the lookout for a vintage blank ! It ’ s true ! I like cool things , knickknacks and paddy whacks . But I ’ m a hoarder , basically .
IE : Favorite keepsakes ? JC : In San Francisco , there was this 1979 arch-top Gretsch – [ guitar ] it looks like a violin . And then there ’ s my car , an ’ 86 [ Chevrolet ] Monte Carlo . I feel like it ’ s been the best of all possible worlds . I pretty much can stay under the radar easily if I want to . Anyone can . But I feel very lucky .
26 illinoisentertainer . com september 2018 then , you really have to look for independent media .
IE : As a dad , you ’ ve got to feel concern over where humanity is headed . Basically 12 Monkeys level extinction . JC : I do . And I ’ ve been doing that for a long time now . In a sense , we are designed to be in relatively small groups , with somewhere between 30 to 1,000 people . But as soon as they broaden out to these large cities – as much as they have their benefits – I think the more negative traits of humankind tend to ascend to power . So there ’ s always been some kind of warlord / pirate / king at the top . So I do feel hopeful , because there are things like the internet , and you can get the information out there . So maybe our intelligence could circumvent our instinctual patterns . I think that ' s still is possible .
If I really wanted to go to a baseball game , I could call someone up . If a concert was sold out , I could get tickets .... whatever the things are that people covet . But also , yeah – I get pretty much left alone .
IE : What do The Voidz do for you , artistically , that The Strokes didn ’ t ? JC : Well , I ’ ve been on a journey that I see as linear . And I was unable to continue that journey I had set out on – work-wise , relationship-wise , it just wasn ’ t available to me . So I was able to follow some of the ideas that I was interested in . So I don ’ t want to say anything that could be misconstrued as insulting . I just want to be respectful o everyone , so I ’ ll just keep going with what I ’ m doing , and people can decide what they want .
IE : But you ’ ve actually got your own label , Cult Records , to issue music you care about Like one of last year ’ s greatest new bands , INHEAVEN . You discovered them . JC : There ’ s a lot of cool stuff out there . One of my favorite technological developments in the past ten years is [ phone app ] Shazam . I know it ’ s not like the newest thing , but it ’ s so amazing . I have a rule – I
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