AFistfulOfVinylKXLU

Hi Zach,

Thanks so much for taking the time to do this AMA! I'm Alec, and I've been a fan of your creative style for a long time, and one of the most important elements of it for me has been your music selection. You've always been able to find a song that fits a scene so perfectly, it feels as if the music plays a character as well (Hell, sometimes it did on Scrubs - Looking at you, Colin Hay!) I made sure to pledge enough to Wish I Was Here's Kickstarter that I could get your playlist updates! With that in mind, I have a couple questions.

1. Do you build a scene, and then choose a song to match it, or do you go in with a song in mind, and build a scene around it (or some other method)?

2. How do you go about finding music you use?

3. What is on your personal playlist right now? Which artists do you feel haven't yet found the audience they deserve?

4. Do you have any advice for someone interested in music supervision?

5. I'd love to hear a story or two about how you created/curated the soundtrack for Wish I Was Here!

6. This one is a stretch: (deep breaths, Alec) I do a college radio show on KXLU 88.9 FM called "A Fistful Of Vinyl". We're volunteers (100% DIY). Would you ever want to come hang out with us one night, and chat about music things on air? I would totally treat you to In N Out. I know you get all kinds of attention from people bigger than we are, but I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I didn't ask.

Thanks so much for your time, Zach!

This is a cool AMA. Thanks for sharing.

I DJ weekly on an independent college station.

1. What metrics did you use to tell how many people were listening at a given time?

2. Any run-ins with the FCC over something you said/did on-air?

3. What ultimately will keep FM radio alive? Should it be kept alive?

4. Thanks for working to take down creeps and criminals. How do you feel about the current perception of law enforcement in regards to force used, and question of its necessity?

I am definitely going to start using the phrase "Don't fake the funk."

Hi Laura (or Ms. Grace. Goddamn I'm nervous).

My name is Alec, and I'm a long-time fan of Against Me! and heavily involved in the folk-punk scene. I'm really excited to have the opportunity to ask you just a few questions that I've always wondered.

1. Against Me! Seems to have pioneered the folk-punk genre, insofar as many folk-punk artists today cite the earlier albums as inspiration. Can you speak a little about that style of music, the culture surrounding it, and who you took influence of in its pursuit?

2. It is no secret that the punk community's response to your gender transition has been overwhelmingly positive. Going back a couple years, before your news was made public, how did you think people in the punk community would react?

3. How much do you think the personality of an artist should affect the fans' appreciation of their art? If the two are separate, how do you compartmentalize them? If not, what factors do you consider in forming a balanced opinion?

4. What's on your personal playlist right now? Which artists do you feel have yet to garner the appreciation they deserve?

5. This one's a stretch (breathe, Alec). I, and my friend John, do a folk-punk radio show on a college station in Los Angeles. We're volunteers (everything is DIY), and we try to be a public voice for the folk-punk scene and their culture. Would you be at all interested in letting us feature you on our show? I know you've gotten a lot of attention, and we're much too small to warrant a that kind of buzz, but I'd kick myself forever if I didn't ask. Anything from a performance to a simple program/station ID would make me giggle uncontrollably. We're called A Fistful of Vinyl on KXLU 88.9 FM Los Angeles.

@AFistfulOfVinyl

Thank you so much for doing this, and for providing us all with your art.

edit: Please feel free to skip any of these questions that you've already answered :-)

Hey man!

Still loving the new album, and stoked to come out to see you in March in LA.

• How have your views on the punk scene changed as you've aged/matured?

• What is one trend that you wish you could see scene-wide, among audience members, bands, venues, labels, etc?

• How involved were you in the production of Never Get Tired? How'd you feel seeing it once it was done?

• What's been your favorite non-musical thing that you've made?

• Who's an artist you feel deserves more attention than they get?

Thanks for the music and the candor, my friend.

Alec / A Fistful of Vinyl

edit: Open invitation to come do a session with us. you know that.