The Weakerthans
Interview with John K. Samson
Words: MacKenzie Pause
Photo: Brooks Reynolds

Appearing:
April 4, 2008
Club Downunder, Tallahassee

April 5, 2008
The Social, Orlando

April 6, 2008
Common Grounds, Gainesville

I wait in 4/4 time.

Simple prose like this from The Weakerthans creates endless thoughts, and eight years later, I still find these words floating into my mind at the most random times. Even though vocalist/guitarist John K. Samson writes introspective thoughts and narrative stories that bring the listener to a time and place pop music usually doesn't grace, my 4/4 time has gone on more measures than I would have preferred to wait. However, a literary and musical composition cannot be rushed and the years between The Weakerthans' releases only allow fans to soak in the social, political and emotional depths to the songs that flow through well written, catchy pop music.

The four-piece from Winnipeg, Manitoba, released four albums in ten years, allowing for a lot of growth – musically and personally – in the spaces between. Samson has evolved quite a bit since leaving the politically driven punk band, Propagandhi and starting The Weakerthans in 1997. 

"I've been touring for seventeen years," Samson said. "I'm a totally different person, and I love it. I'm twelve times as happy as I was back then."  

G7 Welcoming Committee Records (started by Propagandhi's Chris Hannah and Jord Samolesky) released The Weakerthans’ first two albums, 1997's Fallow and 2000's Left and Leaving.  Epitaph (Anti-) took on the band for 2003's Reconstruction Site and their latest release, Reunion Tour.

The title of their newest effort could lead one to believe there was an actual breakup to initiate a reunion. Instead, it seems to highlight the not-so-obvious irony and comedy within the band's infrastructure.

Samson, with fellow bandmates Stephen Carroll (guitar), Greg Smith (bass) and Jason Tait (drums) know how to make each other laugh, as well as their fans. They filmed a four-part mockumentary for the making of Reunion Tour. It shows the band recording on a boombox covered with blankets onto pre-recorded cassette tapes with recurring jokes of a 100 budget and a brief introduction to the basics of Curling. Unfortunately, Samson told me the boombox B-side does not exist, but maybe fans can expect a rarity like that in the future, or at least another exemplification of their humor.

"I think when you start out as a writer, you are overly serious about craft," Samson said. "In the end, it's kind of silly. There are certainly a lot of silly things about being in a band, a lot to be made fun of."

The Weakerthans are more known for Samson's poetry than their comedic contributions. While Samson's literary lyrics merit the acclaim that follows them, the music seems occasionally overshadowed by the lyrical fascination.

Samson said, "I think the contribution of the other guys is sometimes overlooked. They are all really exceptional musicians, and in some ways they are limited by the structures of the lyrics that I write. They have to kind of conform to the framework that the lyrics go in. They are all really remarkable musicians, and sometimes I wonder why the music isn't given more credit."

The music may deserve a longer moment in the spotlight, but Samson's lyrics are worthy of praise. The songs are narratives about fictional – and sometimes non-fictional – characters that can be equally emotive, pensive, comedic and tragic. Samson writes like a true author, momentarily draws us from reality, and gives the listener a glimpse into the life of someone else.  Real people have become his musical characters on Reunion Tour, with songs about an experimental sex change at birth to the post-life of a man and his Bigfoot claims. To add to their list of unconventional pop material, there's a song from a cat's perspective, and in true Canadian candor, a song about the sport of curling. Whatever the subject, Samson colors the stories in mixtures of subtlety and overtness. 

With so many stories that take us into human and feline worlds, I wondered if the sentient Samson adds pieces of himself to the lyrical compositions.

"There's always something of the writer in the character," Samson began. "The past ten years has been me trying to write past my own kind of limited life and experience and try and explore the lives of others. There are challenges and easy things about it. Sometimes a character will just be there, fully formed for you to write about."

Touring probably allows Samson to meet some interesting characters, and Florida will be no exception.

"I've always enjoyed Florida. My parents took me there as a kid on vacation, so I got the kind of tourist view of it. Then when I went back, I saw the more realistic side of it. It was really interesting for me when I started touring. I think when you are working somewhere, you see a different side of a place than if you are a tourist somewhere. Working bars and punk rock clubs, it gives you a different perspective. I think it is a pretty complicated state in a lot of ways. There's a real disparity between rich and poor. I think it may even be kind of highlighted in Florida because of the tourist-based economy. It's always been a really interesting trip for me."

This time of year seems perfect for The Weakerthans to leave Canada and head south.

"It's so cold you can't go outside for more than a minute with exposed skin or it will freeze," Samson said. "It's minus 40º here. Make sure you think about how lucky you are geographically, today."

Even with the unbearable cold, Samson's tone imbued positivism.

"It's going up to zero tomorrow," he began. "So everyone will be out wearing shorts."
 
Until they make it to Florida, I continue to wait in 4/4 time.

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