It’s an overheard comment, and a slightly sarcastic one to boot, but also entirely understandable. Max Bemis, the ringleader of the popular and critically acclaimed pop-emo group Say Anything, is rather busy these days. This year alone, his band has released a fun video (“Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too”) with a cameo by Henry “Fonzie” Winkler, finished work on a double album featuring over 20 guest stars (“In Defense of the Genre”) and played about a billion shows, most recently on a MySpace-sponsored tour with Hellogoodbye. (Speaking of that music-friendly social networking site, Say Anything currently boasts almost a quarter of a million “friends.”)
After several delays, we finally caught up with Bemis on a laundry run between shows. For a man who’s monumentally busy (and suffers from a well-documented bipolar disorder), he’s surprisingly sanguine, even when pressed about the heavily autobiographical nature of his recent album, which pulls no punches on his life and its ups and downs.
Did you go into recording this thinking it was going to be a double record? And how did the record company feel about that idea?
About halfway through the recording, I realized we had too much to fit on one disc. And I couldn’t cut any of the songs…so I just let myself go. The record company was cool with it—well, first, they were cautious, then cool, then cautious.
You titled the record “In Defense of the Genre.” Does what you do need defending?
For me, the title is a particular thing. I mean, it could be a generalized term and mean anything, but for me it’s a reaction to the type of music I play and come out of. A lot of people tend to marginalize bands like us, or classify us into these different groups and attack us. We’re not a trendy thing, I guess.
Your album has a number of A-level guest stars from your “genre”—guys and girls from Paramore, Alkaline Trio, My Chemical Romance, et cetera. Did you know where everyone was going to sing, or was it just a matter of “whoever shows up gets the song”?
It wasn’t an easy beast, organizing this. But I had mapped out the songs ahead of time, and I knew what would happen in case somebody dropped out or couldn’t do it. In the end, only Aaron from Mewithoutyou and Jeremy Enigk [Sunny Day Real Estate] couldn’t make it on the record.
You suffer from bipolar disorder, and you’ve checked yourself into a mental institution before. Your new album is very personal…and it broaches all of these subjects quite head-on. So, how you feelin’?
Actually, I’m doing great. I take my medicine, I don’t smoke weed anymore…I’m not necessarily happy, but it’s all making me stable.
Judaism plays a big role in your music—sometimes comical, sometimes guilt-ridden. It’s a rare topic in pop music.
It’s how I was raised, in a strong Jewish environment. It was evident through my entire life, and I try to express that. I guess it’s coming out more and more. I think my mom appreciates it, though. I think she likes the humor I bring to it.
Who’s your favorite Jewish rock star?
Wow. Um…Bob Dylan, I guess? I know there’s a bunch of them. Oh, and Neil Diamond.
What do you want for Hanukah?
All I do is buy comics from Amazon.com…so, anything from there, I guess.
You’re on the same label as Carrie Underwood, Alicia Keys and Barry Manilow. How does that work?
It’s really cool. It makes us feel like we have a real place on the label, and that maybe we lend something to them by being on there. I think the closest thing to us on there is Pearl Jam…and we are, actually, nothing alike.
I loved the video for “Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too,” but why was the Fonz in it?
We always thought it was funny that hip-hop videos featured famous people that had no involvement with the song, usually just sitting in the background. We actually tried to get Clive Davis to do it, but in the end, Henry [Winkler] was a family friend of mine. It ended up being funnier and more random.
You’re a big topic on punk websites. What’s the best rumor you’ve ever heard about yourself that wasn’t true?
That I once walked around Brooklyn naked talking to people. I may have whipped it out a few times [laughs], but I’ve never been walking down a street naked. I think I would have been beaten up for that. [Note: The band’s Wikipedia entry does mention a variation on this alleged incident.]
How have you changed since your first record, 2004’s “Is a Real Boy,” was released?
We’ve definitely become a band—we have set members. As a person, I’ve gone through so much…the bipolar experience, time in a hospital, moving across the country, developing a real relationship, writing this album. It’s been an intense few years. Sometimes I feel like there’s no time to rest, or be at home and deal with these extreme changes.
Say Anything plays March 29 at Nokia Theater
