Nate Cook is the lead singer of The Yawpers, a Boulder based country rock band that doesn’t eat enough fruit. Through our interview we learned that although they just had their one-year anniversary, the romance is all gone. We also learned that Nate has a filthy mouth, dropping the first-through-third fuck words we’ve had up here on Audiovore. Watch out FCC, here come The fucking Yawpers.
AudioVore: If you could have any person or animal to be your band mascot, who or what would it be?
Nate Cook: Woah, uh. Wallace Stephens.
AV: Why Wallace Stephens?
NC: I don’t know, he kind of embodies the badass indie artist all in one. I kind of like that.
AV: Would you choose invisibility or flying for your super power?
NC: Fuck. Can I choose laser eyes?
AV: Yes, yes you can.
NC: I’m going with fuckin’ laser eyes then, no doubt.
AV: What would you do with your laser eyes?
NC: Oh I don’t know, check out chicks probably. (laughs)
AV: Just laser chicks all the time?
NC: Well, I don’t know if I’d ever use them but it’d just be one of those things. I’d just be able to say I had. I wouldn’t use them for good or bad, just like a party trick or something like that.
AV: So you guys just got back from tour right?
NC: Correct.
AV: Where’d you guys go on tour? How was it?
NC: It was great. We did a pretty extensive tour of the southeast and kind of like, the Midwest. I don’t know what you call like, Tennessee. It was a blast man; those people know how to get down.
AV: What was your favorite?
NC: Well we had a string of shows in North Carolina out on the outer banks and we got to take some psychedelic mushrooms and watch the meteor shower from the beach.
AV: What is the worst job you’ve ever had?
NC: Well, there have been a lot of them. I guess when I was 13 years old I worked illegally as a dishwasher in this shit-fucking diner in my hometown. I got paid like $3 an hour and worked 60 hours a week all summer.
AV: How long have you been a band?
NC: We celebrated our one-year anniversary a month ago, so 13 months.
AV: Did you do anything special or romantic for it?
NC: Um. No. Mostly just avoided each other. (laughs)
AV: What’s the worst band you’ve ever been in?
NC: I was in a band called (intelligible) Von Cleavage when I was 15 and we played like ‘80s hits as covers. That was pretty shitty.
AV: I don’t know, I think that sounds good.
NC: It had the worst effect too because I joined a band initially to get laid like everybody does but it had the opposite effect. It was an anti-aphrodisiac playing in that band.
AV: Wait what was the name of it again?
NC: Cupert Von Cleavage. Cupert was what I called my penis back then, and everyone else in the band was chicks, thus cleavage. Never thought I’d have to explain that again.
AV: What is the best place besides the MCA rooftop to play in Denver?
NC: (laughs) Well it depends. If we’re going for a grimy, sweaty show we like the Larimer. But if you’re going for the more sophisticated crowd, the Bluebird is always a blast.
AV: Who are your favorite bands in Denver?
NC: In The Whale is definitely one of them and then the West Water Outlaws are pretty solid. There are tons of them but those are probably my two top guys.
AV: Who would win in a kung-fu fight?
NC: Shit. I don’t know. The drummer of In The Whale is pretty athletic so I’d probably have to go with them.
AV: Can you think of any movie sequels that are as good as the original?
NC: Oh there are tons of them! Aliens is better than Alien, Terminator 2 is better than Terminator, The Godfather Part II is better than the first one in my opinion.
AV: That’s pretty good, right off the top of your head.
NC: Well it’s something I’ve discussed with people before.
AV: Favorite hot dog place in Denver?
NC: I live in Boulder so I don’t get down there to the hot dog places all that often. My favorite place to eat is Pete’s Greek diner though. That’s the best I can do.
AV: How many servings of fruit do you eat per day?
NC: (laughs) You should probably ask me per year. And that would be about four.
AV: How about the rest of the band?
NC: Well one of them is a meditating yogi type so I imagine he eats like 4 servings a day. And everybody else in the band is pretty much an alcoholic cigarette smoker like me so…
AV: That seems like a little cultural clash there.
NC: (laughs) Yeah he definitely helps balance it out a little bit.
AV: Who’s body is nicer when exposed on stage: Aaron Collins from A. Tom Collins, Avery Raines from Mr. Pacman, or Iggy Pop from The Stooges?
NC: Oh come on. Iggy. No doubt. Jesus.
AV: I’m so surprised that everyone has said Iggy. He’s got the most leathery body in the world.
NC: I know but you just want to like, rub it. I mean the fact that he’s had it, the same one, for like 40 years is pretty astonishing too. His body is a dynasty and you can’t keep up with that, I don’t care who you are.
AV: What is the one thing you want people reading Audiovore to know about your band?
NC: Uh. We play good rock and roll. That’s about it. I’m out.
