Fun Fun Fun Fest Interviews: White Lung

Mish Way of Vancouver hardcore (popcore?) lifers White Lung embodies everything you want out of a frontperson. She’s dynamic, brutal, witty. You’re guaranteed an honest, earnest take on everything. She’s also a seasoned journalist I’m lucky to call an acquaintance. White Lung performs at Fun Fun Fun Fest on Saturday, 2:30pm, Black stage.

Austin Chronicle: You spend a lot of time writing both songs and articles. Does it ever feel like they might be cannibalizing each other? In other words, do you ever think that maybe you’d rather write a song about dating a cuckold than a reportorial piece about it?

Mish Way: Yes, I’m starting to feel that way more and more. When the band first started, I was working three jobs; going to university and scraping by. Then, I started writing and getting paid for it. A little and then a little more and more and more, until it got to where I now survive solely on music and journalism.

Lately, I’ve been at the worst standstill. I feel like all my ideas are floundering. However, lyrics are coming really easy right now, which I think has something to do with my discontent. And to answer the second part of that question, I often do write about the same event many times, in different forms.

AC: If lyrics are coming easy, why does it still feel like you’re at a standstill?

MW: I just mean writing-wise. I feel like I have writer’s block. My pitches have been really lame. I’m embarrassed to talk to my editors.

AC: Being a writer has moments where you feel depressed about everything you’re doing, like you aren’t qualified.

MW: Yes, I completely agree. I go through phases where I’m writing some stupid men’s advice article about sexting and I’m like, “I have a fucking degree in gender studies, what am I doing?” You’ve got to make money though. At the same time I’m also realizing you do not agree to do features on bands if there are fucked people in said band. God.

AC: You’ve been playing in White Lung since 2006, but the critical attention has been a more recent thing. A lot of write-ups talk about you being an “icon,” just in the way you dress and the way you command a stage. How do you feel about that?

MW: Okay, straight up. The right answer is to act all modest and be like, “Oh, I’m just doing what I do and not thinking.” That’s bullshit. Front people are front people because they’re fucking front people. You know? We chose to stand up in the front and be “the face” for a reason. If there are like five girls who look up to me, that’s great. There needs to be more strong alpha females out there who question culture and own their sex appeal and call out bullshit and have fun.

Don’t you miss bands like L7? There was never another band like L7. Urgh sorry. All my idols are old now. And I’m old.

AC: Do you want to be famous?

MW: I want to be remembered for creating important music and writing and affecting some aspect of our “zone” or culture.

AC: Will music always be more important than your journalistic endeavors?

MW: I don’t know. I was in a band because I liked being in a band. Then we decided to go on tour and I knew I’d never make money from touring, so I wanted a sidebar career that I could do in conjunction with touring. You know, so I wouldn’t be fucked when music spit me out. I didn’t want to be 35 and done with touring and like ... career-less. That to me is terrifying and repulsive and gross.

Writing is my passion. I want to write. Music is something that people just started to care about in the last year, with this record, so it’s weird. It’s very weird when people invest in you. I’m broke as fuck, don’t get me wrong. That’s another fucked up thing about this industry.

AC: You talk about sex a lot in your work. Obviously you’re a powerful, alpha female voice on something that’s been predominantly reserved for male dialog. Do you like being a provocateur? Does that have anything to do with your interest?

MW: I write publicly about my sex life because my sex life matters to me. It’s what makes up such a large part of who I am as a writer, a musician, a human being. I recently wrote an article about this. I think that often women who are overtly sexual aren’t thought of as intellectual. For some reason, we cannot be both things at once. That’s ridiculous.

I’m not trying to be provocative or anything. I’m trying to normalize sexuality. Our culture is extremely confused about sex. Even I am sometimes. And now shit is like even more complicated. It’s not even about strict gender divides, but like so much more. Urgh. I can’t even explain. I’d need a thesis paper.

AC: So last question, why is it that people don’t realize that the West coast is superior to the East coast?

MW: Everything is quick-paced and competitive on the East coast. The West coast is like all space and sleeping in and having drinks at 4pm. Not because you’re stressed from work, but because you don’t have to go to work.