MC Lars

Dan Bull and I first collaborated a few years ago on his Fortnite song, where I was one of 100 rappers rapping about the iconic game. Since then, we have written a song together with Mega Ran and made a music video. When I was in Birmingham, England, I stopped by Dan's studio to learn about his work ethic, his YouTube channel, and how he has balanced fatherhood with being an artist. We also talk a...

I met Dr. Will Tattersdill in the autumn of 2006 when my band and I played a show in Oxford. While he was currently working towards his master's degree, he was performing as FaceOmeter, a solo DIY folk project. He gave me a CD after the show; I listened to his music and became a big fan of his clever lyrics and original instrumentations... so much so, that Tattersdill and I eventually collaborated...

This week on the podcast, I catch up with my guitarist Mike Russo, who has co-written many of my favorite songs with me, including “Do the Bruce Campbell”, “1984” and “Mike Russo Cut Your Hair” (surprise!). Mike and I reminisce on our thirteen years of friendship, how Napster created a new wave of musicians, and the world of college music booking. Recorded on the eve of our show with Big D and the...

Jon Thatcher Longley auditioned to play drums with me shortly after "the Graduate" dropped. He had played in a band with my bassist Rob, and not only did Longley quickly learn the songs, he also had a van in which we could tour and a house at which we crashed between shows in New Jersey. On this episode, we talk about Warped Tour, opening for mc chris, and the true story behind "35 Laurel Drive"....

I discovered Weird Paul on YouTube when I saw that Pittsburgh rapper Lord Grunge subscibed to his channel. When I commented on one of Paul's videos and Paul recognized my name, I reached out to him and asked him if I could interview him when I played Pittsburgh next. We talk about how he started creating content in the 80s, his influences and the future of YouTube. We also talk about his upcoming...

This week, I sit down with with Sean Jordan (a.k.a. Wordburglar), one of Canada's most revered nerdcore rappers. Sean talks about how he got his start, the stories behind some of his more serious songs, and why he loves G.I. Joe so much. We also talk about how he joined the Backburner crew, his friendship with Jesse Dangerously, and the time he beat Drake for a commercial audition. An energetic, t...

I met Rob Lanterman a few years ago when he played bass for Big O, while they supported Mega Ran and me on our US tour. I learned that Rob had a record label, Hidden Home Records, a Boise label that specializes in pop punk. We talk about how he gets his bands publicity, the economics of his business, and what he's learned from other labels. We also talk about his philosophy, and how he translates...

This week, I catch up with to Bryan Atchison, the other half of Koo Koo Kanga Roo. We talk about how we met on the VANS Warped Tour, our frequent tours together to the UK, and how he and Neil first met at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, shortly before starting Koo. We also talk about fatherhood, the music industry, and the creative process, and the serious business of being silly on stage. W...

An interview with Neil Olstad (one half of the legendary Twin Cities childrens’ band Koo Koo Kanga Roo)!  I caught up with Neil while we were both on tour in the UK to talk basketball, theme parks and music.  We discuss about the similarities between a curated day at Disneyland and coming to see a Koo show, and tips and tricks on how touring bands can help rescue bad shows (which never happens to...

This week on the MC Lars Podcast, pop culture journalist Chris Gates and I talk about our years growing up together on the Monterey Peninsula, our first band together (Horris, for which he played bass) and how being English majors helped us both in our careers as freelance content creators. We also talk about his years as a writer for MAD Magazine, Gates’s perspective on the current classification...

An interview with my original bassist, Rob Piccininni Jr., who toured with me extensively during the "Graduate" era of 2006 - 2009. We talk about the first UK tours, his new band Red Hymns, and the current state of punk rock. Representing the New Jersey music scene to the fullest, Rob will always be one of my favorite people, and it was awesome to catch up with him. Thanks Rob!

Rodney Anonymous and I connected when he e-mailed me after I gave him a shout out in a 2011 interview. Since then, we became good friends, performing together and recording a verison of "Mr. Raven" for the "the Edgar All Poe EP". We talk about tour stories, the loss of his friend Dave Blood, his favorite gothic and industrial bands and his solo and side projects. Not only is Rodney a fantastic sto...

This week, I sit down with Joe Jack Talcum, of legendary Philadelphia punk band the Dead Milkmen. We talk about his life growing up in rural Pennsylvania, his solo careers, and the loss of his friend Dave Blood in 2004. We also talk about the benefits of touring solo v. a band, his new split on This & That Tapes, his creative process, and how the Dead Milkmen were more "post-punk" than "punk", in...

An interview with YTCracker (Bryce Case Jr.), one of the pioneers of nerdcore. We talk about how he got in trouble with the law for hacking NASA, what it was like opening for MC Frontalot and mc chris, and Case's upcoming projects. We also share some of our political views, and realizing we agree on some topics, but disagree on others. Thanks Bryce!

This week, I catch up with my childhood friend Tim Thompson, director of videos by "Weird Al" Yankovic, Reel Big Fish and many of my music videos. We talk about our first band Amphoteric, growing up on the Monterey Peninsula, and a tragedy that brought us closer together. A creative and visionary friend, Tim Thompson is one of my favorite people! A very special episode.

An interview with Marin County teacher and musician Chris Peck, discussing his upcoming Ancient Baby album and how his time as an undergrad at NYU helped strength his jazz chops. I've always looked up to Chris as an older brother, and have always been appreciative of the love and support he's shown me over the years in my own musical journey and beyond.

On today's podcast, I sat down with Greg Carlisle, a theater professor at Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky. I was playing a show in Lexington, so I rented a car and came to visit him. We talked about what inspired him to write his "Elegant Complexity" book, a companion piece to David Foster Wallace's "Infinite Jest". In this episode, we speculate on why "Infinite Jest" is so popular...

Lisette Rimer went through something that no mother should have to, the loss of her son Patrick Wood to suicide in 2006. In trying to figure out why someone so brilliant and succesful would take his own life, Rimer has spent the last thirteen years grieving, healing and writing a book about her experience ("Parade Rest". In this special podcast, she and I share our memories of her son, who was a c...

Twenty years ago, Sean Donnelly and I were both teenage artists attending Stevenson high school in Pebble Beach, California. He was a year older than me and always inspired me to be creative and do my best, in our collaborations and beyond. Since graduating college, Sean has directed three of my music videos, made a feature-length documentary and co-created the hit Comedy Central animated series "...

MC Hawking (Ken Lawrence) and I met online over ten years ago when I announced nerdcore's problematic racial overtones. We performed together in and around Boston for the following decade, culminating in a show together in front of Stephen Hawking at the STARMUS festival in 2016. On today's episode, we talk about nerdcore's early years, the future of Lawrence's project and his conflicted relations...

Louis Logic once rapped as part of the Demigodz and was a protégé of Vinnie Paz from Jedi Mind Tricks. This week, we talk about his childhood on Long Island, the beginnings of his career as a Philadelphia indie rapper, sobriety, fatherhood and the Brooklyn real estate hustle. We talk about the importance of not repeating oneself artistically and his upcoming mystery novel. Do I manage to bring Rog...

I met Vinnie Caruana when I Am the Avalanche, Plain White T's and I played a show at Rutgers in 2007. We kept in touch over the years and crossed paths again at the VANS Warped Tour in 2013. On today's episode, we talk about how he and I got our start with Long Island producer Mike Sapone and continued our careers linking with the Rondo Brothers in San Francisco. We talk about his memories and sho...

Back in 2000, Atom & His Package changed my view of what punk rock could be. Mixing comedy, humor, intelligence, catchy pop choruses, punk and a QY700 sequencer, Atom Goren started performing and touring the world with just his guitar and "package" (the QY700). I met Atom at a show in Monterey, CA in 2000 and kept in touch; he would often give me advice along the way. A few year ago, I got to open...

Back in 2008, Timothy Crist (a.k.a. ShoEboX, a.k.a. Worm Quartet) and I collaborated on an Atom & His Package cover for my "This Gigantic Robot Kills" album. This week, Crist and I talk about his work with VH1, his success on the Dr. Demento show and his upcoming album. We discuss similarities between nerdcore rap and the Dr. Demento-inspired comedy music scenes and the intersection of music and c...

When I was in seventh grade, Sam Salerno bought me Rush's "Test for Echo" on CD, and it changed my life. He showed how literature (in this case, Ayn Rand) could be translated to music, and this was deeply influential on me both personally and professionally. This week, we talk about his career as a teacher / poet / musician, and how he balances everything while continuing to release albums and boo...