IamA indie rapper named MC Lars who just released a new game! AMA!

Hey MC Lars! I've been a fan since 2004 when I downloaded your EP; and kind of sad to admit to leaking The Graduate back in '06 when I was in high school (I took Download This Song too literally I guess; sorry!). I have a question regarding Signing Emo and Dubstep; do you plan on another sequel based on music trends? Do you ever feel like you're stuck with the label of being an "emo rapper" based on your breaking into the mainstream when the emo phase was big? Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, and again, sorry!

Hey my friend. Dang! Since 2004? That's a long time. Thanks for spreading the word and helping with the file-sharing back in the day, that was awesome and I am glad you took the message to heart. I have you to thank for enough people caring about this AMA maybe. :)

Thanks for peeping "Signing Dubstep", I wanted to do a few "Where are they now?" songs on the last album, "Hipster Mom" and "Where Ya Been Lars? II" for example. I think it's fun to follow the characters and revisit similar themes, which is why I did so many darn Poe songs!

I think the "emo rapper" thing was more of a label that went along with that era of of post-hardcore Myspace music. I don't mind being aligned with that music, that pop punk stuff has surely had a revival, and it's fun. Some people consider my stuff emo, some nerdcore, some consider me ska, but I love flipping expectations!

Anyway, thanks for joining on this and please spread the word about the app. :) There's a free demo on the site that maybe your same friends would be into! Haha. Much love. http://mclars.com/game

Thank for the response! I'll definitely be buying your game. I've been a longtime fan, but your view on everything has definitely gained a lot of respect for you in my book. Best of luck Lars!

Aww! Thank you. :) I appreciate you participating here and thanks again for keeping up with the projects. It means a lot.

What songs are featured in the game?

Hey, Taskl! We chose to develop the game around three "worlds", each containing four songs that are all tied together through their lyrical content. Marshal did a fantastic job writing in a narrative, so Lars has to battle against Marty and his henchmen to stop from being devoured by the record industry. The worlds and songs reflect that.

Tutorial song: Where ya been, Lars?

World 1: Zombie T-Rex, 21 Concepts, Guitar Hero Hero, Space Game

World 2: Never Afraid, Flow Like Poe, Forgot About Jack, Hey There, Ophelia

Aaaaaaand one more world's-worth of songs, but I don't want to spoil it. They're some of Lars' greatest works, though!

~Anthony

... and the games all work so well! They tap into the timing of the jumping and tell a full story. Thanks for your great work Anthony!!

How was your recent meeting with Weird Al Yankovic earlier this month? How well do you know him?

We've been friends for about a decade, he played accordion on my second album and I helped my friend Tim Thompson produce his "Lame Claim to Fame Video". He sends me Christmas cards and thanked me in his last album. We get coffee when I'm in LA sometimes, check out his tour, he's fantastic. We met when I gave him a shout out on an MTV interview years ago and he saw it and hit me up to thank me. He's always been super supportive of me and my music! I noticed the Donkey logo on my shirt right away, he's a true nerd to the heart in all the best ways.

Hey Lars! The last time I saw you was on a tour with Suburban Legends and Patent Pending in probably 2006. At that show I had you sign your DVD for me and I was trying to convince you to play some tracks off of "Radio Pet Fencing." You may not remember how you signed my DVD, but this question may jog your memory:

How bummed were you when Demonoid's servers went down?

Also, who are some artists that you are dying to collaborate with? Anything we should be keeping our eyes and ears open for?

Thanks!

EDIT!

1. I'm stoked to play the game.

2. I put my senior year English teacher onto "Mr. Raven," "Rapbeth," and "Ahab." I think you should know that your music was put into curriculum in Danbury, CT and I used "Rapbeth" for a report. Also, at the Mystic Seaport clips from the "Ahab" music video were used in a presentation about the history of whaling per my recommendation ;)

Hey Greg! Thanks for reaching out, I definitely remember that. :) Maybe I can play some songs from "Radio Pet Fencing" later this year!

(1) I was so bummed when it went down! And when What.CD canceled my account because I was on there constantly. Bummer! Now I use Kickass Torrents and Pirate Bay, they have a lot of stuff which is awesome.

(2) I am doing an album with Mega Ran next year, all lit-hop jams! Check it out!!! We are debuting some of the songs this fall on the tour with mc chris.

Thanks for checking out the game. And for having the music in the mix in Danbury!! That's amazing. It means a lot that I inspired you!!! So thank you!!

Yo homie!! Congrats on the video game it looks awesome def gonna check it out!

Wanna ask how you feel about Tom Delonges new book if youve had a chance to check it out or his latest work just in general?

Cant wait til the tour stops in Houston - Green beans & Catfish!!

Hey ENTREPRENEUR!! We still need to release that song!!

I love the new Blink stuff, I didn't realize that Tom had a book out though? I'm curious to hear what he says about Hoppus. I'll check it out, is his new stuff Angels and Airwaves?

Hope to see you in Houston man!!

Yeah I should be able to make it this time! Zombie Dinosaur lp goes hard!

Angels and Airwaves recently dropped an EP Chasing Shadows for Toms book called Sekret Machines about the ufo conspiracy!

I will check that out, thanks man. That sounds dope!!! He is prolific as heck!!

Hey Lars, we met a few years ago at Orlando Nerdfest and it was the best day of my life. Do you think you'll even do a bigger Canadian tour? I was pretty bummed that the Mc Chris tour with you and Mega Ran(two other artists I love) isn't floating through the great white North.

Hey homie!! Good to hear form you and thanks for jumping on.

I've had some good shows in Canada for sure - especially Warped. I think a nerdcore Canadian tour would be amazing, I just think there is less awareness there and we are building right now.

2017 is the year where I do a bunch of new kids' music, so I am hoping to tour more and play kid-friendly venues, in Canada and beyond. Maybe we can do some club shows around there after. Stay tuned! For updates, please join my email list (at the bottom): http://www.mclars.com/contact/

I'm really hopeful for the game getting launched on steam looks kinda fun but I hate gaming on my phone. I already voted for it on green light.

I've been listening to Never afraid a lot lately have to say its on of my favorite songs of yours. Like definite top 3. How different is the process writing the more emotional songs (twenty three, triforce, never afraid, giving tree) versus the more fun songs?

See you in orlando next month bud, just saying but if roommate from hell gets done by you and chris that would be hella cool!

Also I know you have done a few songs on patreon exclusive will those ever be released elsewhere?

Thanks my friend! I really appreciate the Steam vote!

I like writing emotional songs because your heart kind of writes the rhymes for you. With funny songs, you try to think about surprising twists, but with writing personal raps, you kind of twist and turn through the feelings, and the songs appear. Do you know what I mean? I see myself writing more emotional songs in the future.

See you in Orlando! Lots of surprises at the show, we'll see!

Oh, and some of the Patreon songs will be on an album eventually, but I think about half of them are only going to be on that site since I want to keep them special for the supporters there. Check it out though!! Thanks! http://patreon.com/mclars

Andrew!! One of the biggest things I've always wanted to ask is how do you stay so positive? Overtime I've been around you since I was about 13 you have always had nothing but nice, extremely positive things to say and I have always admired that in you! Hope all is good and joyful smiles all around!! <3 -Darria

Hey Darria! Because I have awesome and supportive friends who come to ever tour!

Great seeing you guys at that Con a few months ago, the Moonrise Kingdom costumes were amazing. Love your YouTube videos and hope you and your family are well. Hope you like the game too, see you this fall my friend!

Love your music, ever since hearing you at Kilby Court in Salt Lake.

Any more ska inspired stuff in the pipeline?

I love Kilby Court!! One of my favorite venues!

And yes! For sure!! Stay tuned, I am working on a song now with a fantastic band called Stacked Like Pancakes, who are on tour with Reel Big Fish later this year. SKA IS NOT DEAD!

This one is for u/Synersteel. How did you decide on what songs to feature in the game and then build levels around? Was it a team effort between you guys and Lars? Thanks a lot, digging the game.

Thanks for the questions!

So the cool thing about working with Lars is how much he understands the creative process. We bounced a lot of stuff off of him as we went along, but for the most part he really let us run with the core concepts that we proposed to him from the start of the project. We made a few adjustments here and there to make sure that it reflected him and his music, but there weren't really any major surprises for either end (at least from what I can tell) throughout the development process.

Anthony, our designer, can talk more about selecting individual songs, but the short answer is that we listened to A LOT of MC Lars music, over and over and over. We wanted to use the songs themselves to do most of the storytelling in the game, so it was really fun working with such a large catalog of original music. We had a lot of team meetings where we shared ideas, but Anthony really nailed it down in terms of what songs we should use when based on story and song/level complexity.

-Marshal

... and they made the best game ever! Thanks again guys!!

What video game(s) have you been playing lately?

What video game(s) are you looking forward to in the near future?

Thanks! Keep it up, saw you and Mega Ran kill it down in Jacksonville, FL a few Halloweens ago.

Hey homie! Great questions.

(1) To any diehard PlayStation or Xbox fans out there, I'm sorry, but Super Smash Bros for the Wii U is THE BOMB!! I love the special moves and I love how you can play as Sonic. That game is amazing, so is Mario Kart 8.

(2) I haven't played Breath of the Wild yet, I love Zelda, that is the one I need to get!!

You were at the Jacksonville show? Thanks man! That was 2011 right? Hope to see you this fall and enjoy the game!! Thanks again.

Thanks for all your replies(not only to mine), you seem very responsive on these AMA's and on your facebook page which is a very cool thing for artists to do. Some don't go those extra few feet and engage with the public so freely. Word up.

Great choices on the games! I will destroy you though on Smash with Kirby, sorry fam.

Now that you mention it, 2011 does sound about right for that show. My buddy I went with has since been married, had a kid, and is now divorced so I may I guess it has been longer that a "few" years. Time flies, right? Holla holla!

In five years? Holla! But it kind of feels like yesterday too. :) Thanks for jumping in!

Hey Lars I'm really enjoying your game so far and I've been enjoying your music for a couple years now!

I've just started writing rap myself but have noticed a significant disconnect between when I freestyle or rhyme by myself and when it comes to putting words on a page. Any tips on bridging that gap?

Hey Zwian! Thanks for checking out the game. :)

I've had the same issue with rapping, when you freestyle cadences and rhymes often come more quickly and a flow is easier when you hear music while you "spit". I've found with writing, it's harder to come up with those complex patterns that you can come up with extemporaneously.

It's funny how in battle rap these days, they tend to memorize their lines beforehand.

My tip is to listen to other rappers and try to write flows based on their rhythms and patterns. That might really inform and inspire you and help you as an author!

Stoked to hear your work! See you later this year!! http://nerdcoretour.com

Thanks for the reply, advice, and words of encouragement! I'm looking forward to seeing you in Omaha this November and looking forward to adding the word "extemporaneously" to my vocabulary! Stay great!

Haha! Yes!! You too homie!

We'll be floating around the comments to jump in on any questions about the game's development or other technical stuff.

From our team:

-Anthony: Art and Design

-Nick: Programming

-Marshal: Writing and Marketing

If you want to check out the game, the demo is free, and we're also trying really hard to get through Steam Greenlight. If you like what you see, it would mean a lot for us if you voted.

Check out the game at MCLars.com/game

Question for Lars: What was the most surprising/unexpected thing about the game development process for you?

These guys killed this project!! And they are amazing! Thanks for jumping in guys, and yes! Steam Greenlight is super important right now!

Mr Lars. I first heard your music because your music video for "Download this Song" was automatically downloaded onto my TiVo in the mid 2000s. Do you know why this is and if so was TiVo viewership a lucrative form of music distribution?

Hey homie - thanks for your post. I totally remember that, hard to believe TiVo could do that, right?

What happened was I did a song and video for TiVo, they wanted to have something to show their advertisers that they could put user specific stuff in their ads, so in exchange they paid for the production and agreed to host that video for a week or so. So I made no money off of it, but I think people did "Download That Song", which was the goal. :)

How long has this game been in the making? And what made you decide to make an MC Lars video game? Also, how did you come up with the concept of it? It's super cool and super fun!

Hey Nora! Thanks for your message!

I had started working on a game in 2012 with some USC grad students in the CS department, but we never quite finished it, so this kind of came out of the ashes of that conceptually, though not directly.

I had wanted to finish a game for years. I'd known Marshal for awhile, he had helped me get some of my merch into comic stores back in the day, so I've always respected his ideas and work ethic. He pitched the idea to me, we spoke on the phone a few times and we hung out on the tour with Mega Ran last fall and had a production meeting.

I listened to Synersteel and gave them some notes, being on board to make suggestions on art and music and sound design stuff, but the rest was them.

Thanks for checking it out!!

That's so cool! I love video games..I'm just not very good at them, and this one is no different, haha. But I'm glad I read some tips about the beat of the music an timing! It's such a cool concept!

Thanks Nora! I'm rubbish at video games!! But that's why I love them. :)

Love that you and MC Chris are going on tour. I saw you two in college back in CT years ago. How long have you two been friends and how did that that friendship start?

Wow! You were at the show when I met him! That's incredible.

I've always liked chris's music because he is a talented rapper, but he raps about whatever he wants and his beats are always really cool and different. I've learned a lot from him, business-wise.

The friendship just kind of came together naturally from all of the shows we've played together. We get along, we like each other, and we really help each other I think. I'm opening for him in the US, he's opening for me in England, so it's a mutually beneficial friendship that goes beyond business. He's been there for me when I've been down and I'll always be grateful.

Check out his new record, coming later this month.

Hey Lars, been a huge fan since I found Roommate From Hell with mc chris.

What are your thoughts on KIC 8462852/Tabby's Star?

Much love - thank you for your kind words! I'll always be proud of that track with chris.

I love learning about astrophysics, MC Hawking invited me to Spain to rap with him in front of Stephen Hawking at the Starmus festival last summer. There were a lot of talks about intelligent life, I like the theory that they are harvesting the star energy and they are responsible for intercepting the light. Great questions!!

I'm so looking forward to your show here on the 1st in Vegas. Question for ya, what should I bring for you to sign!? An album? NES cart? What's your favorite NES game?

Hey my friend! I would be honored to sign anything really. I did a song about the Triforce on the last album, so the first Zelda game has a special place in my heart, so I am always stoked when I can sign a gold cartridge. But you feel me!! Thanks for coming out! See you then!!

OMG, thank you! I had no idea he was coming to town!

See you then!! :)

Hey MC Lars! Hope you have an amazing day so far! Have met you about five years ago in Vienna (still cant wait to see you live again). We had a nice chat about that, Watsky and some other stuff on FB last Year.

You obviously enjoy working on your Music with other Artists. So my Question is, are there any artists you would really want to work together but it just doesn't want to happen? Are there any funny stories or anecdotes you can tell about your many amazing collaborations?

I really hope this AMA makes it to the Front so you can sing about it again ;) Cheers from Austria!

Hey my friend!! I remember that Vienna show. That was crazy! I'll never forget how a random kid came up to me that day and just flicked me in the nuts while I was getting off the tour bus. It was so crazy but that show ruled. Austria is gorgeous and the fans are amazing out there.

I love collaborating with other artists - I would love to work with Dr. Dre, but he won't return my calls.

When I did the song with KRS-One, I was so excited when he sent me his part because he actually had TWO verses!! I thought I was just getting one and BAM! The second one was just there in the session. He's an amazing rapper and huge inspiration. I've been so blessed that I've been able to work with so many people in so many scenes.

Hey Lars, big fan.

You should try to do another EP with K Flay, Single and Famous was great.

Also, are you working on a new album? I'm looking forward to whatever you do next.

Keep going hard on that tetrameter.

Hey Smellum, thank you for your question!

K.Flay is incredible and I am so impressed with everything she's doing now. She deserves all of her success for sure.

I am putting out new songs on Patreon every month (http://patreon.com/mclars) and will probably have another solo record out next year. Doing a full-length with Mega Ran too, all literary rap songs. Check it out!! Thanks for the kind words and jumping in here. :)

Awesome, I wasn't aware of your Patreon and will definitely check that out. I can't wait to check out this game when I get out of work.

You had me at "literary rap songs."

K flay's verse on 'We Have Arrived' is quite possibly the greatest thing I've ever heard. I'm happy for her.

Thanks for checking out the Patreon, I appreciate it. :) And you're right, that verse is amazing.

Hey man, it was awesome getting to meet you at Nekocon last year, just sucks the show was shut down so quickly.

So, it seems like you're a pretty big Simpsons fan, what are some of your favorite episodes and characters?

Stay safe on tour! Hoping to catch you in Richmond.

Dude, Nekocon would have been dope!! I wish they hadn't killed it. Next year maybe? LOL!!

I am a huge Simpsons fan. I did an interview on the "Everything's Coming Up Podcast" recently and it was so fun. My favorite episode is "Three Men and a Comic Book", because every kid has had that battle of friendship v. a rare collector's item. I love Hans Moleman and I think Krusty is admirable because he's just trying to do his best. He's a jerk but he's lovable!! I want to do more Simpsons songs for sure.

See you in Richmond my friend! It's going to be an awesome show!

What genre or style of music would you most like to experiment with?

Wow! Love that question. I have always loved jazz, I got into music theory through jazz guitar in high school, I think it would be awesome to do an album of rap songs with more jazz beats. There is just so much to do there and it runs so deeply. Rap and jazz are so similar - rhythm based, improvisational, done with different "crews".

Thanks for your question! And enjoy the game. :)

Thanks for the answer, can't wait to see you, Ran and Chris 10/16 in Jacksonville.

• DJ Cylon :D

Yes!!

Where ya been, Lars?!

Sorry, but somebody had to do it! :)

Love you Tom! Miss you!! Thanks for checking out the game and for your post.

Hope to play together again soon!!

O shi, time to get something answered!

I've been a fan of yours since I saw a live video of a Streetlight Manifesto concert, where someone (I think it was Josh Ansley?) was wearing a MC Lars (in the RUN DMC) style shirt, and I decided to check it out, and I've been happy ever since.

Anyways, In White kids aren't hyphy, you speak of the indie rap scene I've come to love, mainly the big ones like Atmosphere, Eyedea & Abilities and Sage. My question is, what is your realtionship with those guys? I know you had Sage on Art of Darkness, (in some versions, the version on spotify has a different chorus, a shame) but do you ever hang out and do stuff with the scene? Indierappers seem so tight knit, but for some reason I've always seen you as being somewhat more of a.. Loner I guess?

Hey! That is super nice, and thank you!! I remember that video, I was honored they rocked it.

Great question. I think it was cool Sage did that song with me, I met him at SXSW when I interviewed him for Current TV back in the day. I think Sage felt me on the "outsider" status in the scene, which was crazy because I'd loved him since 2002 or so. (That song is different on Spotify because of sample reasons by the way.)

I'd met Eyedea (RIP) a few times over the years, but I don't think he was aware of my music. I tweeted Slug about a collab back in the day but never heard back. Grieves and I shared a bus on the first Warped Tour I did in 2011, we became buddies but I haven't seen him in years. Mac Lethal and I made friends on Warped too.

I guess it's all very contextual. I'm lucky to have friends all over. I respect the heck out of amazing lyricists like all of those guys!

Awesome answer, thanks a lot!

A collab between you and Slug would be awesome. I fear that he's become too caught up with his political correct society criticism to do goofy stuff though.

It's interesting with Atmosphere. It's cliche to say "I liked your old stuff better", but I feel like everything after "Seven's Travels" wasn't as dope. Too self-conscious, not the right energy. Much love to him and Rhymesters, but I'm not the biggest fan anymore.

Who do you miss more? Richard or George? ;)

It's pretty much a tie. ;) Love you both! Richard, thanks for your A&R help!!! You will be getting more demos soon!

Hey Lars, We've met a number of times when you've played my hometown, YEOVIL, SOMERSET in the UK, I still have your ticket stub from when you played the Ski Lodge on April 14 2006. A friend and I are trying to put a commitee together to buy and reopen the Ski lodge again after many years. This would give Yeovil an amazing music venue once again! If it comes to it, How would you feel about maybe taking part in a pledge concert to try and raise funds???? Love to hear from you? :D

Hey my friend! I am totally down! Hit me up!

http://www.mclars.com/contact/

And that's crazy that the Sky Lodge burned down, I remember that show, in fact there's some great footage from it on the DVD that came out after that tour. Shout out to Will Blake for promoting awesome shows there! See you soon my friend!

Hey!! Met you over fish and chips in Kingston, England before the Peel gig many years ago. That venue is sadly gone now.

What do you find is the most challenging aspect of making a living as an independent artist and running your own business?

Dude! I remember you, Phil!!! That was literally one of my first ever headline shows over there. 2004 maybe? Thanks for jumping in.

I think the hardest thing is to realize that trying to make something mainstream is difficult, so you just need to keep creating and being good to your fans. There is this trend now to keep making "content" over "art", like a pressure to always create to hit a mass audience. I think I came to terms with the fact that I'll always be a niche artist, and that was liberating because when I make the music I want to make, my fans tend to follow (because they rule) and the pressure is gone.

I think being a young band on a major label is the hardest thing ever. Quickly you become "the hottest s---", and you believe the hype, and the success can trip you out because you forget to find your original voice. I had some hype when I first started and I think it took me time to find my voice again and make the type of records I really wanted to. "The Edgar Allan Poe EP" was a return home to me for that reason.

One of the ways I like to stay fresh and creative is my working in new mediums. Collaborating with Synersteel on this game was a great example of that and I hope you dig it.

Come say hi next tour! We'll be back in London! http://nerdcoretour.com

What's your favorite Poe tale?

Definitely "Berence". Do you know that one? It's about a guy who rips his cousins teeth out after she is buried alive and wakes up to see her writhing in agony, covered with blood. I need to do a song about it, if ICP doesn't first. Much love.

We should make a Poe game!!

I saw you ran into Mr. Yankovic the other day.

How often do you talk? Is it usually talking shop? How did getting him for the TPFR song go? Were there negotiations as to what/how he would perform? Seems odd that he didn't at least say something on the track.

Is it odd getting questions about seven year old songs? Do you ever get tired of touring?

Have hipsters turned into a paradox yet, and if so, are they on a downtrend? Another way to phrase that is have hipsters become trendy enough to realize that they are becoming (or have become) mainstream and it's time to abandon ship?

Hey homie! Awesome question! Yeah, Al killed it in Connecticut last night!! Go see his tour.

We usually talk about songwriting, touring, books. He's such an interesting guy because he's so down-to-earth for being such a pop culture legend. He hit me up years ago when I mentioned him in an MTV interview thanking me, and we kept in touch. When we did "True Player for Real" I just wanted him to play accordion because I thought it would be funny and ad mystery to the song. Having him talk on the track would have been awesome.

I appreciate that people still listen to my songs from 10+ years ago. Touring is still fun because I've made so many friends around the world and it's so cool to see where rate music has landed.

Hipsters are definitely mainstream, which I think is the result of social media. It's hard to be ahead of any sort of curb these days, due to social media and Spotify keeping us on the same page. To be truly hipster is go live in Antartica and having a crank gramophone with 1920 blues records.

Thanks for your questions!! I hope you enjoy our new game!

"To be truly hipster is go live in Antartica and having a crank gramophone with 1920 blues records."

I love this sentence :D

Thank you. :)

Hey Lars! You probably don't remember, but we met back in 2008. You were playing at Amoeba Music in Berkeley and because it was my birthday you gave me a 27th Street Book, a DVD that wasn't punk rock, and a poster. Still one of the best birthdays I've ever had. And you killed it again at BFD in 2009!

Do you have places that you love revisiting on tour and why? Any places you haven't toured yet that you really want to?

Hey my friend!! I remember that Amoeba show, I was so happy they had me. And that we could celebrate your birthday! And thanks for checking me out a BFD!

I always love when I am in England and I get to revisit Oxford. It's kind of bittersweet, because the scene there has changed entirely, and I get nostalgic for my time there, but it's always a special place to me. There and the Bay! Those have always been my two favorite spots. Great question! And hope to see you on the upcoming tour! http://nerdcoretour.com

Thanks! Looking forward to seeing you at The Waiting Room!

See you then my friend!!

Hello, Lars! I met you two years ago at Walters in Houston during the Ghost Hunter tour. My daughters (who dressed as Fry and Bender from Futurama) still brag about getting to meet you and my 8-year-old is convinced that she'll marry you one day, haha!

What's your favorite city/state that you've visited during a tour? Anywhere that you haven't been yet that you'd love to go to?

BTW, Gary is still hot!

Dude! I totally remember that! And thanks for the props on "Gary". :) Haha! Your daughter's costume was killer. That Houston show ruled!

I have never been anywhere in Africa, I would love to play South Africa with Die Antwoord or anyone in that scene. I love playing Chicago and Philadelphia, and of course San Francisco.

Thanks for the support man! See you this fall!

Hi Lars! You probably don't remember, but a few years ago I got in touch with you to ask you some questions for a paper I was writing about illegal downloads/file sharing and their role in professional music. I know you were of the opinion that torrenting and other forms of media sharing were good for promotion and that the positive impact outweighs the negative, but I was just wondering if that opinion has changed, as well as what you think of the very active legal actions being taken on Torrent sites in the last year or so?

Hey homie, I remember that. I hope the paper went well and that I gave you some good insight!

Yeah, the cracking down on filesharing is scary. They have gotten meaner and meaner and now you really need to be careful when you are downloading movies and stuff.

I think the product to service model has really manifested in things like Spotify and Patreon, where the majority of my income comes from, honestly. People like the convenience of Spotify and the exclusivity of Patreon. I think that back in the day, people used to get that from torrenting, having rare Jerky Boys albums for example (self-incrimination), and the feeling of newness.

I used to leak albums and rarities onto Demonoid so I could get upload credit to steal music making applications and tutorials. Those days are over, it seems, but I think that anarchic spirit has transferred to new things as streaming has become more easy and the world has become faster. There is so much great stuff on Netflix, that you don't really need to torrent as much.

One thing that I do recommend is the new game though! :) You can try it for free and if you like it's on the app stores. http://mclars.com/game

Thanks!!

Back in the day I misunderstood what you meant in "Download This Song" and just torrented it. I didnt realise till years later that you didnt mean pirate it, but to just download it from Itunes or something. Had to get that off my chest. Sorry man, do you forgive me?

Haha, man you are completely forgiven!!

I think that song was really about "check out these songs", which led to you jumping on this AMA so I appreciate it. If you peep the new game, we'll call it even. :) See you this fall! http://nerdcoretour.com

Hey Lars! Met you at a show in Raleigh this year and it was a great experience! Are you some kind of future predicting wizard? Too many aspects of "Download This Song" have come true over the past 10 years.

Also favorite Poe poem?

Haha, thanks my friend!

I predict that I will still be making music, but I'm not quite sure in what way. Spotify will only get bigger and I think people are getting tired of YouTube. Either way, culture will continue to be incredible, but fragmented, but that will make things like our niche culture more special.

Also! Apps will continue to be released, like this new one, which I hope you enjoy!

My favorite Poe poem is "Eldorado". I went to the Grand Canyon with my girlfriend and we read it in the car crying after we saw a movie about it. I need to make it a song.

Thank you for your kind words!! Hope to see you on the next tour!

Hey Lars, First I want to say thanks for not calling me out when I told you my favorite song from the Graduate was Hurricane Fresh. Turns out my friend, who introduced me to you, merged The Graduate with Laptop EP to save room causing my confusion. Also thanks for directing my introduction into hip hop with the apologies at the end of Generic Crunk Rap.

My question is are there any classic works of literature you have wanted to make a song out of but for some reason or another it just hasn't worked out yet?

Hey homie. Amazing memory. :) I get the "Laptop EP" confused with "the Graduate" too, a lot of crossover there.

I am reading David Foster Wallace's "Infinite Jest", I want to make that a rap song called "Infinite Guests" and have all of my friends rap on it, and make it 45 minutes or so. I've heard it's fantastic. I'm doing a whole lit-hop album with Mega Ran next year! Stay tuned and thanks for the support!! I forgive you for your friend's mixtape.

Also.... glad you could listen to some of those legends from "Crunk Rap"! Yes!!

Any chance you will do anything else with spose?

Spose is incredible, I would love to work with him more.

I'd love to tour with him more too, maybe we'll hit the UK again next year? Stay tuned! But great question. Did you hear the Pokémon song?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqYpeKkVcFQ

I saw you at Slam Dunk in Hertfordshire UK about 5 years ago and bought a bitching this gigantic robot kills shirt signed by you and Weerd Science who was supporting. I've now lost that shirt, do you have any lying around still for sale cause it was awesome? :(

Haha! That was a great show, I'll never forget the love in that room. We used the photo inside the vinyl!!

I have that shirt available still! Would love to sign it for you next tour:

https://www.hellomerch.com/collections/mc-lars

Also, the game is out in England, so enjoy! :)

I watched the steam previews and it didn't look like the bad guys could hurt the player. Is that correct? Can you tell us about what makes the game challenging?

They definitely can! If you are down to zero cartridges when you get hit, you die. If you have cartridges, you lose them but keep going.

We worked really hard on ramping up the difficulty (Anthony can speak to that) as the levels progress from world to world. The coolest thing for me is that you need the music to get the timing right. I tried playing it on mute and it was almost impossible. When you have the beat, you fall into the rhythm of the song in a pretty cool way, and by the end of the game, you really have to be on target to make it through.

-Marshal

Yes!! That is my favorite thing about the game!! The rhythm of it, good point Marshal, thanks man.

Hey! The cool thing about the game is that the bad guys CAN hurt you and you lose your cartridge points of you don't jump over them. You can shoot a blast ray from the microphone, but there are times when a ton are coming at once and you get squashed, which sucks. The preview makes it look a bit easier.

Challenging things include having to go faster when it speeds up and flying through the chorus, you have to change your navigation techniques. It's a bit easier on the iPad than the iPhone because you can see more. It's challenging unlocking the extra outfits but worth it!!

Hey Lars, seen you at warped with Weerd Science, are you two still in contact now that hes back with coheed? Do you know what your setlist is going to be already for your next tour?

Friend and I are going to see you when you come back to Seattle on this tour. Thanks for taking the time to be here and props to you and your squad on the fame.

Hey homie - that Warped with Weerd Science was really special. Josh is definitely a homie of mine and we are in friends. We don't really do much, but I've heard that Coheed saw that he was killing it on Warped and realized he was back and ready to rock. So rap kind of saved us both in some ways that summer, opening the doors to Warped for me and giving him another shot with his incredible band. Josh and I have talked about doing more music, I just want to make sure it's the perfect concept. Also, Horris Records put out "Sick Kids", which his label owns now.

See you at Seattle! And thanks for saying hi! I hope you enjoy the game.

Oh! And for the setlist, some songs with Mega Ran, some of the "Zombie Dino" stuff and some of the older ones. Stay tuned!! And thanks for the support!

MC Lars! Dude. Huge fan. I have seen you a few times at warped tour and you have always impressed me. Both times I bought a shirt you gave me your latest album. Is that something you always do for fans? Give free music with a shirt purchase. Thank you again for writing such positive music.

Hey Bob!! Thank you so much man. And thanks for the kind words.

I've been known to be generous at merch, like if someone buys a CD I'll give them a shirt, or visa versa. At the end of the day, my music is a service I want to provide to make people smile and feel good about their day. I try to be positive, I never did this to make much money, so we probably had an interesting conversation and I was like "this guy might dig this". Anyway, thanks for stopping but and checking out the album. Be sure to peep the game! Thank you!!

I first saw you back in 2003 (I think) when you opened for the Aquabats in Denver at the bluebird, still one of my favorite shows I've been too. I tried to make it to Baltimore last year when you both played together but couldn't make it. Do you have any plans with playing with the Aquabats again in the future? I need to plan ahead this time!

Dude! That show was crazy! The Aquabats! have always been super amazing to me, and I feel like we will tour again one day for sure.

Stay tuned!! In the meantime, I hope to see you at the tour with mc chris and Mega Ran later this year! http://nerdcoretour.com

MC Lars, do you plan on doing any more work with STD?

How do you feel about the community of rappers you work with? It seems everyone I know of has done a few tracks with everyone. Front, Chris, STD, Mega-Ran.

Can't wait to see you in November! I've had my ticket since May!

Hey my friend! Yes! I have a few songs with Schaffer on deck actually, they are finished we just need to drop them, stay tuned!!

I think this community of nerd rap is super special. It's punk rock in that we all want to help each other, we get along, we all collaborate, and we all realize that it's better to be part of a small scene than to try to "sell out?" (if that's the word) just to get more mainstream fans. I've learned about from this crew - they are my brothers and sisters and I will ride or die with them till the end.

Thanks for getting your ticket early! See you soon!! Can't wait to see your high score on the app. :)

What up Lars! Greetings from the San Jose Light rail.

My girlfriend and I saw you in LA back in 2008- I think. I also saw you in Santa Cruz in 2013- I think.

Who's the fancy lady in all your Facebook pics? Does she drop sick literary verses too?

What's next? Is it time for Grad school or more shows?

Hey my friend! I hope everything is great up in San Jose.

I remember both of those shows - very different and fun. :)

More shows for now, grad school approaching! Not sure in what yet.

My partner is Ash Wednesday and her group is called Hand Job Academy. Check out their incredible video for "Shark Week".

Hope to see you this fall! Much love!! Thanks for checking in. http://nerdcoretour.com

Hey Lars! Can't wait to see you in Orlando next month! How's production on "Yes, Yes, Y'all" going? I realize were 22 years away from its release, but can you give us any details?

Hey my friend! See you then! "Yes Yes, Y'all!" has taken a new twist, stay tuned!! It's going to be doper than ever, more updates next year.

Hey Lars,

 You've pulled me up to rap with you on a couple of different occasions and both were scary and amazing experiences.

  1. So two questions what's the most random thing you've had happen when bringing someone onto the stage?

  2. What's your most memorable on stage experience?

  Also when are you next back in the UK? I missed Seeing you support BFS as my local shows were sold out :'(

Thanks for rapping with me. :) That was awesome.

1. In England on the Bowling for Soup tour last year, I realized that younger kids don't know what skanking is. I have a part in the set where I ask them to skank without a beat and some of them were just kind of mesmerized and didn't know what to do. They just stood there.

2. Probably getting to rap with the Aquabats! at Warped in 2013!! They are amazing live and they brought me on stage. I love those dudes!!

Will be back later this year!! See you then my friend!!

Hey Lars! I'm a big fan of your music, I especially love the songs where you make lit-hop versions of famous stories! I'm not a patreon follower yet, so I'm not sure, are you still making those kinds of songs? :)

I hope one day I'll get to see you at a show, and if you're ever play in Denmark I'll definitely be there! :)

Hey my friend! Thank you for the kind words and for the support!

Doing a lot of lit-hop songs on Patreon, I'm going to do a series of EPs about authors. Stay tuned!! One author every few months. :)

I would love to tour in Denmark one day!! Will let you know! Thanks for jumping on and for checking out the app. Much love!

Thanks for the answer! Guess it's time to support on Patreon!

Good luck to both you and Synersteel with the game! :)

Thank you my friend! I really appreciate it! And enjoy!!

Hey Lars, I can't wait to play this! Will this game have more of an eight-bit type soundtrack or will it be scored with MC Lars tunes? And if it's your stuff, will it be new stuff, old stuff, or a combination?

Thanks for joining! It's got my full songs, mainly the game-focused and more 8-bit ones, but not really changed. We plan on putting out new levels some day, maybe with exclusive songs. I can talk to Synersteel about that, but getting the app definitely opens doors for more stuff. Thanks for peeping it! I am so happy with it!!

What's your dream concert?

Rush, with "Weird Al" Yankovic, with ICP, headlined by Rage Against the Machine. See you there!! :)

Is there any chance of you coming to Scotland any time soon? That would be amazing. Huge fan, Lars!

Aww! Much love Andrew! I'll actually be back Dec 2nd in Glasgow! see you then homie! We can compare scores on the game. :)

http://www.mclars.com/tour/

P.S. I don't know if you knew, but we share the same real name. Don't tell anyone!

I have a terrible question, because it shows my lack of fan...ness. Sure, that's a word now.

So I used to be pretty into nerdcore. You, mc chris, Frontalot, Mega Ran. After the shenanigans with mc chris mid 2012, my overall drive for nerdcore plummeted.

What tracks of yours would you personally recommend to try to relight that spark? I'd love to get back in to it, but I feel...well, burned out, and I hate saying that.

Hey my friend. I think we all come and go when it comes to the types of music we like. Chris is a good guy and he means well and has done a lot for the scene.

Some of my new songs you might like!

• Never Afraid (with Watsky)
• Flow Like Poe
• Sublime With Rome (Is Not the Same Thing as Sublime)
• Dragon Blood (the "Game of Thrones" song)

Hope to see you at the upcoming tour! Much love my friend. http://nerdcoretour.com

Lars! I was at your Chicago show with Freaks And Geeks and MegaRan earlier this year and you let me do the screams for Zombie T-Rex. It was probably the coolest thing I've ever done and I'll be at the November show in St Louis too.

Do people often send you like, their albums and EPs to try to get tips or signed to Horris? Because it seems like a thing people would do.

You did great then!! That was such a fun night. Thanks for nailing it, I'll never forget that.

I do get a lot of demos, but honestly I don't have the money or time to help other artists get started. I wish I did though, maybe one day. I hear so much great stuff and I just tell people to make YouTube videos, play open mics, and have fun.

Hey Lars! I always wondered something. Is it possible to hold a conversation with KFlay, or is her intelligence too intimidating?

She is brilliant, she got me into Dave Eggers and Liz Phair back in the day. I always love when we get to catch up. That EP will always have a special place in my heart!

How was it releasing an album with Blacktop records?

They are amazing, I love Ben because he really cares about the artists he works with and it was so awesome to have cassettes for the first time. I hope we do more!! Much love to Canada! We have the app available up there too. :)

He really is. I'm his friend that he had you call while at warped tour 2015, I've been a huge fan of yours for years, so it was pretty awesome. On the topic of the game, have you played the emo game?

I remember that. Haha, that's awesome. :)

No! Tell me about the game, that sounds great.

Do you fancy kflay?

We are college friends, that's it. :)

Pfft what a cop out!

Big fan of you both!

Thanks!! :)

Hey Lars, did you ever get your original Zelda-chain back after some asshat stole it a while ago?

Dude, I never did, but I made another one, and I hope that that guy was able to enjoy. I still can't believe that happened! It was in upstate NY if anyone ever finds one in a pawn shop, it was stoled from Warped!

But it's okay, you can never take away my power, wisdom and courage. :) Much love man! I hope you enjoy the game and collecting them on it!!

What kind of game is it? Which track of your own would you like to erase from everyone's memory? Which track would you like to take back into the studio and do a different mix of?

It's a side-scroller where you have to defeat the record industry and you can check it out here:

http://mclars.com/mclars

It was inspired by classic games like Mario!

I said "suicide sucks!" on "Twenty-Three", which I agree with, but I would have taken that out since I think the song makes the point. :) I thought my vocals could have been louder on my "Robot Kills" album.

Will you be performing at Warp again this year, or have you given up on the scene crowd?

Love your music man, keep it up!

Thank you my friend!! I would love to play Warped as many times as possible. I think it's changed a bit, last year I think they only had one rapper, but any time Kevin asks me back, I am there.

We should make a game about getting to the stage and back at somewhere liked Warped, that would be hilarious.

Hey Lars thanks for doing the AMA, I just thought of another question.

Will we see another album down the line in a similar vain to "Indie Rocket Science"? I thought it was an amazing album , with a very different feel to some of your other work.

Thanks my friend. :) That album was cool because it was the first time I did a true "mixtape", i.e. full of samples I didn't clear etc. It was all outtakes from "Lars Attacks!", but I ended up liking that project more than "Lars Attacks!". I'll do another mixtape someday, not sure what or when, but stay tuned! Thanks for your post!

So stoked about you and Mega Ran touring together again! Mcchris isn't really my style, but I respect him for doing what he does and for promoting things so well.

My question - will you please be my pen pal? Patreon is great to hear updates from you, so I'd love to send some back!

Hey my friend!! I love Patreon, and I will keep you updated!! I'm not very good at being a pen pal (sorry!) but would be stoked to hang out with you at the show IRL!! But I am active on Twitter! Talk to you there. :)

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my question: are you still so post modern that you don't even exist?

Haha! Old-school reference!!! Did you hear that P. Diddy? You just got dissed. ;) Much love!