IamA OK Go AMA! Ask us anything.

What is the story behind this photo?

As I recall, it was for Jane Magazine. They did a sort of jokey piece on how reading is sexy, so they got a bunch of people to pose "naked" (but not actually revealing anything) with books. Exept who knows where the book is.

It also provides a nice platform for people to make fun of me.

-Damian

Hello OK Go! In The One Moment video, I’m curious to know how exactly you got the flip books timed so well – how did Tim flip and how did Andy turn the crank at the precise speed needed to play Damian’s singing in sync? Also, how did Tim and Andy lip sync in the seconds they did? From your BTS videos, I gathered that you were simply singing really fast, but I can’t wrap my brain around how fast you must have had to mouth the lyrics in order for your movements to line up as perfectly as they did.

The whole thing was captivating and I’m floored by the degree of precision involved in making this video. Really, truly amazing.

Thank you!

Tim and Andy both lip sync'ed at triple speed, and we timed those sections out as if we were shooting at 90 FPS (with a base rate of 29.97 for the whole video). We were actually shooting much faster frame rates than that, and then we sped that footage up afterwards.

Syncing the flip book and the kinetoscope (the thing andy is driving):

Tim had to practice (a lot) getting the flip book to flip at an even speed, and then once he got that right, he had to begin his move within about one tenth of a second of the right moment. That sounds very fast, but think of it as if he were playing bass. If his notes were off by a full tenth of a second, you'd be like "what is the matter with that bassist -- is he drunk?" Once he's within a tenth of a second of the target moment, we could vari-speed the playback to make sure he was right on (notice that there are no synced events happening behind him to "give away" any time nudging we had to do).

Andy's kinetoscope had a governor on it, so it would run the right speed no matter what, and we sent it a digital start command to start spinning at the right time. Basically all andy had to do was crank it to provide the extra force to get those flaps moving at the insane speed we needed.

-- Damian

I'll be honest, I was really yankin' that crank shaft.

-Andy

Hi guys. I've been a huge fan since I was young and it's been great seeing you do well over the years. I'm studying math at university right now, and I'm always inspired by your ability to use engineering to enhance your art, most notably in the recent video. I mostly want to thank you guys for being a source of inspiration in that sense.

Since I have to ask a question though: What are the backgrounds of the team that you work with to create videos? I assume many of them are engineers, but I imagine that it takes a special kind of person to be able to consider things from both an aesthetic and scientific point of view. I'd love to hear a little bit about who the behind-the-scenes people are and how you find them.

Usually we find people who are great at something, and we ask them to look at it from a slightly different angle than normal. For the RGM for This Too Shall Pass, for instance, it took a lot of back and forth to get everyone on the same page about what makes a Rube Goldberg machine feel like a Rube Goldberg machine. Engineers normally prioritize making things that ALWAYS WORK and DON'T FAIL. But things that can't fail (and look like they can't fail), aren't all that interesting to watch, at least if you're thinking in the RGM mode. The engine in your car is more complicated than any given part of our RGM, but you probably don't pop the hood just to gaze in wonder very often. The spirit of an RGM is (in part) precariousness, so we were asking the engineers to come at their normal process from the side. Design for aesthetics (in that case, precariousness), rather than what they'd normally do (consistency)

Basically, it's usually our job to do the aesthetic thinking, and we try to find talented people whose specialized knowledge we can apply that aesthetic thinking to.

It helps that we're kind of generalists, ourselves. Like for T1M: my fluency with math and physics is enough that I could plan out what we wanted to have happen. It took a little trigonometry, a little algebra, and remembering a few things from high school physics (like the fact that the period of a pendulum a function of the length of the string and has almost nothing to do with the mass of the pendulum). But beyond that, I was relying on specialized knowledge that lives in bigger brains than my own. I knew enough to figure out that if we wanted the water balloons to pop on 16th notes, they had to be exactly 4 milliseconds apart. But Arnie, who built the solid-state timer that actually triggered them, is dealing with vastly more complicated math, computer science, and electrical engineering than I could even begin to describe.

A shorter answer to your question: Our projects usually attract the weirdest and most adventurous people within whatever field we are dabbling in. And if they don't come to us, we go looking for them.

--damian

Hi Ok Go! Have you ever considered that you're tellitubbies for grown ups? Four basic colors, four musicians, eye catching visuals - exactly like tellitubbies (or the wiggles). Also, what or who would you say is your greatest inspiration both in your music and your videos?

After this past Thanksgiving I certainly feel like a grown up tellitubby.

-Andy

Damian - your Wikipedia page describes your formal education as having a specialty in "Art Semiotics." I've long been fascinated with that description and really curious what it meant in terms of practical study. What did you read? What projects did you work on?

Now as a professional rock star do you find that experience was formative or challenged the work you really wanted to be doing?

I read a lot of post structuralists, and I remember very little of what they actually said. There was a lot of Foucault, Derrida, and Barthes. What I learned was mostly just a more... suspicious way of thinking. I was going to say "critical," but it wasn't exactly that the curriculum of "critical" theory sunk in -- it was more that I started questioning more of what I'd always thought was obvious and self evident. We live in very temporary and arbitrary circumstances and very little of the world and culture around us is the way it is because of some innate natural laws.

So that was the academic part (about half) and the other half was making art. I didn't love the visual arts department at my school, so I spent more of my time in the campus music studio and I started turning in recordings to visual arts professors, which they loved. Usually re-interpetting the fundamental rules of the assignment was a good thing.

My final thesis for my BA in visual art was an album of Elvis covers. They still come up on ebay every once in a while.

--D

Hey, I'm a huge fan, thank you guys for doing this AMA.

When do you guys plan on putting out another album/going on tour again? In what direction do you plan on taking your music? Since Of the Blue Colour of the Sky was released in 2008, your music has become increasingly electronic. Do you plan on continuing this trend, or do you plan on going in a different direction?

Hi there. Thanks for your question. We've just started writing more songs, and to be honest we never really know what direction we're gonna go when we sit down initially. If I were to guess I think maybe we might explore a slightly more organic route, pick up guitars again. Maybe program a little less. But really, we'll go where ever each day takes us. It's hard to know what mood we'll be in untill we're just sitting and writing. -Tim

Thanks for answering, y'all are like my favorite band so that really means a lot! Follow up question: have you considered putting out an acoustic album? I know you have a few acoustic songs out there and they sound great, and I'd love to hear more

Yes we have talked about doing a record that's more on the mellow acoustic side of things. We have so many acoustic songs that have never seen the light of day. So perhaps in the future we'll put that all together. -Tim

Dan here. We're not too sure yet.. It's usually a surprise when we get into the studio. My hopes are high for a tour in 17 and some studio time as well.

Hey guys, I first became a fan after hearing you guys in a videogame way back in 2007, and I’ve been loving your music since. I also love your videos.

Which video of yours had the largest budget, and how much was it?

Also, the acoustic version of "White Knuckles" is all I've been listening to lately. Is there any chance of ever getting a studio release of it?

The largest budgets we've had for our videos have been for the ones with brands involved, and we're never allowed to disclose the costs. But suffice it to say, there isn't a chance in hell we could have made the more elaborate ones without the collaboration of a courageous brand. And I say courageous because it's always amusing to note the small fraction of viewers who complain that they've been "tricked" into watching a "commercial:" when they realize that a brand has supported the project. Very few brands will take the risk of supporting art with their promo budgets. It's safer for them to make the annoying 15- or 30-second ads that you have to suffer through to watch anything these days. So we're always extremely grateful when a brand offers us the chance to make the art we want to make. There's no way The One Moment could exist without their investment.

You can get a recording of our more mellow acoustic version of "White Knuckles" from our Day Trotter sessions:

http://www.daytrotter.com/ok-go/daytrotter-studio-january-10-2011.html

--Damian

For each member of the band, what is the most influencial album to your life?

The Pixies - Surfer Rosa -Tim

Led Zeppelin II

-Andy

Purple Rain --Damian

Do you ever become disheartened doing all those takes for your videos or do you stay pumped all the way until the end take?

Dan here.. We kinda go through every feeling out there. At some point nearly every video shoot we all get a feeling of "oh shoot, we aren't gonna pull this off are we?" But then we do..

Andy allways looks uncomfortable in the videos. It he having as much fun as everybody else or do they stress him out somehow?

I would say I'm having as much as fun as everybody else, which is to say: at certain points we're having a lot of fun and certain points, we're not. I found the zero gravity video to be particularly challenging. By the end of the shoot I was starting to get tunnel vision and dizziness during the parabolas and really wanted it to be finished.

-Andy

I think you looked even more... trepidatious here

Ha, I'm making sure those wind-chimes are getting played!

-Andy

Hi, guys. Thanks for the great music, awesome videos, and doing this AMA.

As a fan and Excel nerd, I have to ask: would you please release the spreadsheet for the The One Moment video? I would love to see the way the numbers shook out and what was tracked, and I am always excited to see how others organize their data.

Thanks again!

there's a screen shot of the first 10% of it here:

http://okgo.net/2016/11/23/background-notes-and-full-credits-for-the-one-moment-video/

(we have to keep some things mysterious)

--Damian

I think we can make this happen. Stay tuned...

-Andy

What was the moment when you realized you we're famous?

Dan here: I remember the moment I realized Tim was famous.. We were at an airport and all these girls came running up to him and asked for his autograph.. I walked right by unnoticed.. Ahhh. I remember that lovely day.

Yeah. Tim is the only one of us that gets recognized. One time the girl checking me out at Starbucks told me I looked like Damian from OK Go, and then she took my credit card and didn't appear to notice that my name is in fact Damian. I remember that moment of great fame. - Damian from OK Go

Have any of you kept up with the dogs in your White Knuckles video and which one did you love most?

Also... can I be in your next video?

Edit : They didnt say no!

My favorite was Sequel, the reddish/brown and white border collie. And yes we have a flourishing pen-pal relationship. His handwriting is terrible!

-Andy

Bunny (the small brown dog on the table) is my dog Dora's dog. Both dogs live in my house, but Dora is my dog, and Bunny is Dora's dog. Dora is good. Bunny is bad. But Bunny cares about food so much that she'll do anything if food is involved. To make her (and Spike) look back and forth like that, there was spray cheese on a tennis ball being waved back and forth.

Anyway, I'm still in touch with her. She got skunked the night before last.

--damian

Hey guys! 2016 will probably go down as the year the grim reaper took some huge musicians. What fallen artist affected you the most and why?

Dan here: Prince... I was showing my 5 year old all of his music around that time.. It hit home hard. Total genius.

Which of your music videos was the most fun to film, and which one took the longest?

Dan here: The most fun for me was the weightless vid. I mean, it was horrifying too. But once we got the jist of it, it was really a blast.. Not sure which was the longest.

Hey OKGO! I have a question for Andy. I noticed at the very end of the Upside Down & Inside Out music video, you had to run back to your seat. And I saw you just barely make it when you actually had to throw a luggage bag out of your chair to sit down before gravity doubled again. Did something like that happen in any of the other takes? I just thought it was really funny seeing how you had to frantically throw that bag away and sit down with a "I freaking made it" face. XD

We were just trying to create as much chaos at the end so it wasn't always guaranteed that I could make back to my seat. You can actually watch all the takes of the end here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJCgfi9uAts

I actually think it was a pretty great save since that was definitely the best take of the end.

-Andy

What do you want for Christmas?

Dan here: I really want all the stuff my kid wants. If he gets the cool stuff that's out there I know I'll have a blast with them too. I'll make sure Santa knows it's two for one on xmas AM.

How was the marching band "This Too Shall Pass" video shot? (Specifically the ending when the camera just pans upwards and out)

Also, my name is also Damian! So Damian, what's your favorite food?

We shot the end by attaching the camera to rope that went though a pulley attached to a crane and was literally tied around a burly dude who walked away from us when we needed the camera to go up. After about four consecutive takes where the camera swung wildly out of control on the ascent, I asked our director Brian Perkins what plan-B was. His response: "there is no plan-B." Luckily, the wind cooperated for a few takes.

-Andy

What is a setting or location that you would love to try in a music video but haven't used yet?

Dan here: It'd be so wonderful to shoot a video in Hawaii.

What's your favorite Christmas movie and why is it Die Hard?

Dan here: Die Hard is the best Xmas movie!! "Shoot the glass!!!!"

I've been a big fan for a long time! When "Oh No" came out, my friend and I made matching Ok Go t-shirts to wear to the record store to go buy the album. I'm sure my creative efforts are weak compared to many of your other fans. What's the most creative or interesting tribute you've ever received from a fan? Any cool videos or songs that were inspired by what you do?

We once were given busts of our heads made out of candy. That was impressive and delicious. -Tim

How do you guys take your coffee?

Dan here: I actually prefer - https://www.walmart.com/ip/Nestle-Coffee-mate-Coconut-Creme-Liquid-Coffee-Creamer-32-fl-oz/27672108

You prefer this to coffee? Do you drink it straight?

Nah nah, my bad.. I put this in my coffee...

I don't drink coffee. Only tea. Egyptian Liquorice. -Tim

Why did you guys choose Notre Dame's band and shooting the video in South Bend for This Too Shall Pass?

One Saturday afternoon while recording our album Of The Blue Colour of the Sky we saw the Notre Dame marching band perform our song Here It Goes Again for their halftime show. We didn't know they'd be doing that and it got us really excited. So we reached out to their band leader at the time and told them we'd love to collaborate with them on something. They were really excited to link up and we enlisted our friend Brian Perkins to come in and help direct the marching band version of This Too Shall Pass. They were awesome to work with! -Tim

How do you feel about criticism towards your music and how your epic music videos are a gimmicky way of making up for it? Just to be clear I'm not one of those people, I love both :D

Dan here: I'm 42 and happy to make art for a living and bring cool stuff into the world... Can't please everybody all the time..

a couple answers to similar q's from earlier AMA's:

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/46asrt/we_are_ok_go_were_here_to_talk_reddit_so_ask_us/d03ptc1/

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/28kx62/i_am_damian_kulash_lead_singer_of_ok_go_and/cibx79h/

One thing that always seems too obvious to even point out when we get asked this: A band trying to make music that everyone in the world likes is a shitty band. The closest thing I can think to universally loved music is the Beatles, and even they were told the hype was overshadowing their music. We're extremely grateful (and extremely lucky) that so many millions of people share our videos, but we don't expect everyone who sees them to be instant fans of our music.

--Damian

When [whatever it is they play on pop radio] plays on the radio, I don't usually like it, but millions of other people do. Think of our videos as our own private radio station that tens of millions of people tune into for a few minutes every few months. Lots of people love the song, and lots don't.

How the absolute heck did you manage the lip sync sections of The One Moment?!

For me, I recorded video of me singing the song in real time and then sped it up. From there I watched the shape of my mouth and tried to figure out sounds that made those shapes. The sounds were something like "Obileegabalee Obileegabalee" for the line "Open your arms to me, open your arms to me." Besides that we played a click track for me to count when the lip synching moments happened. It was all very quick, and I also had to keep in mind choreography of when to start and end the flip book. -Tim

What's your favorite Ok Go song?

Dan here: No joke... It's The One Moment.

Became a fan of all of your videos after seeing The One Moment!

Which music video did you have the most fun filming? "I Won't Let You Down" looked pretty fun :)

Dan here: The weigtless video was the most fun for me. I mean, we could bounce around the plane like Spider-man.. If you ever get a chance to take one of those flights you really must. So fun

Was there anything you wanted to try on the airplane (for UDIO) that you were not allowed to do?

Dan here: I was kind of hoping we wouldve been able to display super human strength like lifting a piano with one hand or playing catch with volkswagon bug.

HELLO! Love you guys! You never cease to amaze us all! Can each of you tell me which is your favorite music video, and why?

Dan here: "Hot for Teacher" Van Halen

Hey guys! Big fan here.

Does it weird you out that I have your lyrics tattooed on me? Is it a compliment? Something in between?

I've used it to score dates in the past. Thanks for that, btw.

What would be the weirdest tattoo tribute to you all?

Hi! I think you gotta do you, TheBookCottage, if you're feeling the tattoo that's what's most important. I'm glad we could create something that inspires you creatively!!! We once tried to think of the worst tattoo in the world while up late on tour with our good friend Brian L. Perkins. We came up with a back tattoo of Jar Jar Bincs slam dunking a basketball, while eating a slice of pizza with the words "Party Time" written in Old English underneath him. I suppose if you got that, that would be the weirdest tattoo tribute you could do for us. -Tim

I predict this exact tattoo will make the front page tomorrow.

PLEASE MAKE THAT COME TRUE.

Dan here: Nah, I think it's cool you have an okgotattoo. Glad its helped you on the dating scene.. The weirdest?? Hmm. I think a "Get Over It" tramp stamp would be awful and awesome.. Any okgo thing as a tramp stamp would awesomely awful. "Good Idea At The Time!"

What's your guys' go-to karaoke song?

Usually it's Take on Me by A-Ha, Total Eclipse of the Heart performed by Bonnie Tyler, or This Charming Man by The Smiths. -Tim

Dan here: Mine is "We Can Work it Out" The Beatles.

oh darling -- the beatles --damian

aross: In the One Moment video, were you standing behind bullet proof glass or a really big splash guard?

Also, do you have a warm hoodie? Seems hell froze over on November 2nd with a sweet World Series win.

Yes, I was standing behind bullet-proof glass. I am delicate flower and don't need any shards of glass in my eye-holes.

I've always said I'd be happy if the Cubs won the World Series!!

-Andy

Hey OK Go! Long time fan of your music. Two short questions:

1: Why didn't "Back from Kathmandu" get the proper OK Go video treatment? It's such a wonderful song!

2: Is there footage of the whole events of "The One Moment" in real time?

Dan here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtMSzGZH5q0 it did... and yes, at the top of the The One Moment video you see it. It lasts 4.2 seconds.. Thank you for being a fan!!

Hello OK Go! Let me start by thanking you for everything you create and being such an inspirational artist. I'm a little behind in your current work bit I did see your latest video, another feat that's fun to watch. :-)

Anyway, here's my question: How did you guys go from "This Thing Has Started" (released in your 12 months of OK Go album) to "Here it Goes Again", IMO your flagship song (and music video). I can feel that the final product feels better than This Thing Has Started, it just flows better, but how did you get to that point, exactly?

Likewise with earlier songs like "Bye Bye Baby" and "Hello, My Treacherous Friends" had different sounds that I actually prefered on the Pink and Brown EP's.

We recorded the demo This Thing Has Started in LA. But recorded the final version which turned into Here It Goes Again in Malmo, Sweden with our producer Tore Johannson. I remember Tore wasn't crazy about the demo. Thought it sounded too cheesy with its organ and kind of 80's pop feel, but recognized that there was something catchy about it. He said that he might like it better if it sounded like The Clash or The Jam were playing it. So we stripped the whole song down and started over again. Kept the beat minimal, the guitars angular, and the arrangement to the point. I think in the end we got something we all liked. And agreed, I prefer the earlier versions of Bye Bye Baby and Hello, My Treacherous Friends. -Tim

I am certainly a fan of your music but is it frustrating that many people identify your band more with the creative music videos than with the actual music?

Dan here: Not really. I mean, if they like anything of ours it's cool. I don't like the McRib, but I love the Quarter Pounder... McD's probably doesn't mind. :)

Any chance of an OK Go and Perfume Joint Concert?

Dan here: Gosh darn, I hope so! Those girls are amazing, so sweet..

Hey guys! If you could fill a pool with anything what would it be?

Dan here: I'd like to see a pool filled with skateboarders.. Up to the brim with rad skaters... and their boards.. sleeping...

When did you decide on the viral video angle? Are you occasionally worried that it overshadows your music or do you feel like they work together?

Check out Damian's previous response to this type of question:

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/46asrt/we_are_ok_go_were_here_to_talk_reddit_so_ask_us/d03ptc1/

Some questions about the new vid: 1. The first set of orbs are pumpkins, but what are the second set of orbs that fall onto the columns? 2. The flip book looked heavy, and I noticed it was strapped to Tim. How many pictures were in it, and what were they printed on? 3. How did you get the glass aquarium to break so beautifully? Was it pre-scored? 4. What is being shot through the white pumpkins in the new vid? 5. Dan is a beast on that cymbal-adorned power tool. Do you use power tools regularly, Dan?

about to sign off... sorry not enough time for all. The first set of orbs were watermelons, not pumpkins. The second set were glass lamp shades (like for sconces), spray painted blue and filled with plastic "gems" from the dollar store.

-- damian

Do you feel you are better musicians now?

Yes, I think we're probably better musicians then we were twenty years ago when we first started. During the recording of our first record I took bass lessons with Wrecking Crew bassist Carol Kaye for about eight months. And she really helped open my mind up to groove, theory, and melody which not only helped my playing, but my writing as well. We've also played hundreds if not thousands of shows together over the years, and so we've become much more in tune with each others feels. -Tim

That's incredible. Did you talk with her about recording with Brian Wilson?

A little bit, yeah. She would often times use songs she had recorded on to give examples of something she was teaching me. I remember her once using the bass line from Good Vibrations to show me something and saying something like, "Brian liked it when I played it like this because..." And my brain just kind of melted. - Tim

That's a good question. In some ways, yes. I'm much better playing with a group and in the studio, and definitely a better vocalist and keyboard player. But one of the side effects of touring is that you don't feel like practicing when you're home, so I almost never do. As a pure guitarist, I'm definitely worse than I was 10 years, but probably a better overall musician.

-Andy

Do you ever have fragments of ideas for videos before you have a song written? Or does a song always inspire the ideas for the video?

Dan here: It's pretty much the latter..

Where would you guys like to see the band in 5 years?

Like Dan's answer above, in Hawaii.

-Andy

Is there any artist/band you would like to collab with?

Dan here: I'd still really love to do something with the Flaming Lips.. We love those guys. We share the same producer for our albums too..