bear_sheriff

That idea belongs on /r/shutupandtakemymoney

Questions:

• Any crazy fan stories? The audience usually seemed pretty low-key to me, but I'm sure there are some.
• Did you plan out a lot of your jumps and dances (not counting "Shopping") or did they just evolve over time? (Thinking of "Brian Wilson," etc.)
• To each of you: which is your favorite song, which is your least favorite? Were there any songs you regret making?
• Are there any subjects you won't sing about? Do you regret your decision to express your political opinions ("Maybe You're Right," "Rule the World with Love," and "Take It Back" stand out)? I loved these songs, but I remember someone complaining to you at a Q&A session at a concert in Chicago.
• How did you decide which "Steve" songs to keep playing live after he left, and who would sing his part? I know many of them are classics that fans love, so are you embracing the shift, or are you trying to skew toward "Ed" songs and new stuff?

Sorry, I know that's more than one question, I've been waiting for this for more than half my life ;)

I'd also like to say thank you. Thank you so much. I went through some pretty terrible things when I was younger (until recently actually), had/have many friends who were depressed and suicidal, and your songs have led me through it all in the last 15 or so years since I was first given one of your CDs by a classmate. The fact that so many of your songs touched on such issues of mental health was so important to me. I have been to more concerts than I can count, and my pictures with all of you are treasures to me, even now.

This is kind of random, but I love the outfits you wear on Illegal Eater - do you get to pick your own wardrobe or do you have a stylist? I especially loved the pastel suit with the different colored limbs you wore in the second or third episode (I think?). I imagine it was custom made for you?

Also, is there any more "standard" food that you just will not eat? A hate of ketchup, or parsley, or something like that?

Hi Steven, I have been a fan of yours for more than half of my life, and you've gotten me through some incredibly tough times with your more honest songs about mental illness ("This Is Where It Ends," "War on Drugs," "Everything Old is New Again," "I Live With It Every Day"). I wanted to thank you for writing about such a tough subject so beautifully.

• Does it help to write those songs during hard times? Or were they written afterward, as a sort of introspective/retrospective?
• Are there any songs that you won't perform live? I saw you in Chicago this past summer and a woman close to the stage requested something and you told her that you don't say no to much, but you wouldn't sing whatever it was she'd asked for.
• Was there ever a song you wanted to produce that a label/producer/collaborator turned down for its content? (I remember some blowback you got over the more political songs on Everything to Everyone as well)

Thanks :) We've been loving The Illegal Eater and I just got my Sgt. Pepper's download last week!

I saw you recorded a song called "Linda Ronstadt in the 70s" for a contest another band held - I was so hoping it would make it onto an album. Is the YouTube version the only one that exists?