Driven Far Off

Max Bemis of Say Anything has posted a (very long) update below.

NOW SEE HERE,

I’m so so nervous and excited because we’ve got two weeks to go til album release”¦.It seems like everything is hitting me at once, with the song getting on the radio an amazing tour starting off, and the humbling, awesome reactions we’ve been getting from you guys about the new songs .It’s hard to sum up how this all feels but I’ve never been so gracious for where I am in life and the future is a pretty exciting time for someone with such a dark, neurotic mind. Hehe. ANYWAY”¦..

The reason I needed to check in is that chances are between now and when our record comes out, it will most likely leak onto the inter-web, on all those sites with funny ironic names like “the pirate bay” or “oink”. This leaves us all in a serious moral quandary. After all, who wants to pay for something you can literally get earlier and for free. I wouldn’t blame any of you for wanting to hear the record ASAP, and I would probably do the same thing myself, let’s be honest, and have in the past.

The only thing I can ask you in good conscience in this day and age is if you download the record, please, please take the time to buy it off itunes (you’ll get some rad b-sides, too) or pick it up at your local best buy or something (we’re really proud of how the art and record look so physical copy is worth the trip) I can only ask because I’ve started to personally buy music off of itunes again after years of illegally downloading all my music so it wouldn’t be hypocritical. It feels great to be supporting the bands I love.

Although bands make MOST of their money off merch and tour and, yes, the record industry is suffering, there are a few edgier, weirder “indie rock” bands like us that have actually been lucky enough to keep selling a decent amount of records (thanks to YOU GUYS) and therefore still make sense having a place on a major label. We love RCA and have been in the Sony Family for almost six years now, and have no complaints. Thanks to our dedicated, nutty, crazy fans, we’ve increased slowly in size and popularity without having to start flat-ironing our butt-hair to do so. Our label believes in Say Anything and loves this record, and has never asked me to compromise my artistic integrity. All they do is give me the money to do all kinds of crazy, wacky crap on the record and in videos, etc.

To let you guys in on it, you guys loving the record and us being able to have a long career are easily the most important things to us. You can hear it in my music and if you don’t think so, then eff you. That’s why I rarely mention this kind of stuff in interviews or on twitter, etc. . However, it’s literally true that it’s not useless to sell lots of records in this era because we work pretty damn hard and our label spends so much money marketing the band, flying us everywhere, paying us, paying for recording, etc”¦.They also are super flipping out over this record and it’s pretty much in YOUR hands whether they will be able to visibly see a reaction monetarily. There are other positive consequences to selling records as well (tour opportunities, songs being put in movies, etc) , and it’s all pretty much behind the scenes and benefits the band more than anybody.

Either way, , on Novemeber 3rd , if you have it in your power, I ask you all of you to give back to us and buy our record. It would be amazing if everyone who followed me on twitter went on itunes and spent 9.99 or whatever the heck it is to make this happen. You buying the record is, at this point, your way of help us continue to maintain the career, (not over the top) lifestyle and intensive creative output youv’e seen from us so far, and I know our fans care about us, so I don’t feel uncomfortable stressing it’s importance to me. It’s because of you that me and my wife can afford a house to live in, cereal to eat for a midnight snack, and, thank god, comic books! I promise we’ll continute to work our asses off to earn the respect and love you guys give to us by making better and better records, challenging ourselves, and creating REAL ART. It is my true heart’s desire and I have nothing to hide from you guys with rockstar, veil of mystery, we’re-too ““cool-for-you-bull. I love you.

Thanks for taking the time,

Max