Pink Mountaintops used to be the remora band to the shark that is Black Mountain, but now they have a second full-length (Axis of Evol on Jagjaguwar) out and ‘side project’ doesn’t seem fair anymore. They have yet to tour with Coldplay but share members and a certain ragged sound with label-and-lifemates in Black Mountain. Singer Stephen McBean wakes up in a van somewhere outside of Portland to take this call.

I didn’t mean to wake you up.
It’s OK. I was just sleeping and they’re just looking at the bad traffic and listening to David Cross.
Who’s the Canadian David Cross?
I thought he was Canadian.
Who is your favorite Canadian comic?
John Candy. He’s got kind eyes. He can make you shed a tear or he can make you hit the floor.
Who is the John Candy of music?
Pig Champion. And I guess they’re both dead now.
Who’s in the live band now?
Seven people–it’s a big party.
Do you just like pack up all your roommates and give them instruments?
I find people under benches and shit. Hanging in alleys. ‘Hey, man!’
Is Pink Mountaintops about sex the way Black Mountain was about Black Sabbath?
You could say that. It’s kind of whatever is on our mind. Sex–or bathtubs.
Did you know those can sometimes go together?
It’s true.
Did you say once that you don’t like terms like ‘hump’ or ‘snatch’ or ‘beaver’ or ‘dong’?
I like the classic terms. I don’t ever use those words.
It’s hard to say them outside a poorly scripted porn movie.
They don’t roll off the tongue as nicely as some other ones. ‘Pussy’ is good.
Traditional.
It’s always nice. It depends how long we’re locked up in the van for–we get a little bit more crass as the days go on.
How long does it take to lose any semblance of humanity?
After an hour and a half, it’s gone.
So you turn into cavemen during rush hour.
Yeah, just beating on the windows and shit.
How did a new Pink Mountaintops record appear?
I didn’t really plan it–I just had some free time and it just invented itself. And I went, ‘Alright,’ and sent it to Jagjaguwar and told them to put it out. The first one wasn’t planned either–it just kind of reared its head and that was that. And when I made some copies for people, people kind of dug it, so it seemed natural to share it with more of the world than just the people on my block.
Are you getting famous up in Vancouver?
Naw, people just think I’m a bum. I guess it’s just the way I look. I’ll lose track of where I’m going and end up somewhere else, and then someone gives me two bucks for soup. Canadian money.
How do you keep both bands working at once?
I can’t really say–however it happens, as long as it seems halfway decent. It’s just like a way to get out of the house.
Who are the dogs living in your beard on that poster for the band?
Those are just the dogs I live with. My friend Jeff did that–he said he wanted to do a family portrait.
Do you write songs for them?
Sometimes I sing to them. If they bark twice, they dig it. And if they take a shit, I trash the song.
You said once you used to think the world was a scary place, but now you think it’s beautiful. Why?
I was probably really high that day. I don’t know, man–it changes day to day. Sometimes it’s the best place and sometimes it’s just boring. It depends on how much Mexican food is around. The more Mexican food, the better.
In Europe, did people just give you giant blocks of hash?
Actually, yeah. It’s pretty great. There’s so much hash over there.
What’s something about the Canadian character the world doesn’t know?
We always have the last laugh. Even if it’s just in our heads. Someone will come up and strut their stuff, like ‘Hah, Canada!’ stuff, and then they’ll walk away and we’ll be like–whatever. It’s one of those things. We don’t care. We’re laid back.
You’re psychologically invincible.
Pretty much.
What should people who saw Black Mountain with Coldplay expect from Pink Mountaintops?
Fuck, I don’t know. Not to be entertained.
That’s what all bands say. Be more confident.
Fuck it.