BEN LAUREN
No Address vocalist
www.no-address.net

(Winter 2005) by George Dionne

In the fall of 2003, Tallahassee-based No Address entered the studio to record what would become their debut album, Time Doesn't Notice (read CD review). Since then they've been crisscrossing the country giving audience a preview of what's to come. You may have head their first single "When I'm Gone (Sadie)" on the radio (It's the one that goes laddie-daddi-laddi daddi-laddi-down-down-down). If you haven't heard it yet trust me, you will. And when you do, you'll most likely pick up their new album when it's released at the end of April.

RIL: Is the name No Address a reference to how bands are always on the road?
BL: Sure. No Address, like all things, can and does mean multitudes. You are probably fairly tired of bands giving you the same bland answers or agreeing with your interpretations of their ideas so that is why I say, “Sure.” I will say that when I thought of the name I was thinking about how I always feel neither here nor there. That is, I can feel completely comfortable and uncomfortable all at the same time. I reflected on the idea for a while and eventually I was thinking about identity and how feeling like I didn’t know myself always frustrated me—made me anxious. I recently read through my old journals from high school and college and I noticed that I mentioned freedom a lot. I was, and am, obsessed with the freedom of not having to be anything. That is how I get closer to being myself: by not being anything I am free to be myself. The whole band, in one way or another felt the same way. That’s how I came up with the name.

RIL: Your bio states that you're a published poet, where were you published?
BL: I was published in high school a few times at various magazines that ended up going out of business (which I understand is pretty common). I was accepted once at the Café Review but they never published the poem. When I contacted them about it they had no idea who I was. There were others but I really don’t remember them. I don’t even have copies of the magazines. Then, FSU published a book of mine called Morning Spaces. Some of the people that visit our message board found the book and posted a link where you can download it for free. After shows I meet several folks who have read my book and it is amazing. Poets are the true rock stars to me.

RIL: What was the poem called? What was it about?
BL: There was one in high school called “Deluge” about how being in love was a lot like that feeling that hits you when you are about to drown and you know it. If you have ever gotten sucked into an undertow or been held down in a pool by some asshole, you know what I mean. The others were things I wouldn’t write about now and am not that proud of mentioning. The book is about a lot of things. I am proud of the book. I wrote it when I was 22.

RIL: How did you go from poet to rock lyricist?
BL: I always did both I just never knew the difference until I got a guitar instead of a car for my 16th birthday. I looked in my notebooks and suddenly it was obvious that some of my poems were actually songs. Then I stole a lot from people that moved me.

RIL: Are you the type of writer that prefers the listener/reader to make up their own minds about what a particular piece is about?
BL: Yes. But if you want to know where it came from I will tell you with a warning: “If I tell you this, it may ruin the song/poem for you permanently.”

RIL: What was tougher, getting your poetry published or getting a record deal? Why?
BL: Neither is easy to come by. Mainstream poetry is much more underground than mainstream music is and the people involved in poetry don’t like poetry for the money it generates. You find the opposite of that in music. Nothing is easy when it comes to creating and distributing art because you always have some sort of a compromise involved and you have to fight with people about that compromise. That’s the best answer I can come up with for that question…

RIL: Your first single "When I'm Gone (Sadie)" was almost left off the album wasn't it? Why?
BL: We hated the song when we wrote it. Eventually we realized that it was a good song worth trying. We hope we were right.

RIL: Is the song based on true events and an actual person?
BL: The song is about a girl I had a crush on (Sadie) when I was in grade school, middle school and high school. When I moved, I found out that maybe she had a thing for me too, thus the “She only likes me when I’m gone.” The rest of the song is about freedom and is, in one form or another, true. But what is truth anyway when you are a writer?

RIL: Have you talked to her recently?
BL: I can’t say that I have talked to her. I don’t even know what happened to Sadie.

RIL: You filmed a video for the first single, what's the theme of it?
BL: Think Hunter S Thompson in Tijuana without all the drugs floating around in an obvious way. We are hoping it has a bit of a “99 Problems” vibe.

RIL: Even though No Address is primarily hard rock band, it's easy to hear a lot of different music styles on your new album. Who are some of your influences?
BL: I could go on for days but let’s just say anything that we find moving. We love Elvis, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Wilco, Radiohead, The Band, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Jay Z, Tupac, Nirvana, etc…

RIL: You guys just finished up a tour and are heading back out in May with Crossfade. What stop on the last tour had the most impact on you and why?
BL: Everyone has a different night that was inspiring. The last show in Myrtle Beach was something special. The loudest show of the tour by far. Montreal was moving for me: it was the first time someone talked to me about my book citing different poems. It blew my mind.

RIL: What was the scariest venue you're ever played?
BL: I have never been scared in a venue!

RIL: Have you had any 'Spinal Tap' moments along the way?
BL: Oh yes, but No Address doesn’t do our laundry in public. Let’s just say that we are all human and say and do very stupid things sometimes.

RIL: I head an interesting little story about No Address that involved Shinedown, gorillas, and bananas, care to explain?
BL: Shinedown decided to play a little joke on us while we were playing, “How Could I” (3rd song in the set) by coming out in gorilla masks, throwing bananas and dousing us with silly string. I just remember that I was singing and then in the middle of a verse the crowd erupted and I saw a giant ape coming my way armed with a Chiquita. So I did what any crazed singer would do in that moment: I leapt forward away from the gorilla, dodged the banana, and tried to de-mask the crazy bastard. He got away so I threw the remaining bananas on stage into the crowd.

RIL: Finally, having a Masters Degree from FSU in creative writing and having taught English classes while on campus...are you checking my questions for spelling and grammar? How did I do?
BL: I can’t help but do that! It annoys everyone (No Address is from the South so I am always correcting them). You, for the most part, did a great job (only kidding).

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