Matt Berninger
Matt Berninger
Matthew Donald Berninger, known as Matt Berningeris a Cincinnati native, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter, primarily known as the frontman of indie rock band The National. In 2014 he formed the EL VY project with Brent Knopf of Menomena and released the album Return to the Moon in November 2015...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionRock Singer
Date of Birth13 February 1971
CityCincinnati, OH
CountryUnited States of America
want kind realizing
Somehow, you realize you can kind of do anything in music. You don't have to be good at a certain thing; you can just do whatever you want.
nice real character
I usually always think of characters and sometimes the characters are a little bit invented, so it's nice to give these invented, blurry, personas an actually name. It makes me get closer to them or something like that. But they're not all real, they're weird amalgamations of reality.
song real heart
Not all the songs are real events, but I do write about stuff that is close to my heart and it comes out one way or another.
wine reality littles
I drink wine on stage to sort of loosen my grip on reality a little.
detail worried
Once you do have a child, you want to talk about every detail of it. And it is really boring to all your friends, and it should be. I was really worried about even going there at all.
I don't play an instrument. I pretend. I try to.
good tiny
When it comes to lyrics, I just write down a lot of things, and only a very tiny fraction of it, I think, is any good.
feels minor vocal
The same song can have drastically different feels and personalities just by changing some minor things. A different drumbeat or some vocal overdub could completely transform the song.
although best caught cave dead nick pair wear
Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave know best. Although I wear a lot of jeans, I've been told that Nick Cave doesn't own a pair and wouldn't be caught dead in denim.
feels good images involve listener literal lyrics riddles song swing
A lot of the lyrics I write involve images that just swing the song in a way that feels really good to me and there isn't a literal explanation. They're not riddles for the listener to solve.
began bought came freedom might people worried
At first, when 'Boxer' came out, people were a little let down, and we worried that it might be the end for us. But then it began to grow on people. 'Boxer' bought us our creative freedom.
lyrics
Usually, writing lyrics for me is like bleeding drop by drop from the forehead.
cool favourite
My favourite store? Seize Sur Vingt in New York. They make most of my suits, and they are really cool people.
lyrics
A lot of my lyrics are approximate meaning without me knowing why they sound right.