why the long face?

If there was a Bird Feet Feelings State Seal, that question would undoubtedly make the perfect inscription for it. Whether you characterize his oeuvre as:

or merely

depends pretty much upon one's threshold for the somber, and also partly on whether or not you happen to be Bird Feet Feelings. But however you shovel that load, there's no denying that the BFF style is a moody one.

There's no sense denying that the general tone of his work (to say nothing of his general demeanor) does inherit him a certain amount of grief here at Tension Headache. Most of this rolls right off his back, since his doleful and occasionally curmudgeonly aspect tends to discourage face-to-face associations. But he carries on undaunted, cranking out his fiercely evocative material even to the envy of his local detractors.

He's been a part of the TH scene since before the beginning, and his long-standing presence has resulted in a certain acceptance by the rest of the crew. "He's just… there," as one co-worker who asked not to be identified put it. But we thought it was time to approach him head-on and ask the difficult questions that a few of us still bother to consider:

So, really… what's with the dreary material?

In high school, I always thought the mopey, depressed chicks with long dark hair and big thick glasses were totally hot. I noticed that they were really into those downer-boy songwriters and so I thought, Hey, I can do that! What a great way to meet them!

And did it work?

Not exactly. In fact, not even approximately.

I can see how a situation like that might do a lot to reinforce one's inner "downer-boy."

Yeah, well… grist for the mill, I suppose.

One more question, if you don't mind. The name Bird Feet Feelings… don't you think it's kind of, well, dumb?

And why would I ever mind a question like that. But, you know, high school poetry… really, it oughta be banned. Don't ask me why I hung onto the name since then. I just did, I guess. But there's a reason for it at least, which is that have you ever had a bird on you?

I beg your pardon? Have I what?

Well, if you ever have a bird actually land on you, y'know, you can feel their little feet in your skin. It's a totally creepy feeling especially if they start shifting from side to side or walking around on you. But the thing is, after they fly away or whatever, you still feel the claws, as if they're still there. Like, it's a feeling that really stays on you. It's so freakin' weird, man.

So, I should describe Bird Feet Feelings as "A creepy thing that really stays with you."

Right. Exactly.