Profile: Pete Yorn

Music for the morning after...or the days in between

By Randy Haberek
Published: Dec 01, 2007
Photography by Jim Wright

Like a rite of passage, Pete Yorn was rumored to be have been a paramour of both Minnie Driver and Winona Ryder, but today the singer claims, "I'm single. I'm like Morrissey at this point in my life." We say: yeah right, Petey! In any case, this New Jersey troubadour recently sat down with DAME to shed some light on what exactly makes him tick. We were surprised at some of his musings…
pete
What CD is currently in your stereo?
I don’t have a stereo because it got stolen, so I've been using my old Toshiba radio/cassette deck...and in this cassette deck is an old mix tape from probably 1984. The first song is "China" by The Red Rockers and the next song is most of "A Million Miles Away" by the Plimsouls, but it gets cut off by me trying to record over it with some old Morrissey interview. I do have pretty much every song I could possibly want in my iPod though.

What is the first album you ever bought?
Out of the Cellar by Ratt. I'm from New Jersey and we go for that sort of thing there. It still holds up.

What is your all-time favorite album?
This changes from day to day, but today I will tell you without a doubt that Olympian by Gene is the greatest album ever. But if you asked me tomorrow I’d have a different answer.
yorn
What song is painful for you to listen to?
Well, in the ‘not painful because it sucks so bad, how did this ever become a hit’ way, but rather the ‘so beautiful and haunting that it hurts and makes me sad yet happy way’ –I would say "That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore" by The Smiths. Also, the end of "Perfect Day" from Lou Reed’s Transformer album, the score to the film To Kill a Mockingbird, and also the score music they play at the end of Meatballs during the race. That melody slays.

What music do you listen to when you're feeling down?
Sonic Youth or Frank Sinatra’s Only the Lonely album.

What music makes you happy?
Vince Guaraldi Trio: A Charlie Brown Christmas.

What album is the soundtrack to your life?
Mag Earwhig! by Guided By Voices.

Pete’s latest album, NIGHTCRAWLER is currently in record stores. He is also on tour opening for the recently reunited Crowded House.

Randy Haberek, a native of Detroit, Michigan, has held staff positions at stellar publications such as Raygun, Bikini and Hustler. He has also been a frequent contributor to Stuff and the now-defunct FHM. When not toiling away in front of his antiquated Mac, he can usually be found in some dank dive bar trying to drown out the voices in his head.

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