If you didn’t know by now, Bleached is the shit. The L.A.-based duo is comprised of Jen Clavin and her sister, Jessica Clavin. Don’t You Think You’ve Had Enough?, is their newest offering, finding Bleached breaking away from their Ramones roots to deliver more layered, phonically complex sounds that will make you wanna uncross your arms and bop along to contagious new cadences.
In our latest installment of Text Message Interviews, Megan Ranger chats with Jen Clavin of Bleached about their latest highly anticipated album, books, doggos, and growing up punk. Read on t0 #GetDuM in advance of their show tonight at The Moroccan Lounge!
DUM DUM ZINE: Thanks so much for wanting to do this interview! The first thing we always ask is to send three pictures of things that are currently inspiring you at the moment.
Jen Clavin: Hey! Okay three things I’m sending is the book, my guitar cuz we are writing rn, and my dog.
My friend Barry from Joyce Manor told me to read this so I got it a couple months ago. I’m only in the middle of it but it’s super intense and when I’m not reading it, I keep thinking about it.
Benny is my light. He inspires me everyday and teaches me how to be a selfless human.
This is my favorite guitar. It’s a vintage Silvertone, made by Sears in the 60’s. It’s so light and is the best sounding guitar I’ve ever played.
DDZ: I have that book! Haven’t had a chance to read it yet though. I’ve heard he’s a gnarly author. I’m in the middle of Even Cowgirls Get the Blues and I love it so much.
JC: Whoa that book title sounds cool, I need to read that next.
DDZ: Love it. Benny looks like a total angel. And that is one sick guitar. Yea the book is rad! It’s magical realism, so everything is super kooky: it’s about a girl born with abnormally large thumbs, so naturally she becomes the best hitchhiker in the world. She ends up on this ranch with a bunch of cowgirls that don’t give a fuck about nothin’. Which is where I’m at right now. I’ll keep you posted. 🤓
JC: Wow that sounds so fucking rad. I def need to read that next.
DDZ: Tom Robbins one of my favorites! Jitterbug Perfume is also a good one from him. So, what inspires you as an artist as a whole?
JC: Sometimes I feel completely uninspired living in L.A., like I’m so claustrophobic. There are so many people, things to constantly consume, negative energy, pollution, cement, traffic… I could go on, but ultimately all that is what ends up inspiring me. I’m working hard to see the beauty in all of the tiny disasters because nothing is ever gonna be perfect and that’s totally okay because that’s life. It’s more about the way I allow myself to perceive things that will make me happy, give me peace of mind; or the opposite which is be miserable. I’m inspired knowing that I have the power to perceive my world in whatever way I choose, even though it’s hard work.
DDZ: That makes 100% sense, I’ve always been confused about the L.A. hype myself, but I think it’s rad you can turn it into something positive.
Are there any zines you absolutely love?
JC: Okay honestly I haven’t read many zines lately but I have this zine bag of so many zines from high school and one of them is still my favorite.
It’s called “Wive’s Tales.” It’s kinda intense, it’s like a DIY gynecology zine that I got when I was, like, 18. The second zine is my friend Yasi Salek’s zine of poems that she wrote and it’s called “For What it’s Worth.”
DDZ: That sounds rad and especially SO TIMELY for me because I’m in the midst of becoming acquainted with gyno scares myself. Those assholes are the masters of dramatic phone calls.
JC: I feel like I know a lot about gynecology at this point, if you need any advice.
DDZ: Noted! In the meantime, what does punk rock mean to you?
JC: The core of punk is freedom. It’s also about going against the norm and going against what’s socially acceptable.
When I was a kid, punk was listening to aggressive bands that spoke up about important matters. Also, expressing myself with the way I dressed was important because I wanted the world to know I didn’t care what they thought about me, and a way to cope with high school. Then, I realized I could say what I wanted through music, so I started many bands. Today, it’s definitely more of an attitude I carry with me through life, like speaking my mind and standing up for what’s right.
I think about this quote by Billie Joe Armstrong when I get asked what punk is cuz it’s so perfect: “A guy walked up to me and asked, ‘what’s punk?’ So I kick over a garbage can and said, ‘that’s punk!’ He kicked over a garbage can and said, ‘that’s punk?’ And I said, ‘no, that’s trendy!’”
DDZ: 😂 I love that quote. It’s so true. I always find it interesting when people try to make punk an exclusive thing because I always considered it the total opposite of exclusive. 🤷🏻
How did you dress in high school?!
JC: I know, I agree. It’s so dumb when people try and make it exclusive, because that’s the totally wrong message.
Okay, so in high school my favorite outfit was my ripped fishnets, a short plaid skirt, high top converse or creepers, and probably like a shirt that I sewed together the night before. Oh yeah, and a thrift store hoodie with a homemade SLITS back-patch. Haha!
DDZ: Damn, you were much cooler than me.
What’s your first memory of a band that really shook you to your core?
JC: I think it seems appropriate that I flashback to the first time I really started listening to the Ramones. I was in a CD club in junior high, where you could buy CD’s for a penny, and sometimes they sent you CD’s they thought you would like based off your musical taste (basically the OG Spotify). So, they sent me the double disc of The Ramones Anthology. I was like, these are the best song I’ve ever heard in my life. I was obsessed and haven’t stopped listening since.
DDZ: A CD club?!? Can we start one again?! That’s so rad. And makes 100% sense, I can totally see the influence, and it explains why you played as the Ramones at Beach Goth last year!
My next question is: what’s it like being in a band with your sister?
JC: It’s amazing. Because we are a family, we stick together through thick and thin. Band members come and go, but we know we will always be there for each other — that makes being in a band less complicated and unpredictable.
DDZ:. I’m sure it makes touring a little easier too, because you can’t get too homesick if you have a little bit of home with you all the time.
JC: Totally! 💕
DDZ: Describe the pivot from [former band] Mika Miko and what you learned about yourself as an artist, and a person, in the process?
JC: We all got older and realized the fun band we started as teenagers became something bigger than we had ever anticipated. The plans and goals we were putting aside to pursue Mika Miko were beginning to fade, and we didn’t want to miss out on other opportunities. When Mika Miko ended, it was the only path I really knew. I immediately got asked to join a pretty successful band, did that for a little bit, and then decided I wanted to start my own project: which was Bleached with my sister. Being in someone else’s band taught me a lot about what I wanted for my own musical/artistic journey, and also how to take the job of being a musician seriously.
DDZ: Love that. Which leads me to my next question: Can You Deal [Bleached’s 2017 EP] had an accompanying zine. Can you describe the process of collaborating with so many other inspiring women on the zine? Is there anyone you want to make a zine with in the future?
JC: It was such a cool experience working on the Can You Deal zine. Asking so many insanely inspiring women if they wanted to be apart of it was a bit intimidating, but since the zine was for such a good cause, I made it my priority to make it happen. When I would receive some of the writings, it was so emotional and empowering. I for sure teared up. I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head I want to do a zine with, but it would be awesome to do another Can You Deal zine, like a part two. You know the subject of women in music could go on for a long, long time.
DDZ: Hell yea. On that note… can we swap selfies?
JC:
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Pre-order Bleached’s new album and catch them live at The Moroccan Lounge with the Linda Lindas on July 11th!
Thursday, July 11th 2019