>> Q&A: THE BREEDERS
"I wanted to capture the qualities of sadness and depression that oozed from a bar in East L.A., but also project some of the vulnerability, too."
By Corey duBrowa

>> Q&A: MAN MAN
"We tried to explore new sounds on this record; we didn’t want to hear more of the 'pirate-carnival' bullshit descriptions."
By Eric Waggoner

>> Q&A: EELS
"I have a really fragile, sensitive kid stuck inside of me that I keep under lock and key, and I only let it out when I decide to write a song."
By Corey duBrowa

>> Q&A: DEAD CHILD
"I hear current metal that I like but not much I love. This is what Dead Child is for me: the dream metal band."
By Matthew Fritch

>> Q&A: RICHARD HAWLEY
"I do take my music seriously, but I’m not up my own arse, you know what I mean? I’ve always thought if people have paid hard-earned money to see you, you’ve gotta entertain them."
By Neil Ferguson

>> Q&A: ROBERT POLLARD
"I’m never gonna make mature music. I’m going to make albums, and it’s gonna sound like it did when I was a fucking teenager."
By Eric T. Miller

>> Q&A: ROGUE WAVE
"I wanted to make something that could be bookended with a real epic battle at the beginning and a real solemn sermon at the end."
By Steve Klinge

>> Q&A: ART BRUT
"I’ve always wanted to write songs that were conversational, like me and whoever’s listening were down at the pub having a discussion."
By J. Gabriel Boylan

>> Q&A: THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
"We’re essentially off the grid of rock culture. So it doesn’t surprise me now that we’re doing well, because we’ve found an audience for what we do."
By Kenny Berkowitz

>> Q&A: TOM MORELLO
"Sometimes the darkest, heaviest music isn’t necessarily played through Marshall stacks or with electric guitars, but rather with nylon strings and harmonica."
By Corey duBrowa

>> Q&A: XTC'S ANDY PARTRIDGE
"I think it’s odd that everyone wants to sound like it’s 1979 again. I lived through it, and it just sounds like dress-up: 'Let’s play skinny ties, tight trousers, sharp angular guitars and hiccup vocals.'"
By Corey duBrowa

>> Q&A: IGGY POP
"All the Stooges have lingering resentments and disappointments. But we got along well enough to do this record. Basically, from here on out, it’s Stooges to death."
By A.D. Amorosi

>> Q&A: JARVIS COCKER
"I thought to myself, “I’m going to stop all this,” but then I also started writing quite a few songs at the same time. So I just kind of accepted it, gave into it, thought, “OK, then, I’ll just have to make a fool of myself for the rest of my life."
By Corey duBrowa

>> Q&A: KINGS OF LEON
"There isn’t a lot of music out there right now where people are being honest. Honesty is the only thing that’s going to make music stand the test of time."
By Hobart Rowland

>> Q&A: OF MONTREAL
"While I was writing Hissing Fauna, all this really heavy stuff was happening to me, and I couldn’t ignore it. So the best way to get through it was to write about it."
By Noah Bonaparte Pais

>> Q&A: CLINIC
"The battle between sophistication and animal, primitive instincts always seems to be there no matter how much money or pleasant surroundings you’ve got."
By Steve Klinge

>> Q&A: SOLOMON BURKE
"God’s got a job for all of us, something for us to do. This is the secret to life. When you find your calling, answer it. You may not get a chance to pick up that phone again."
By Corey duBrowa

>> FEATURE: IN MEMORY OF GREG SHAW
Two MAGNET editors reflect on the life and inspiration of Greg Shaw, founder of Bomp! Records, magazine publisher and underground-rock legend.

>> FEATURE: ELLIOTT SMITH, 1969-2003
A MAGNET writer remembers Smith for all his flaws and talents, attending a Portland memorial for the singer/songwriter and noting the graffiti on the wall: "I'm never gonna know you now, but I'm gonna love you anyhow." By Corey duBrowa

>> FEATURE: JOE STRUMMER, 1952-2002
The complete transcript to MAGNET's conversation with Martin Slattery in issue #62. Slattery, who recorded two albums with Strummer in the Mescaleros, remembers the man as a humble mate, not a glorified legend. By Fred Mills

>> FEATURE: MIRACLE LEGION
MAGNET #61's study guide to college rock—an outline of the pre-alternative '80s, when R.E.M. was king, college radio was staffed by princes and MTV wasn't afraid to play the fool—argues that a band like Miracle Legion is more than a mere footnote. Fittingly, Fred Mills' extensive interview with singer/guitarist Mark Mulcahy is an education in musical survival.

>> FEATURE: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE POWER-POP SONG?
MAGNET #56's ode to skinny ties, fat guitar hooks and the maligned genre that bears them—power pop—prompted a mammoth survey of indie-rock's finest. Here, members of the Flaming Lips, Quasi, Grandaddy, Apples In Stereo, Idlewild, Yo La Tengo, Luna, Liars, Spoon and many others reveal their obsessions with the perfect pop of Big Star, the Raspberries, the Knack, etc.