Interview with Tim Nordwind of OK GO

Tim Nordwind of OK GO is the highly recognizable & entertainingly definable bassist for Chicago rock band OK GO. His look definitely falls into the standout category. However, watching Tim in action, you quickly realize the true standout of Tim Nordwind has little to do with his chic style & much more to do with the multi-talents behind those thick dark rimmed glasses.

Having just attended the kickoff performance of the new OK GO , Of the Blue Colour Of the Sky tour, I was unabashedly on an OK GO high. It’s one thing to attend a concert and be completely blown away by a performance, but it’s quite another to attend a rock show & leave with an overwhelming feeling that MUSIC still may have the power to change the world.

I ask you, when is the last time you witnessed thousands of super cute, snappy dressed, dancing, cheering, screaming, Silly-Happy SMILING folks who seemingly just forgot about all their cares? Oh, sure some might say it’s the confetti cannons in constant explosive mode, or the laser beam infused furry guitars or maybe the leisure/neon sign suits lighting up the stage with hidden messages… but the plain truth is ( get ready for this it’s a shocker) it’s the MUSIC. The vibey, hooky move your feet, take off your jacket, jump in the spotlight & start shakin’it like you mean it baby kinda music. I admit full-on JUNKY status for the jazz hands dance party that Is: OK GO.

I had the immense pleasure of interviewing Tim Nordwind after the show. Check out why sharing makes him happy & why The Cure may be the way to his heart…

Quick 5 stats with Tim Nordwind of OK GO

1. Brunch with Prince or Dinner with Billy Idol?

Brunch with Prince

2. Best Makeout Song ever written?

CATCH by The Cure

3. Plaid or Argyle?

Argyle

4. Vespa or The Schwinn Stingray?

Vespa

5. Chicagoans do ______ better (fill in the blank)

FOOD

I carried the Flip vid along for my OK GO concert experience & interviewed a few fans in line asking them what question I should ask you! My favorite question was from a girl named Liz & she wanted to know “How do you feel about Jeremy Piven stealing your look in the movie Rock’N Rolla?”

TIM: (laughs) Well first of all, I’m a huge fan of Jeremy Piven & his work so if he was indeed copying my look in the movie I would be honored by that. He’s fantastic & if he was stealing my style that makes me excited!! I love his work in Entourage & beyond. His family actually owns the Piven Theatre in Chicago. A great theatre. I’ve been a fan of his for ages.

I have to tell you that i was in serious perma-grin mode while watching your LIVE show this week. Do you believe, as I do, that the music of OK GO may just have the power to save the world one concert experience at a time?

TIM: Well, thanks for that Birdee. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I think the reason we got into being a band in the first place & wanted to be musicians was because we like to create things & we like to share it with people. It’s how we got to be friends in the first place. We met at summer camp…Damien was 10 & I was 11 . We started talking over art projects & our creations. There is such a joy that comes from sharing with people. Music has the ability to evoke happiness, sadness, joy, fear & sometimes a combination of all in ONE song. It’s about that connection. The connection is the thing that is so exciting for us. That thing from performer to audience. Making people happy, or nostalgic or even commiserating in sadness can be therapeutic.. acknowledging sadness together. Joining in it together with the hope that happiness is just on the other side. We can only hope that people will feel what we are trying to convey. It’s a beautiful thing when successful. I’m not sure about saving the world, but I do believe that the connection of people is a powerful thing. Sharing.

The new White Knuckles video is amazing. I have to ask. Did you or any of the band members fall so helplessly in love with a co-star that you had to adopt them?

TIM: Well all the dogs in the vid had already been adopted & rescued. The owners were their trainers in the vid. One of the dogs was Damien’s dog, the little brown dog that looks left & right when the tables are pushed together? His name is Bun E. He is named after Bun E. Carlos (drummer from Cheaptrick). So even if we wanted to, I really don’t think the owners would have let us take away their dogs!!! But I would have taken ALL of them if at all possible. They were great.

Tim, You’re known for your flashy dance moves & choreography. I just have to know. Would you ever consider being a contestant on Dancing With The Stars?

Tim: (laughs) Well, I never say never. We are certainly not dancers in the traditional sense. What makes our choreography so compelling is that we’re not good dancers but we’re just trying ..really hard (laughs). But I think I would have to be a much better trained dancer in order to pull that off.

Birdee: Oh I think you got that one if you want it.

Tim: Thanks Birdee!! (laughs)

Tim: Hey, I once wrote a radio/play series called The Delusional delights of Birdee Bromowitz. I dont’ know how far back our website is archived but i would create little podcasts of the shows & release them on tour & ask the audience to bring certain things to shows etc… if you get a chance check it out because the character is your namesake.

WOW thanks Tim. I’m checking it out now. You truly are one multitalented rocker (slash) saver of the world. Carry on my friend.

http://www.okgo.net

http://www.birdeebow.com

(Source: okgotimnordwindinterview)