My Favorite

This post is a shout to all My Favorite's Swedish fans who made the years 2000-2005 such an inspiring period for us. While many listeners, labels and writers here in the US debated the value of whatever ironic retro-euro pastiche they were convinced we were doing, you cats got it from the very beginning. That My Favorite was a passion play, a way of saying every song that helps us survive matters—and the only thing that matters more— is every kid who needs them. That there was (and still is) nothing more transgressive than believing in love (and socialism.)

We had a band website then that was actually (due to the vision/talents of our label boss Peter Green,) ahead of its time in terms of interactivity. We had a section called 'Salon,' where fans would submit art and writing— both about the band and loosely inspired by it. I was going through the archive last night and was inspired by just how imaginative, intense and personal some submissions were, especially from our Swedish fans. I picked a couple to share here.

One appears to be a poster for either a band or an anarchist collective named after our song 'Homeless Club Kids.' What I love most about this is how terrifying it is 😂. Indiepop in The States often seemed intent on creating a bubble, inside of which— nothing would ever change. In Sweden indie was more about bursting bubbles (by kicking them in the balls.) I guess months of darkness can make you a bit edgy, even as hours of darkness change your mind.

The second is an essay about My Favorite that I think was from a Swedish zine? I'd never been compared to Henry Rollins before, though I can't say the same about C-3PO. It was this sort of affirmation, evidence that we were connecting that stopped us from breaking up 10 times— despite the heartache of staying together (VH-1 Behind The Music angst.)

Being called one of the worlds foremost theoreticans of pop is both the nicest thing everyone has ever said about me, and most likely the reason we were and continue to be fantastic failures.

Tack vänner!