Jon Wurster is a busy guy. Best known as the drummer with Indie Rock mainstays Superchunk, Wurster is currently in the midst of promoting his other passion as one half of a comedy duo (with Tom Sharpling) who host the cult radio (now podcast) program called The Best Show.
That comes on the heels of extensive touring as the drummer with Bob Mould, whose most recent solo records have clearly been invigorated by Wurster’s presence behind the kit. And now comes a new record and tour with The Mountain Goats — Wurster has been drumming with singer/songwriter John Darnielle’s long-running Indie Rock outfit since 2007.
The Mountain Goats have dropped 15 albums since 1994, the most recent of which, the just released Beat the Champ, is yet another effort in which Darnielle’s hyper-literate words and modest but expressive voice take center stage. But the music, anchored by Wurster’s rhythm work, might be the most diverse in the band’s already varied discography — songs range from jazzy and guitar-free (“Fire Editorial”) to melancholic, piano-aided Folk (“Unmasked!”) to jaunty and horn-driven (“Foreign Object”).
Yet the most curious aspect of Beat the Champ is its concept — 13 perhaps unexpectedly poignant songs about small-time wrestling in which Darnielle often focuses his singular lyrical skills on what happens to these battered warriors beyond the ring.
Wurster, speaking by phone from Los Angeles, recently took time out of his busy schedule to discuss The Mountain Goats’ latest effort and the importance of “broadening your horizons,” which he’s been doing on a consistent basis since growing up an offbeat music lover in Philadelphia during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
CityBeat: You’ve been balancing three different drumming gigs for the last several years. Does your role change from band to band?
Jon Wurster: I’m the foundation in all those bands. The drums fulfill this role of being the foundation upon which the songs are built. I think with Bob Mould and with Superchunk it’s a little more holding it down, and with the Mountain Goats there’s a little more room for expression and my playing can be a little more decorative.
CB: I’ve been listening to the new Mountain Goats’ record, which is surprising on a number of levels. What was your response when (Darnielle) told you the concept of the record?
JW: Well, it was interesting because it wasn’t something I expected. I don’t even think I knew at that point that John was really interested in wrestling. I knew he loved boxing, but the wrestling angle was kind of a surprise. But the more we started working on the songs I was realizing where the lyrics were coming from. I got really excited because it’s not so much about wrestling; it’s about the inner lives of these wrestlers, and a lot of it is about where they are now, post-retirement and post-glory days. That was really intriguing, and I think a really great aspect of this record is that you don’t really need to know anything about wrestling and you can still relate to these songs and get interested and get sucked into the world of these guys.
CB: The music is often lush and quite beautiful, kind of the opposite aesthetic of WWF-style wrestling. Were you surprised by that juxtaposition?
JW: I think that works really well with the lyrical content and the message and the feeling of songs. It’s not like — and I’m using this band as just an example because they are somewhat wrestling themed — Los Straitjackets, who wear wrestling masks. I actually think all their music is instrumental, but it’s very upbeat and kind of fun music. That’s not what this is. This is kind of the darker side of that world — the injuries, the depression. There are some fun, joyful moments in these songs, but a lot of it is the real world of that scene.
CB: Musically this is different than what you’ve done in the past, which has mostly been straight-ahead pounding. It sounds like you’re using brushes on half the songs.
JW: Yeah, I use brushes at least 50 percent of the time with The Mountain Goats, which I love because it’s such a nice contrast to what I do with the full-on Rock bands. I love playing with Bob and Superchunk, but it’s fun to go off and do this almost jazzy, almost painting kind of drumming. It’s kind of like taking stabs at a canvas.
CB: When you’re working with (Darnielle) on these songs, does he essentially bring you the entire song and tell you what he wants? How does the songwriting process work in Mountain Goats?
JW: He will bring in kind of the rough sketch of it. He knows exactly what the words are; the lyrics are pretty much fully written and he’s got a chord pattern and he knows how it’s going to go. And then (bassist Peter Hughes) and I will come in and hopefully it will synch up with John’s vision of what he wants the song to be. Sometimes it will go in a different direction that he likes, and sometimes it goes into a direction he doesn’t want, and then you end up finding that middle ground of what works and what is satisfying to everybody.
CB: After being in Superchunk for so long, how does working with different types of bands and different types of people impact what you do now as a drummer?
JW: I always wanted to do that. It’s funny, my life ended up professionally exactly how I hoped it would. I get to play with other people, and you’re always picking up new things when you play with other people. I think if you play with bands full-time you’re not really broadening your horizons that much. You get really good at one thing, but nothing else really comes into your experience, and then you don’t grow as much. I pick up things from everybody I play with, and I know for a fact that I came back when we (Superchunk) made that record in 2010, Majesty Shredding, I just thought I had more paint on my palette than I did before.
THE MOUNTAIN GOATS play Thursday at Bogart’s. Tickets/more info: bogarts.com.