NPR’s Scott Simon speaks to Joe Keery. Well-known for enjoying Steve Harrington on “Stranger Issues,” Keery can also be a musician and now out together with his new album.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Joe Keery is known. He performs Steve Harrington, the jock with wonderful hair and coronary heart on Netflix’s “Stranger Issues.” However he is additionally a median Djo. Simply make sure you spell that D-J-O.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “BASIC BEING BASIC”)
JOE KEERY: (Singing) How’d it really feel to take the sunshine from my life?
SIMON: Performing as Djo, Joe Keery is simply out together with his second album “The Crux” – a collage of songs he got here up with when not in entrance of the digital camera.
KEERY: I had lots of downtime, and I did not actually have an excessive amount of of a social life. So I made it a degree to type of each day attempt to write something.
SIMON: Joe Keery’s music is playful. There are observations from day by day life, a tribute to buddy and “Stranger Issues” co-star Charlie Heaton. And within the track, “Fundamental Being Fundamental” there’s even a riff on Gen Z slang like cheugy-phobe.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “BASIC BEING BASIC”)
KEERY: (Singing) You are so humorous. Ha-ha-ha-ha. Change your physique. Change your face. Curl your hair then make it straight. Take an image of your plate. Tarantino film style. Rah-rah, cheugy-phobe. Vera Bradley’s again in vogue. It is a flash {photograph}. What an empty epitaph that’s. That is primary.
SIMON: Can I, like, observe up on a few issues simply as a journalist?
KEERY: Certain, yeah.
SIMON: What’s cheugy-phobe?
KEERY: Nicely, cheugy is, like – I assume it is a time period, technically, that we have coined. Folks take into consideration these dwell, chortle, love posters that folks have of their home or…
SIMON: I haven’t got a dwell, chortle, love poster. However all proper, go forward. Yeah.
KEERY: To me, that’s simply people who find themselves afraid of people who find themselves not cool.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “BASIC BEING BASIC”)
KEERY: (Singing) Being primary.
Someone who’s a cheugy-phobe is anyone who’s, you already know, afraid of anyone who’s not cool is definitely type of the least cool factor you may be. Higher to be actually overtly uncool.
SIMON: Oh. All proper, that makes me really feel higher. We do not have a dwell, love, chortle poster, however we do have a poster for pumpkin spice latte.
KEERY: That may make you a little bit bit cheugy, I assume.
SIMON: Ah. All proper. Thanks.
KEERY: Yeah.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “BASIC BEING BASIC”)
KEERY: (Singing) That is humorous. I am not humorous.
SIMON: This twin life you lead, in a way, as a musician, but additionally, after all, an performing profession that is actually taken off with “Stranger Issues.”
KEERY: I really feel very fortunate, clearly, to have the ability to do only one factor that could be a dream of mine. So now to have the ability to type of do that second factor – you already know, the performing stuff is my job job. And for some time, this music was simply one thing that was for me and actually one thing I’d do in between days of capturing after I was in Atlanta filming “Stranger Issues” – type of has, like, a little bit bit snowballed now into being its personal profession. It will be fascinating to see sooner or later the right way to juggle it. Thus far, they’ve simply labored very well off one another.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “LONESOME IS A STATE OF MIND”)
KEERY: (Singing) It is one on one. Two for all times. Thought that you just had been on my aspect. Lonesome is a mind-set.
SIMON: “Lonesome Is A State Of Thoughts,” that is a extremely lovely track.
KEERY: (Singing) I swear I’ve had this dinner earlier than. I do know I’ve heard that track. My future’s not what I assumed. I believe I assumed it flawed.
SIMON: What can we learn into your line, my future’s not what I assumed, I believe I assumed it flawed?
KEERY: I assume, like, I personally spend a lot time pondering of various eventualities and issues that would occur and planning out completely different situations and simply dreaming and fascinated by the long run. And I assume that is only a reflection on how a lot wasted time there may be doing that, as a result of there is no method you possibly can predict it, and what you assume isn’t the factor that occurs. So making an attempt to dwell within the second could be the perfect antidote for that.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “LONESOME IS A STATE OF MIND”)
KEERY: …(Singing) Frame of mind. No, you are not lonely once you’re hanging with your self. Let’s do – let’s pay attention again on you and I am going to simply stand right here.
SIMON: “Charlie’s Backyard.” Check with Charlie Heaton, your co-star?
KEERY: That’s. Yeah. In Atlanta, I used to be Charlie’s neighbor this 12 months, and he is acquired a little bit home down there. He is acquired an attractive yard and constructed this wonderful construction that he does pottery in, and he does music in there. He is acquired like a – this little wood-burning tub. We performed ping pong again there, so he is acquired this complete setup. , the track is, I assume, like an homage to my time down there and my time behind the scenes on that present and what, like, my life was type of like, and it is cool to have, like, a little bit tribute to my buddy.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “CHARLIE’S GARDEN”)
KEERY: (Singing) Another day in Charlie’s backyard. Oh, yet another day.
SIMON: Will we hear a type of musical citation from “Octopus’s Backyard” on this track?
KEERY: Sure, definitely. I am a large fan. The association and the instrumentation and the musicality and the whimsy of lots of their music is absolutely fascinating to me and type of missing in fashionable music. I actually like issues that do not take themselves too critically, so laborious to shake that affect, for certain.
SIMON: Actual voicemail on the finish of the track?
KEERY: Not an actual voicemail. I wrote it down there at his home. After which we occurred to be in New York on the identical time, and I mentioned, you need to – we acquired to get you on this in some way. It’s a must to be on the track. So he got here in.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “CHARLIE’S GARDEN”)
KEERY: (Singing) Charlie’s backyard. Coronary heart the paws scratch the again of the door. The solar is out.
CHARLIE HEATON: Hey, Djo, would you thoughts calling me again? Sadly, we will want you. In the event you might simply tell us for those who’re coming in. Yeah, sorry. It was a little bit of a mix-up.
(SOUNDBITE OF DIAL TONE)
SIMON: Do you ever assume you are going to have to decide on between performing and music?
KEERY: I actually hope not. Lots of people have been asking me this query. I do not know. It is not misplaced on me that it is a tough bridge to leap. However I assume I simply cannot include my curiosity for each of these items, they usually actually serve one another. And I am going to do my greatest work, I do know, if I am fascinated about it.
SIMON: Nicely, you get to decide on in the long run, do not you?
KEERY: Yeah, it is true. It’s true. It will be fascinating to see what occurs subsequent. I don’t know.
SIMON: Joe Keery, who performs as Djo. His new album, “The Crux, ” out now. Thanks a lot for being with us.
KEERY: Thanks a lot for having me. I actually recognize it.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “POTION”)
KEERY: (Singing) I am going to strive for all of my life simply to search out somebody who leaves on the sunshine for me.
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