NPR’s Scott Simon speaks to Joe Keery. Well-known for taking part in Steve Harrington on “Stranger Issues,” Keery can also be a musician and now out along with his new album.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Joe Keery is known. He performs Steve Harrington, the jock with superb hair and a very good coronary heart on Netflix’s “Stranger Issues.” However he is additionally a median Djo. Simply remember to 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 along 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 numerous downtime, and I did not truthfully have an excessive amount of of a social life. So I made it some extent to sort of each day attempt to write something.
SIMON: Joe Keery’s music is playful. There are observations from each day life, a tribute to good friend and “Stranger Issues” co-star Charlie Heaton. And within the tune, “Primary Being Primary” 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: Positive, yeah.
SIMON: What’s cheugy-phobe?
KEERY: Properly, cheugy is, like – I suppose it is a time period, technically, that we have coined. Folks take into consideration these stay, snort, love posters that folks have of their home or…
SIMON: I haven’t got a stay, snort, 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 understand, afraid of anyone who’s not cool is definitely type of the least cool factor you could be. Higher to be actually brazenly uncool.
SIMON: Oh. All proper, that makes me really feel higher. We do not have a stay, love, snort poster, however we do have a poster for pumpkin spice latte.
KEERY: Which may make you slightly bit cheugy, I suppose.
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 in addition, after all, an appearing 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 may be a dream of mine. So now to have the ability to sort of do that second factor – you understand, the appearing 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 once I was in Atlanta filming “Stranger Issues” – sort of has, like, slightly bit snowballed now into being its personal profession. It’s going to be fascinating to see sooner or later tips on how to juggle it. Up to now, they’ve simply labored rather 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 simply have been on my facet. Lonesome is a mind-set.
SIMON: “Lonesome Is A State Of Thoughts,” that is a extremely lovely tune.
KEERY: (Singing) I swear I’ve had this dinner earlier than. I do know I’ve heard that tune. My future’s not what I believed. I believe I believed it improper.
SIMON: What can we learn into your line, my future’s not what I believed, I believe I believed it improper?
KEERY: I suppose, like, I personally spend a lot time pondering of various eventualities and issues that would occur and planning out totally different eventualities and simply dreaming and occupied with the longer term. And I suppose that is only a reflection on how a lot wasted time there’s doing that, as a result of there is not any means you may predict it, and what you assume isn’t the factor that occurs. So making an attempt to stay within the second is likely to be the most effective antidote for that.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “LONESOME IS A STATE OF MIND”)
KEERY: …(Singing) Way of thinking. No, you are not lonely while you’re hanging with your self. Let’s do – let’s pay attention again on you and I will simply stand right here.
SIMON: “Charlie’s Backyard.” Discuss 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 bought slightly home down there. He is bought a stupendous yard and constructed this superb construction that he does pottery in, and he does music in there. He is bought like a – this little wood-burning tub. We performed ping pong again there, so he is bought this entire setup. You realize, the tune is, I suppose, like an homage to my time down there and my time behind the scenes on that present and what, like, my life was sort of like, and it is cool to have, like, slightly tribute to my buddy.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “CHARLIE’S GARDEN”)
KEERY: (Singing) Yet another day in Charlie’s backyard. Oh, yet one more day.
SIMON: Will we hear a sort of musical citation from “Octopus’s Backyard” on this tune?
KEERY: Sure, definitely. I am a large fan. The association and the instrumentation and the musicality and the whimsy of numerous their music is actually fascinating to me and sort of missing in trendy music. I actually like issues that do not take themselves too critically, so arduous to shake that affect, for positive.
SIMON: Actual voicemail on the finish of the tune?
KEERY: Not an actual voicemail. I wrote it down there at his home. After which we occurred to be in New York on the similar time, and I stated, it’s a must to – we bought to get you on this in some way. It’s a must to be on the tune. 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’ll want you. In case you may 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 appearing and music?
KEERY: I actually hope not. Lots of people have been asking me this query. I do not know. It isn’t misplaced on me that it is a troublesome bridge to leap. However I suppose I simply can’t include my curiosity for each of this stuff, they usually actually serve one another. And I will do my greatest work, I do know, if I am concerned with it.
SIMON: Properly, you get to decide on in the long run, do not you?
KEERY: Yeah, it is true. It’s true. It’s going to be fascinating to see what occurs subsequent. I do not 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 respect it.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “POTION”)
KEERY: (Singing) I will strive for all of my life simply to search out somebody who leaves on the sunshine for me.
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