Josh Madden Interview

Brother of the Madden twins in Good Charlotte, Josh Madden has
completely defined his own path in the rock-influenced art world. A
designer at heart, and overall good guy, Josh has become a force in the
influential underground design and DJ worlds of New York.

AC: Has music always been a part of your life?

JM: Yes, growing up my mom was always singing, she has an incredible voice.
I will always remember my father sitting at the piano singing and
playing Animals tunes and Stevie Wonder. I started piano lessons at a
young age and my brothers bought me my first acoustic guitar when we
were teenagers. I was slated to sing the National Anthem and my "Class
Song" at my high school graduation, until I failed a class...
whah-whuhh. I'm glad I didn't, that might have been the pinnacle of my
music life, haha. I'm nothing special as a musician, but I'm a great
song writer and an intuitive producer.
P.S. I graduated from summer school holding down two jobs and put myself
though college...slayed it.

AC: When was your first DJ'ing gig? If you can remember.

JM: My first gig was at the invitation of my friend Sarah Lewitinn
(Ultragrrrl), I played a set with James Iha (one of the nicest guys on
the planet). I remember we all used CDJ's. Sarah is fun to watch DJ and
to DJ with... someone get her on the phone, bring her out of retirement.
She needs to throw a party again.

AC: Have you created, or considered putting together, an album or
collaborating on one?

JM: I'm working on remixes, a hand full of different songs I like from new
artists with a rad producer named David Patillo. This guy is so
proficient with every instrument he touches and I dream up these
arrangements, we work well together. We've done a bunch under the name
TRUE BLUE, they're going up on-line a little at a time here.

I did a fun little project with Buffalo Bill called CODE NAME PILOT. If
you google it the tracks come up in different places. That was a couple
of years ago.

I also executive produced a record with the help of my big brother and
Junior Sanchez, Greatest_Remixes. That was fun, I worked on the art direction and stuff.

AC: Did you know that turntables were going to be your instrument of
choice early on or was it an evolution?

JM: No.

AC: For all your success in the DJ scene, and it can be an exciting and
lucrative one once you've become established, you strike me as more of a
designer/artist than as a DJ, would you say that's true?

JM: Yes. Well, I think styling, design, DJing, all of that depends so much on
reading people, knowing and satisfying their taste. Maybe showing them
something new, mixing in something they've loved for years... but in the
end it all depends on knowing them.

AC: What bands have you been touring with recently?

JM: Touring with? Well I spend a lot of time with bands. You know the band
Gallows? I love those guys! They are so rad. I wanna go out with my
friends Freelance Whales... I told them I'd sell merch for them. I get
to see Reni Lane a lot, I've probably seen her a dozen times. Edward
Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, I've probably seen them more than most
people... I'm fortunate, I travel and I see bands play when I'm out of
town or in town, wherever I go... I mean, people play music every night.

AC: You're something of a celebrity DJ, frequently DJ'ing Hollywood parties
and major brand functions. Would you prefer to do more shows just for
the music?

JM: I have people hit me up all day long, saying "What do you have that's new? I need new music..." All day long...people do this because I see bands several nights a week. I go with a group of friends of mine, all the time, we see bands all the time, I mean ALL THE TIME! I go see DJ's, I go to other cities, I find out where a DJ, who's remixes I like, is playing and I will post up until I see that person play. Have you ever been to Coco66 in Greenpoint? I saw Bear In Heaven there the other night at like 1:30 in the morning... they are so rad!
I wish I could play whatever set I was feeling on any given night and play the new stuff I found that week and that people would be stoked, but I know that's not the case. People want to hear stuff they know because they want to sing along and you know, that's cool, I don't blame them.
Oh, the events thing, I actually like those parties because people are more likely to walk up and ask "Who's this?" and then write it down. I'm not even shy about it, I like those parties, people come there to have fun, it's less stressful than the politics of clubland, so a lot of times people wild out way more than the club. I've seen some crazy things at those parties... I got stories.

AC: How long has DMCA Collective been in business?

JM: Lemme see... almost 6 years, I think...

AC: What's your involvement in the company?

JM: I came up with the name, the original brand identity that was used for
the first 2 years and did some early design.
I'm kind of a background person these days. The brand aesthetic is lead
more by a friend, Tal Cooperman, who is young, energetic, part of an
exciting growing art scene in LA and I just consult when I'm asked. I
had a company years ago, grew it into a monster sized thing and then
grew on from it. These days I like the strategy part of things. I
believe in everyone at DCMA and Agenda, out there in LA and I just jump
in when I'm called upon.

AC: Has clothing design for a company like DMCA always been something you
wanted to do?

JM: I wanted to work for Chiat/Day in 1995... I mean, I was a teenager, but
that was where it was at back then.
I want to work on the creative side in developing sensible marketing
strategies that do not leave the consumer alienated and resentful,
rather fulfill a need. I want to encourage better product design and
development execution by doing whatever I can to encourage creativity in
popular culture.

AC: What plans do you have for the future of the company?

JM: I will probably come back into a more active role in DCMA in 2010, but
as I said, Tal and the twins are leaders. I am silent, more in business
strategy.
I am currently working on design projects with Aerial 7 Headphones and
Moods of Norway.
There are a few other things lining up that are starting to make 2010
look like the biggest year of my life...

AC: And are you considering branching off on your own with a label?

JM: A record label? No. Steve Aoki has that covered. I'd like to see some of
the majors rehabilitated... that system is going through some changes.
Maybe one day I'll be involved in helping the process through that
medium again. I did a year at a major label. It was fun, but I didn't
really have enough say to make anything huge happen. I genuinely love
artists, I love the process and I love being part of making a good thing
available to people... That said, I know I am always better off keeping
my efforts and opinions focused on things that have invited me in...

AC: How long have you been living in NY?

JM: Almost 6 years.

AC: And why the East Village? I know that I feel it's the most live
neighborhood in the city, but what was its draw for you?

JM: The East Village is the best place for a guy like me. I see people that
live here (I won't say any names because they deserve their privacy) but
they are people that to me have made a mark on culture, popular culture,
the culture of this city... and they live and dwell here almost
anonymously. I want both sides of that. I want to go out and have some
kind of positive effect somehow and then I want to come back here and
see my buddy Aaron at his coffee shop (Ost) and congratulate him on how
well his small business is doing... you get what I'm saying, this is a
neighborhood where being a working class person is not odd. I will
always be a working class person and I'll always love neighborhoods like
this or Mount Pleasant, where I lived in D.C. I will always apply that
ethic to everything I do and feel comfortable in places that breed this
in myself and others.
I love and respect New York and the people that I live among here. I am
grateful for the opportunities I've been given and I plan to keep
exploring, always doing the best job I can, sharing the inspirations I
find and facilitating fun and excitement with others.

P.S. Follow me on Twitter--- www.twitter.com/joshmadden