Mark Mallman has long been fascinated by the supernatural and mysterious. The Minneapolis-based singer-songwriter and musician has had his share of run-ins with ghosts, monsters, vampires, and more, both in reality as a touring musician on the road and in fictional realms in books, TV series, and movies.
Lately, he’s been in a very reflective mood. As he started to reflect on his 25-plus-year career in music, he was amazed at how much the supernatural world paralleled with his life. It led him to craft a conceptual new album titled Magic Time, which is out Friday, June 27, on Hygh Tension Records.
In synch with the spooky theme of the album, SWT is excited to share the music video for Mallman’s aptly titled song “Freaks Me Out.” The bouncy, synch-driven tune features a variety of colorful visuals. There’s everything from footage of a barren desert landscape to freaky monster characters. All of which are interjected by footage of the songwriter singing about his fears to a bartender. He sought “to make a non-scary video about fear” by inventing “a bunch of different characters, each freaky in their own way.”
“The video shows how multifaceted fear can be, and that’s because at the end of the song I sing a laundry list of things to be afraid of,” Mallman tells SWT during a recent interview. “It was important that the video not actually be scary because then you can’t deconstruct it as clearly. Same is true with the song I’m talking about The Twilight Zone and Silence of the Lambs, but it’s a goth-disco track.”
Mallman says anxiety and panic of the unknown and mysterious played a role in writing the song. He drew from a variety of inspirations, something fans have come to cherish from the veteran musician.
“Musically, I’m always drawing from David Bowie’s Scary Monsters album,” he says. “The MOOG synth also inspired the song. If you think of lyrics in terms of SEO and the consciousness as a search engine, lyrics don’t have to make literal sense to work. They can be a vibe.”
Mallman sought to create an unmistakably spooky yet personal vibe with Magic Time, his 11th studio album.
“If I was Nigel Tufnel from Spinal Tap, it’d be funny. He cranks that amp to 11,” says Mallman on the new album. “Each record reflects a different point in my life. They’re my life’s work, but also my journals. This is the first proper reflection on my career. It’s like standing on a mountain looking back. Marking a career is more about endurance than singing for 78 hours straight will ever be.”
The album captures, as the press release describes, the “weird, gritty, and mythic reality of life as a touring musician in America.”
“Blending horror imagery, cryptid folklore, and 25 years of van life, the record plays like a haunted mixtape of ghost stories and sonic spells. Songs reference Christopher Lee, Mothman, witches, and Mount Misery Road — one of the most haunted streets in America.”
Mallman has enjoyed an eventful and prolific career. His 2002 album The Red Bedroom featured members of The Promise Ring and The Replacements, while his 2009 album Invincible Criminal included collaborations with Craig Finn of The Hold Steady and Shannon Frid of Cloud Cult.
In addition to his studio albums, Mallman has written music for TV series such as Rick and Morty, General Hospital, and The Morning Show. He’s scored the zombie web series Bite Me 2 with Dick Valentine of Electric Six and has composed for major motion picture trailers.
He also released his memoir The Happiness Playlist in 2019, which chronicled his experiment to overcome panic attacks by listening only to uplifting songs for six months.
SWT caught up with Mallman recently to discuss the making of his eleventh studio album and how venturing down mysterious new corridors has led to a thrilling career.
Magic Time is a supernatural concept album. Can you talk about what made you want to make a concept album? What made you connect ghost stories with the music business?
Mulholland Drive is a great example. The monster behind the diner is terrifying. That movie shows the paranormal intersections between the industry and the spiritual realm. Two years ago, I made a rule to only watch monster movies, and I’ve stuck to that. It had a big influence on my philosophy. I did a goth songbook show and toured as a bassist with Vision Video. Lyrically, the paranormal is a great metaphor for the entertainment business. Vampires and ghosts are everywhere.
You lived and recorded in the basement of an old church. How was that environment conducive to creating the songs?
The vibe was good and creative. I miss it. If I ever get enough money to buy an old church, I’ll become a Phantom of the Opera type. Hahaha.
What were your favorite ghost stories you’ve experienced?
I had two paranormal experiences while touring. One was the door handle shaking at night. The other was the face of a witch that appeared to me.
You drew inspiration from a wide range of experiences from the road. What about being on the road, do you find supernatural? Why does being on the road still fascinate you all these years later? How has the road changed most since you first started touring?
Van touring is a road trip. I love performing, but that’s the least exciting part of the day. You never know where you’ll sleep, who you’ll meet, or what you’ll encounter. There’s real ghosts and monsters everywhere out there. If you stay humble and confident, you’ll come back stronger. The unfortunate part of van touring is that America’s become more homogenized. The uniqueness of small towns has been replaced with chain restaurants and gas stations. It’s easier and more comfortable, but it takes the adventure out. It doesn’t feel like you’re going from one part of the country to the next. It feels like a loop. I’m glad I saw America before this sameness.
You take a look at the yin and yang of Mark the person and Mark the stage persona. What about that duality do you find intriguing, and what lessons do you think you gained writing these songs?
In Steve Martin’s Born Standing Up, you see the difference between stage self and self self. There’s a reason Jim Morrison died at 27. It’s impossible to truly live that way. Warren Zevon said it: “Life will kill you.” A stage persona is the embodiment of the songs, not the person. I’ve met famous rock stars, and the ones who were the same on and off stage were giving a false aura. When you’re in touch with authenticity off stage, we’re just regular humans.
“I Know the Mothman” captures the tension between the fantasy and reality of the road. What inspired you to write that one?
This song is really about the fact that I’m sober. I never wrestled with alcoholism, but I quit drinking 11 years ago. It had become boring. I needed a deeper connection. Every decade should be a new reverse, like molting. If Mothman is real, there was once a larvae-man. It’s existential when you look at it like that. For me, it was just quitting booze. The music is inspired by “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails.
What were your sonic goals for this album? How do you think it builds upon past releases?
Most musicians never have a hit, so all you’ve got is this thing you can put on in the car and say, “Goddamn, at least it sounds amazing.” With sound quality, it’s objective. With songwriting, there is no truth. I can look back at this record or Double Silhouette and know it sounds kick-ass. A good part of that comes from mastering. This is the first record I did the master engineering myself, but I’ve been mastering for TV since forever.
What were the biggest surprises making the album?
First, I recorded cyberpunk disco tracks that were a continuation of an unused record. Once I decided to make a paranormal rock album, it all came clear. I could put out a second record of finished songs that didn’t make it. I’m grateful there’s a Patreon or nobody would hear 75% of the music I write. There’s a lot.
I like how the song “Velvet Vampire” transitions to “Christopher Lee” given how they relate. What drew you to writing about Lee?
Christopher Lee is a real-life superhero. He killed Nazis. He put out a metal Christmas album. He’s my favorite Dracula. While writing TikToks, I found out he hadn’t seen Bela Lugosi’s Dracula until 1973. By then he’d done nine Dracula films. I love the idea that we don’t need to know the history of an icon to rewrite it.
You wrote your memoir about your experiment listening to upbeat songs to overcome anxiety. Why do you think that’s important? What does it mean to be looked on as a music teacher?
We often see music as entertainment, but it’s a functional tool. Sometimes we don’t have someone to tell us we matter. After my mom’s suicide, I was the shell of a man. Those happy songs rebuilt me.
You’re very popular on TikTok. What does it mean to get that new kind of exposure and role?
The biggest thing I’ve learned is to never judge a song as less than yourself. “Tubthumping” by Chumbawamba is the ultimate example. If you don’t know the backstory, it sounds like a dumb club song. But they were a political band manipulating the system and giving all the money to charity. You realize you were the fool. That’s true in life. People aren’t dumb. The one who assumes others are dumb is the fool. I’ve made some awesome friends on that app. Met some cool artists as well. A little-known songwriter Alex [Antonopoulos] of HoneyCrush is astounding. On the other hand, Lil John is a mutual, actually. I sent him my book. We aren’t tight or anything, but cool shit like that happens on there.
What’s your favorite Replacements-related story?
Slim [Dunlap] played guitar on my third record, The Red Bedroom. He played the song for Paul Westerberg, and Paul didn’t like it. I wish Slim hadn’t told me. It hurt my feelings and still stings. Tommy [Stinson] and I sang “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” at the Twins Stadium a couple years back. He’s a great guy.
You’ve written for films and TV series. What about that form of music do you like most?
It challenges me to be a better producer and composer. You get comfortable with rejection. You’re pitching on big things with 50 other composers. At that level, there’s no such thing as a bad composer. It’s just competitive.
What’s one thing you wish people would ask you?
I wish Rick Rubin or Brian Eno would ask to produce my next album for Interscope.
What are you most looking forward to in the future?
More hugs. More friendship. A kinder world. Peace on Earth. Dogs. Donuts. Monster movies. Mini golf. As they say on TikTok, “More passion, more footwork, more energy.”
You can follow and listen to Mark Mallman at the links below:
Instagram: instagram.com/markmallman/
Facebook: facebook.com/MrMarkMallman/
YouTube: youtube.com/user/mallmanfan
Bandcamp: markmallman.bandcamp.com/
Spotify: Mark Mallman on Spotify
Joshua is co-founder of Scummy Water Tower. He’s freelanced for a variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including: Rolling Stone, The Boston Globe, Chicago Sun-Times, Guitar World, MTV News, Grammy.com, Chicago Magazine, Milwaukee Magazine, MKE Lifestyle, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, A.V. Club, SPIN, Alternative Press, Under the Radar, Paste, PopMatters, American Songwriter, and Relix. You can email him at josh@scummywatertower.com.
