From 1983 to 2004, Guided By Voices have been one of the most influential, iconic and paradigmatic bands defining the concept of indie rock and lo-fi alternative rock. They disbanded in 2004 and recently reunited (in 2010): they played many sold out shows and they are – reportedly – working at new material, possibly for a new album out in the near future.

The Guardian interviewed them at the beginning of January: the band talked about their early days and explained: “We were like weekend warriors“. Drummer Kevin Fennell added: “Dayton was a very blue-collar town. It’s never been a very supportive place for kids with creative ambitions. If you were different in any way, you were laughed at, ridiculed“.
And this is, to a certain extent, the reason why Guided By Voices were forced to finance themselves to exist and self release five albums of amazing psych-rock and subterranean pop between 1987 and 1992; all the members of the band kept their day jobs and invested their own money in their music, working hard to make job schedules, gigs and life match.

After the big success of their seventh album, 1994′s Bee Thousand, the band enjoyed fame and glory, but also slowly fell in the spiral of internal problems, addiction and stagnation.
And Fennel says “the worst thing he ever did was quit his day job to become a full-time musician back in 1993. ‘Because then I had nothing keeping me grounded. This time around, I have one foot in reality and one foot in the rock’n'roll fantasy’“.

Read the whole interview here.