SEARCH

search for something you might like...

Dean Wareham: The Sunday Interview Jonathan Thornton talks Galaxie 500, Luna and way more with Dean Wareham

Dean Wareham: The Sunday Interview

Jonathan Thornton talks Galaxie 500, Luna and way more with Dean Wareham

by Jonathan Thornton, Contributor
first published: April, 2025

approximate reading time: minutes

Brian Eno on Instagram, and he said, just two things make a good record. A low budget, and a short amount of time. And he should know, because he's made records also that take years to make!

Dean Wareham is one of the key figures of indie music in the last 40 years. As the guitarist and singer of Galaxie 500, with bandmates Damon Krukowski (drums) and Naomi Yang (bass and vocals) he released three albums, Today (1988), On Fire (1989) and This Is Our Music (1990), whose quiet beauty and striking songwriting would redefine what independent music could do. After Galaxie 500 split in 1991, he formed Luna, who released seven wonderful albums before dissolving in 2005. Since then he has made music as the duo Dean & Britta, with his partner and ex-Luna bass player Britta Phillips, and recorded and released a number of solo albums. The most recent, That’s The Price Of Loving Me, was released in March this year by Carpark Records, and sees Wareham teaming up once more with Galaxie 500’s producer and collaborator Kramer to release a collection of 10 beautiful and moving songs. It follows last year’s Galaxie 500 compilation Uncollected Noise New York ’88-’90, which collected a wealth of rare and unreleased tracks from the Galaxie 500 archives, and Dean & Britta & Sonic Boom’s A Peace Of Us, a Christmas album recorded with the ex-Spacemen 3 pioneer. Dean Wareham was playing a gig in support of this new album at Rough Trade Liverpool, and was kind enough to speak with OUTSIDELEFT beforehand. 

OUTSIDELEFT: Your new album That’s The Price Of Loving Me was released last month, and it sees you working with Kramer again for the first time since Galaxie 500 split up…
DEAN WAREHAM:
It’s the first time since 1990, yeah. I think it's a new record for the longest time between records! Maybe it isn't. 

OL: So how did that collaboration come about? 
DW:
We never really lost touch. And he would remind me, we should do a record. And I lost a couple of friends during the pandemic. And then there's just a certain point, it just dawned on me that you can keep saying, oh yeah, we'll make a record one day. But actually, in life, time runs out. Not that it's about to run out on me! But we're not here forever, obviously. So yeah. The thing I have to do to make the record is book studio to just like, make the decisions. And it's a big decision, but once you make the decision you're like, Okay, that's it. It's gonna happen in May. We  put down some deposit. Then that makes it real. And makes me panic a little about writing songs! 

OL: And did it feel like returning to old times again.
DW:
Well we just can't quite go back. You can’t go back 34 years. Because we're all different, and the technology is different, and the scene is different. That said, we worked it in a similar way, which is, we worked quickly. Which Kramer likes, and frankly, I enjoy it too. We never felt like we needed a band. It's like, the longer the band is together, the longer you take to make records. You know, instead of a week, it’s three weeks. There's one Luna record that took us three and a half months, it was like Jesus Christ! It does sound good. That record Pup Tent. It took us a long time. And it was someone else's money too.

OL: Which always helps, I'm sure! 
DW:
Yes, it helps or it hurts! But yeah, I saw Brian Eno on Instagram, and he said, just two things make a good record. A low budget, and a short amount of time. And he should know, because he's made records also that take years to make! It's like, come in, have an idea, just come in and do it. Or do it, and if it's not perfect, it's not perfect. I don't know. It's a better way to work.

OL: It’s nice that you’ve come back around to working with Kramer again, because we just had the Galaxie 500 Uncollected Noise New York ’88-’90 released…
DW:
Yeah. About a year ago, Damon emailed and said, oh somebody wants to do a vinyl of the uncollected CD that we've done years ago. And there's a couple extra tracks we could put on it. And I was like, well, no, there are like six extra songs that we had. He didn't even remember them. I barely remembered them. But it turned out we threw out a lot of stuff. And we all listened and then were like, sure, let's just put it all out.

OL: It’s really great for us fans to have those recordings, because there were only ever the three Galaxie 500 albums. Despite only 3 records and only existing from 87 to 91, you still had this massive influence. How do you feel about that, looking back on it now?
DW:
You know, I try not to think about it, yeah. So here we are, like, 35 years later, and people are listening to those records. Then I think about myself as a teenager in the late 70s, I wasn’t listening to music from the 1950s really. I guess I was listening to, like, the Ink Spots. My dad played the Ink Spots and I liked that. But it's pretty cool that it still resonates all that much so many years later. I don't think we expected that. And who knows, maybe it will end in  two years. People will just be like, no, kids don't like this shit anymore! But there's something to it. It's emotional music, and I think maybe young people hear it and it like speaks to them. It is quietly angry, angsty and pouty. And beautiful. And it is kind of, dare I say, different from a lot of stuff back then.

OL: Since then, you’ve been in Luna, you’ve released records with Dean & Britta, and you’ve released solo albums. How do you work across these different combinations of people? Do you know when you start writing a song that this is one for the solo album?
DW:
Well, that’s sort of confusing. I mean, I haven't really been writing songs for Luna. There haven't really been plans to make any new Luna music. I guess we did a covers album, which is kind of easy. And we did an instrumental album. But it was when we all lived in the same city, and we came together and jammed all the time, and that's what the songs grew out of. And now we're scattered all over the place. And it's super fun to play shows, because I think we're really great live band. But I’m not going to go back to making it my whole life again, I think I've said this before, being in a band, it's very different when you're 60 than when you're 20.

OL: Yeah. I suppose the logistics for touring with a whole band are so much more than if it’s just a solo show.
DW:
Well, yeah. Actually, the way Luna shows work is super easy because we know the songs, we’ve played them for years. We can show up, practice once and be ready to go. But yes, touring is always a lot of logistics. And long days!

OL: What are you working on at the moment?
DW:
What am I working on? Just a lot of touring. It's like a month in the UK and Europe, and then two weeks on the West Coast, and then another three week tour. And working on social media that takes up a huge amount of that time. It's all slightly fallen on us, that work that used to be done by others has been shifted onto all of us. You’re your own travel agent, your own everything. But yeah, I do have a lot of things that I'm juggling. It's confusing to me, so I'm trying to simplify that a little. Because the last year, I had three records coming out. I had the Galaxy 500 thing come out. I had the Christmas record with Sonic Boom that we did. And then this album so it's been a lot. It's been a busy year! 

THE OUTSIDELEFT INTERVIEW 2025
#1. Pauline Black by Alan Rider (Jan 26th)
#2. Homer Flynn by Jonathan Thornton (Feb 9th)
#3. Steve Wynn by Jonathan Thornton (Feb 16th)
#4. Miki Berenyi by Jonathan Thornton (Feb 23rd)
#5. Neil Campbell by Wayne Dean-Richards (Mar 2nd)
#6. Ali Smith by Alan Rider (Mar 9th)
#7. Sean O'Hagan by Jonathan Thornton (Mar 16th)
#8. Fliss Kitson by lamontpaul (Mar 23rd)
#9. Mick Mercer by Tim London (Mar 30th)
#10. Moose McKillop by Jonathan Thornton (Apr 6th)
#11. Hafizat Adegbile by Lamontpaul (Apr 13th)
#12. Dean Wareham by Jonathan Thornton (Apr 20th)
#13. Sam Battle by Alan Rider (Apr 27th)
#14. Amélie Ravalec by Alan Rider (May 4th)
#15. Cameron McVey by Tim London (May 11th)
#16. Robert Lloyd by Ancient Champion (May 18th)

Jonathan Thornton
Contributor

Jonathan is a writer and enthusiast of books and music. A prolific contributor to an array of significant cultural periodicals. His fiction has been published by Comma Press and on the Everyman Playhouse website. Jonathan used to professionally look after insects.


about Jonathan Thornton »»

RECENT STORIES

RANDOM READS

All About and Contributors

HELP OUTSIDELEFT

Outsideleft exists on a precarious no budget budget. We are interested in hearing from deep and deeper pocket types willing to underwrite our cultural vulture activity. We're not so interested in plastering your product all over our stories, but something more subtle and dignified for all parties concerned. Contact us and let's talk. [HELP OUTSIDELEFT]

WRITE FOR OUTSIDELEFT

If Outsideleft had arms they would always be wide open and welcoming to new writers and new ideas. If you've got something to say, something a small dank corner of the world needs to know about, a poem to publish, a book review, a short story, if you love music or the arts or anything else, write something about it and send it along. Of course we don't have anything as conformist as a budget here. But we'd love to see what you can do. Write for Outsideleft, do. [SUBMISSIONS FORM HERE]

WRITERS thru' the Years

A.I. House-Painter, Agata Makiela, Alan Devey, Alan Rider, Alex V. Cook, Ancient Champion, Andy Allison, Annemiek, Archibald Stanton, Becca Kelly, Belle Plankton, Bruce Bailey, Caiomhin Millar, Cassie Thomas, Chantal, Cheiron Coelho, Chris Connolly, Christian Present, Damon Hayhurst, Dan Breen, Danny Rose, David Hackney, David O'Byrne, Denni Boyd, Dirty Lillie, DJ Fuzzyfelt, Dr. Rich, Dr. Richard Bennett, Duncan Jones, Emily Moore, Erin, Erin Pipes, Erin Scott, Gracey Babs, Graham Baker, Guilaine Arts, H.xx, Hamilton High, Hannah Golden, Henderson Downing, Holly Martins, J. Charreaux, J.Lee, Jay Lewis, Jaycentee, Jennifer Lynn, Jenny McCann, Jeremy Gluck, Jez Collins, Joe Ambrose, John Robinson, Jonathan Thornton, Julie O, Justin Scupine, Karl Morgan, Katherine Pargeter, Kelsey Osgood, Kevin McHugh, Kiah Cranston, Kleo Kay, Lake, Lauren Frison, Lee Paul, Lilly Pemberton, Luke Skinner, Malcolm, Marek Pytel, Mark Piggott, Martin Devenney, Meave Haughey, Melanie Surfleet, Michelle Williams, Mickey, Mike Fox, Mike Marino, mindy strouse, Neil Campbell, Neil Scott, Nige Meffen, Ogglypoogly, OL House Writer, Pam, Paul Burns, Paul Hawkins, Paul Mortimer, Paul Quigley, Peter Williams, Pixie McMowat, Pixievic, Rene Williams, Richard John Walker, Rick Casson, Rikki Stein, Ronan Crinion, Rowena Murphy, Ruby Lake, Ryan 'RJO' Stewart, Samantha Charles, Seth Sherwood, Shane O'Reilly, Sheridan Coyle, Sofia Ribeiro Willcox, Sophia Satchell-Baeza, Spanish Pantalones, Speedie John, Spencer Kansa, Steve McCarthy, The Conversation, Tim London, Tim Sparks, Tony Fletcher, Toon Traveller, Trevi, Urs Lerch, Wayne Dean-Richards, and founders, Alarcon & Lamontpaul

OUTSIDELEFT UNIVERSE

OUTSIDELEFT Night Out
OUTSIDELEFT Night Out
weekend

outsideleft content is not for everyone