Tyler, Josh, there are not many rock bands with only two members. Don’t you feel lonely onstage?
Tyler: Yes. (smiling)
Josh: I don’t. I feel like, it is just the right amount.
Tyler: Sometimes I even feel it is too crowded.
Josh: It’s funny, when we first started playing, we played tiny stages. And we would barely fit our stuff, just with too people, on stage. We thought: How can you get five people on here, with a bunch of guitars, amps, other instruments… That definitely helped us. I dont know how we take up so much space. We are just two guys. No…Tyler is the best frontman, that there is. So we don’t need anyone else.
We are famous?
What is the pro and what is the contra of being only two persons in the band?
Josh: Pro would be: There is not a bunch of people to disagree with. It is just one person you have arguments with.
Tyler: And if there is a disagreement you cannot really vote on it. Other bands can have a vote in that situation. If we disagree it means there is something between us that doesn’t quite line up.
Josh: That would be a con.
And you never wished to be a bigger band, with four or five people?
Tyler: It’s easier to perform on stage with more people, it’s hard with just two, because you always wonder: Is this enough? Are we putting on enough of a show? Those thoughts can creep in. But I think the best performances are the ones, where the people on stage are trying to overcome something, trying to win, or battle something. To have that uncertainty each night, of whether not two people is good enough is the fuel to the fire, to try to perform that night. It helps.
Let’s talk about one of your most famous songs: How do you avoid to be „stressed out“?
Tyler: Josh lights candles.
Josh: Yes, and then I am just chill. I think, stress and anxiety … It feels like it is bigger now than it was a little while ago. Everyone makes himself so busy and compares himself to others. So it can add to that a lot. Sometimes trying to decrease some time online can be helpful to avoid that feeling.
Tyler: The comparing to other people, it only hurts, you don’t have to do that. I think that we as humans are all inclined to compare ourselves to people around us. And being online just broadens that circle of people that you compare yourself to. But it is not strictly just tied to being online, it’s just in everyday life, there are a lot of things that you can eliminate, that are negatives… So you can try to get to the place where you are happy with who you are.
And if you „could turn back time“, which moment of your life would you go to?
Josh: I think Tyler has already answered that question in the song.
Tyler: Yes, to „the good old days“. (laughing) I think of a time when I was growing up, probably between the ages of nine and twelve. I had a great upbringing, in a good family, the neighborhood was really fun, middle class a lot of fun kids, hanging out everyday, no internet …
Josh: I would go back to any time, but I would probably just tell myself to just enjoy that time. Because I think my whole life I always just wanted to be in the next thing. Sure, there were moments I have enjoyed, I loved being a kid, being a teenager. But for example: As a teenager I just wanted to drive, so I was like, I wish I was16 now. Later I thought: Now I want to move out, get my own place, I want to graduate. So I guess, I would go back to being a kid again, probably the same age as Tyler said it.
Tyler: But then only for a moment, and then I would come back here. Because I don’t want to do all of this again.
In „Jumpsuit“ you speak about pressure. Did you feel more pressure as a teenager or do you feel more pressure now as a world famous band?
Tyler: I think it’s different types of pressure. It’s the same amount of pressure. Even when you are a young kid, things that now you look back on, seem insignificant really were a big deal. I think it is the same amount of pressure, it just changes what it is. Now, that we are making music for a whole fan base of people that really care about what we are doing, there is a bit of a pressure, that is kind of bigger because there is more people interested in what we are doing. So it is maybe a little bit more now.
© Warner Music
When did you realize the first time that you are famous?
Tyler: We are famous?
Josh: Actually, I think one time Tyler and I were walking and he turned to me, and he goes, „dude, are we famous? And I think it was that moment when he asked it. We thought about it for a couple of seconds and then we agreed.
Tyler: There was nothing in particular that happened, no one recognized us in public, it is just that all of a sudden it dawned on us.
Josh: It just made sense. I don’t remember where it was.
Tyler: Probably in a mall somewhere in the middle of America. The first time I heard ourselves on the radio was in a car. I was driving with some friends… – I was excited but my friends didn’t really care that much.
You are both great musicians. But what are your secret talents?
Josh: I can drink this water bottle really quick. (grabs the water on the table and tries to drain it in one gulp, interrupted by his own laughter) Ups, but I think Tyler can definitely drink way faster than me.
Tyler: I am actually a phenomenal movie critic. I don’t voice my opinion too often, but in my own head I feel like I am fantastic at criticizing movie decisions.