Apparently, Superchunk was one of two bands in the running to headline the 10-year anniversary concert of “The Daily Show.” A representative from “The Daily Show” told Mac McCaughan, frontman of Superchunk, that “Jon [Stewart] has this thing: If a band has super in their name, he thinks they’re somehow better. It came down to you guys and Supertramp.”
Luckily, the infinitely more hip and massively influential indie rockers were ultimately chosen—along with The Mountain Goats, Clem Snide and The Upper Crust—to perform at “Ten F#@king Years (The Concert),” an event that will ring in a decade of programming for Comedy Central’s hugely popular nightly news satire.
Well, it was that and the fact that Superchunk has “a number of fans at ‘The [Daily] Show.’” Fortunately for Stewart and his cast of gonzo broadcast journalists, the feeling’s mutual.
“I’m a big fan of ‘The Daily Show,’” explains McCaughan. “I’ve never met Jon Stewart before, and I don’t know if he’ll be there when we play, but it would be great if he were.”
Whether or not the irreverent “The Daily Show” host makes a cameo, there will be plenty of people to keep McCaughan and his bandmates company when they take the stage at Irving Plaza;—namely, the hordes of fans that have been eagerly anticipating Superchunk’s return to New York. The roughly 17-year-old quartet hasn’t released a new batch of its famously quirky and heartfelt power pop songs since 2001’s Here’s to Shutting Up, and last toured in 2003 when they hit the road in support of the B-sides and rarities compilation Cup of Sand.
Reasons for the extended hiatus? For one thing, McCaughan has been hard at work recording music and touring with Portastatic, his long-time side project turned main creative focus that has turned out three full-lengths in the past year alone. Running one of the country’s most reputable indie labels isn’t exactly a leisurely endeavor either. The widespread success of acts like Spoon and The Arcade Fire has propelled Merge Records to a new level of recognition, leaving McCaughan and Superchunk bassist Laura Ballance, the label’s co-founder, with plenty of paperwork on their desks.
“It was really a case of burnout,” McCaughan says of Superchunk’s laying low these past few years. “We just wanted to take a break from touring and once we did that, everyone got busy doing their own things. It’s a double-edged sword because we do miss playing, but we wouldn’t want to tour unless we had a new record out.”
The good news for fans is that there will be a new Superchunk record—at some point, McCaughan confirms, though he can’t say how soon such a release will materialize. The band tries to write a new song for every show they play, but he admits they might not have time to write one by Thursday. Besides, it can be difficult enough to remember the 200 some odd songs they’ve already written.
“In some ways it’s hard,” McCaughan explains, “because you haven’t played in a long time and you have to remember how all these songs go. But it’s always fun.”
Nov. 16, Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Pl. (at 15th St.), 212-777-1224; 7, SOLD OUT.
