Personal Trainer

Name, where are you from?
Willem Smit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Describe your style in three words?
Layers, dad's, borrowed.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
Maybe Girl Band? They played a show at the Dutch festival Into The Great Wide Open, and I think it was the first time I saw them because the release was intense. I was probably seventeen or eighteen and had been fanboying over this band for a while since I had heard their song 'Lawman'. I had seen every single video, had heard every recording there was online and I had received the first full-length, 'Holding Hands With Jamie', a few weeks prior to its official release, so I pretty much knew what was going to happen. The room they played is pretty dull, I thought it wasn't loud enough, most other visitors were twice my age "and from Utrecht", except for a bunch of "annoying" fifteen-year-olds moshing up front, but my teenage fanboy release was so intense that it didn't matter. I think I just stood there smiling or laughing throughout the set.

If you could be on the lineup with any two artists in history?
Otis Redding because I'd imagine he would sell a lot of tickets and I would love to watch him and band play a similar version to this version of 'Try A Little Tenderness'. Life Without Buildings because I want to see them live really bad, but they quit after an amazing record called 'Any Other City' and a live record. Please check out the entire album, it's really great.

Which subcultures have influenced you?
I might have been very unconscious or oblivious to subcultures in my life. I knew some people in school who have gone openly through an Emo phase, then again, also a phase where they would really be into certain aspects of Japanese culture, like the food and some art styles. I'm pretty sure the latter isn't a subculture - I may be wrong - but I always felt like the two were kind of in the same ballpark. I might have been influenced by groups of people who were part of a subculture, because I felt like they were up to things that were much cooler than what I was up to?
There's a bunch of music that is described as punk that I like, but when I think of someone being part of a punk subculture I imagine someone with tattoos and a safety pin in her or his ear. That could look really cool, but I'm more of a music lover than a fashion person. I'm privileged, but I don't think that's a subculture. I'm probably part of a subculture without realizing it. My girlfriend says we're indie kids.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
Either Jesus or Einstein.

Of all the venues you’ve been to or played, which is your favourite?
One of our first shows ever was in our keyboardist/trombonist and percussionist/CFO's kitchen in Amsterdam Noord during a house party. We played, Pip Blom played, Dutch singer KAREL used a shopping cart as a stage in a room somewhere, and Legendary Dutch playback/cover band The 3FMs played their only live show.

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
The Dead Trees. Never heard anyone about this band. The guy is in a band called SKATERS now. Not really into SKATERS. I like this band though. Ain't nothing wrong with a little bit of Pavement worship.