“You Realise How Fragile The Future Might Be”: The Used On Life, Grief, And Moving On

If you’re even remotely familiar with mid-2000s emo, The Used need no introduction.

The band have put out seven records since they first emerged in 2001, and have played countless headlining tours and festivals across the globe. Unlike many of their emo counterparts, they’ve never taken any sabbaticals or hiatuses; 17 years in, they’re still releasing music with no signs of slowing down.

Bert McCracken has fronted the band since the beginning and poured his life into every record — a life that has experienced as many lows as highs. McCracken has been incredibly open about his tumultuous past — from his battle with drug addiction to losing his ex-girlfriend and unborn child at the end of the recording process of 2004’s In Love And Death. The band’s latest album, 2017’s The Canyon, was written after McCracken lost a close friend to suicide.

The Used themselves have not been without controversy. In 2015 founding member Quinn Allman left and sued the band for proceeds from past touring, album and merchandise sales. Earlier this year replacement guitarist for Quinn, Justin Shekoski, also parted ways with the band, with remaining members filing a restraining order against him after Shekoski allegedly threatened physical violence against the group and himself.

The Used, as McCracken tells Music Junkee, now only look towards the future, a future that is still strong after nearly 20 years of delivering angsty hits. McCracken now calls Australia home, having settled here in 2013 with his wife and two young children.

Before the band get on stage at Good Things festival in December, we chatted to McCracken about how The Used have transcended over the years and why their music, new and old, is just as important as ever.

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You’ve been a band for nearly 20 years now, how do you keep it exciting and fresh for yourselves?

It does make you feel a little bit old when you think about the fact we’ve been around for a couple of decades. We’re not the type of band who looks back at the first two records and have any regrets, we like to celebrate it and do it justice. And I think a lot of the songs on the first two records [The Used and In Love and Death], and also Lies for Liars, have kind of transcended the initial purpose of the writing.

Like, ‘The Taste of Ink’ nearly makes more sense now in a world that’s so full of hate and mistrust and capitalism, it just makes more sense in the context of the world we’re living in now. So for us to keep ourselves entertained, not only do we love the music but we love the energy and the camaraderie and the spiritual humanity that comes together in that situation.

You toured the first two albums a couple of years ago in celebration of 15 years as a band. Was it hard to channel that same level of angst so many years later? 

No way. I think songs like ‘Noise and Kisses’ and ‘Hard to Say’ even though they’re written about something so specific, there’s an overwhelming sense of longing in the world today and it’s connected to this need for inspiration.

I guess to put it in a better way, the opportunity for us to dig into the emotions of the night, reflecting with the audience, was as easy and as beautiful as I think we could have imagined. We like to celebrate the old catalogue, we are the furthest from ashamed of what we’ve done. The world is so volatile now and these songs touch on such important and timeless messages… that didn’t sound very humble! [Laughs]

With members of the band living in different countries now, has it affected your creative process?

No, not really. The world is much smaller than it’s ever been, so if Dan, Joey or Jeph have an idea, we can just add it to the Dropbox and send it. There is something to be said for being in the same room and playing and jamming but we always make sure we have three writing sessions where we’re all in the same room.

I spend a little more time in LA than what I maybe hope to, but I’m definitely not complaining because I do what I love to do and that’s my life, I’m very blessed and lucky.

Earlier this year Justin left the band under dramatic circumstances, as well as Quinn departing a few years back. Have you been in touch with either of them or have the issues been resolved?

It’s not something I’ve really spoken about with the press, I’m kind of letting Quinn dictate this story from his perspective. But there is a lawsuit and there’s a lot of really unfair and horrible things.

There is a lawsuit and there’s a lot of really unfair and horrible things.

We celebrate the past but things change, relationships change, personalities change… or maybe they don’t, we just didn’t realise what they were at the time.

We can only hope to lovingly resolve issues as more time goes on, but right now we’re focused on the future of The Used. I hope that fulfilled enough of your curiosity! [Laughs]

I guess there’s no point dwelling too heavily on the past at this stage of your career.

There are just some things we’ve come to realise above all, of course, we live for music. But I think what’s more important than that is the way we treat other people in the world. We come from a place that’s really overwhelmed with beliefs and so we came out respecting them. And if those feelings aren’t in the band, we feel really out of place.

The making of The Canyon, it was a self-conscious move to… I think  I’ve tried to go deeper than what I’ve ever gone with a record and really put myself in a situation where I’m releasing things that I wouldn’t even talk to my friends or wife about.

The record is about a very close friend of mine who passed away and in that way it’s kind of an experimental record.

Did it turn out to be therapeutic writing and recording The Canyon?

I think therapeutic is a tricky word. Maybe an understatement. I don’t think people necessarily have the opportunity to grieve as I did, it was almost nine months and I just poured myself into this record. I went over it and around it in every single way that I could, I pretty much lived in it.

And not often do people get to grieve in that way, people have to continue on with living their lives but I had the opportunity to put my life on hold. It was beyond therapeutic.

The Canyon is longer than any other album you’ve recorded and definitely more of a journey for the listener. Do you feel a pressure to top such an epic record like that?

There’s no topping it. Every record is a different experience, every record is a snapshot of the artist. And I hope I never have to make another record about losing someone so close to me.

There was a quote from you in an interview a few years back, where you said: “There have been times I’ve saved my own life with songs I’ve written on past records.” It got me thinking that you must hear a lot of fans echo that sentiment back to you and how surreal that would feel.  

It’s beyond humbling, because that’s my story too, you know? It’s a cool opportunity for me to feel humility and feel that respect for art. This music and lyrics are only a snapshot of every other great musician I’ve listened to, or things I’ve read and soaked myself in.

So to be a part of somebody else’s world like that is such a great feeling. It shows me to never take this opportunity for granted.

I have a question that often gets asked of a lot of women, and not often of men: But how has becoming a parent changed your perspective when it comes to writing and recording music?  

It’s a crazy thing that that’s asked more from women. I understand women are more responsible and have more capacity for tender love and care. But it’s changed every single thing about me, 100 per cent. Every little bit of ego I had left in me, it gets taken away from you. You realise how fragile the future might be.

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Good Things festival is touring in December this year hitting up Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. See the full line-up here. 

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Tahlia Pritchard is editor of Punkee and never quite got over her emo phase. Follow her on Twitter.