Matt Berninger - 07/04/23

Hey. This is the moment. I'm Brian Koppelman. Thanks for listening. Matt Berninger, did I pronounce it right, man? That's right. Argue about it all the time. Yeah. Berninger. Is my guest today is the lead singer, one of the major songwriters of the national. And I gotta say, man, I'm I'm nervous because and I don't get nervous ever. But I'm nervous for two reasons. One, I I really your your music has had a huge impact on me in certain moments of my life. But but also, I said this to Getty Lee. Like, as as I said to Getty, I was like, Getty, I've seen you seven times. I've watched the documentaries a bunch of times. I own every Rush album, and I always have since they first came out. But to Rush fans, I don't count as a Rush fan Mhmm. Because it's not enough. You know? And I know music matters so much to people. And so I know that like, I was listening to you talk to Amy Mann, and I know Amy, and I'm a an old time till Tuesday person. And the person who set up that interview goes, Amy was in till Tuesday with John Bryan. And I started screaming at the thing, like, no. That she was so I know someone's gonna listen. I'm gonna say something dumb about the National, like, that Amy was in till Tuesday with John Bryan. So I apologize to National fanatics. I'm a real fan, like, I swear, but I'm gonna probably say something. I'm wrong about as you know, I'm wrong about most of my own facts. So, we'll just we'll just pretend we both know exactly what we're talking about. Yes. That's it. I just so people understand. So I guess here's where I wanted to start. I mean, the new album is absolutely brilliant, and I was so happy. You know, I wrote you the first time I played first two pages of Frankenstein, I I I just kinda freaked out. I was so happy about how great it is and knowing that what you went through to to make it. But I wanna start earlier because Mhmm. I was listening to the old records, and I realized when I put on Alligator and one of the most emotional kinda days I had as a parent and I don't have to the specifics don't matter, but I I had to go deal with something at my daughter's school, and I was walking through Central Park right when Alligator came out. And that and this was iPods, not phones. There was no other distraction. Mhmm. And I was walking through the park, and I had that album in my ears. And as soon as it started again to this morning, I was, like, overwhelmed again. And I guess I I I wanted to ask what it what does it feel like to you to know the way in which your music has …