DUMB QUESTIONS/SMART ANSWERS: MATHLETES

Every now and then (Thursdays), we subject someone in a band that reps the real to some pretty dumb questions and post their responses. This week, we sent off our set of music journalism 101 prompts to Mr. Joe Mathlete.

What's your favorite record lately?
An iTunes playlist with every Stereolab song on my hard drive, set on Random and Repeat.

Is there a Houston band who you've been digging lately?
A couple of years ago we opened up for The Dimes at Super Happy Fun Land, and they pretty much restored my faith in everything from punk rock to guitar music to live music to Houston to dancing to smiling. I also like to listen to Jana Hunter albums on headphones and hunt for ghosts.

What websites do you frequent?
Achewood, Google

What's your secret Houston place?
The network of ice caves underneath the Astrodome.

What's the best thing you have spent money on in the last year?
A bunch of broken instruments from my friend Tony, who had to sell pretty much everything he owned besides his accordion and dog and move to Kosovo really fast because his wife was mad at him. I went over to his place because had a delay pedal and Casio I was interested in, and when I made him an offer he thought for a second and said "how about for that you just take all the instruments in this room and take them away right now." I got a broken drumkit, a broken violin, a broken trombone, a broken french horn that he'd painted back when he used to drop acid in college, a broken bass he'd painted possibly during the same period, a broken flying V, a broken thumb piano and some other stuff I can't remember right now, plus the aforementioned delay pedal and Casio. I've already fixed up a bunch of it, and everything can at least make noise, though... It's amazing, my house looks like an instrument graveyard. He said later "I think we both walked away from that deal going 'god that guy's a sucker.'"

What is the best thing you got for free in the last year?
[Something naughty] from Regina Spektor backstage at SXSW

Is there a touring act you are looking forward to seeing?
The Rapture. Part of it's because I get excited a lot at shows, and I hate it when that happens and nobody else is dancing, but maybe people will be dancing at that show and I won't feel like that one tall sweaty asshole who bumps into people a lot. Part of it is because I really like their songs.

What is never far from your side?
At least one sharpie, some keys, a picture of me [doing something naughty with] my middle school Spanish teacher on her desk

What do the mathletes have going on right now?
Playing at Rudyard's tonight, opening for Elf Power at the Proletariat on May 9 (which is awesome 'cuz I love them and was a total Elephant 6 junkie back in my formative years), figuring out how to release our covers album, The Mathletes Own Other People's Songs without having to do much of anything. Also I've got some pieces in an art exhibit thing at Super Happy Fun Land that features a bunch of other Houston music, theatre and general artsy-types. I don't know about any of the other Mathletes. They don't talk to me much.

Is there a question you wish we would have asked, and what would the response be?
Q: Would you rather burn out, or fade away?
A: Ringo.