Our Exclusive Interview with Teddy Geiger

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This interview was very candid, so pardon the grammer, etc.

Jeni: So Teddy, if you were stranded on a deserted island, which restaurant would you take.

Teddy: Which restaurant? …See I'm thinking and I'm like what restaurant would help me survive the best? Cause I was gonna say Taco Bell, but I'd like… I'd die.

Audra: Yeah after like a week. You'd get sick.

Teddy: Yeah, no after like a year you'd probably start dying.

Jeni: So ideally you'd take Taco Bell with you?

Teddy: Taco Bell and then …see Wegmans isn't a restaurant…

Audra: Oh but they sell food, they have a restaurant in Wegmans, right?

Jeni: I'd let you take it. You could take the Wegmans café.

Teddy: The Wegmans café? I'll take the Wegmans café.

Audra: Ok… well I wanted to ask, what kind of shampoo do you use?

Teddy: Um, I've been known to use Head and Shoulders… I do use it. And, uh… yeah that's what I use.

Audra: And I just wanted to know too, is there anything special you do to your hair, cause it looks nice.

Teddy: Well, not usually. It depends, sometimes if I'm feeling super special I'll put something in it.

Jeni: You've probably got good hair genes.

Audra: Yeah I know you're just lucky! …So we noticed your cool tee-shirts that you always wear, and wanna know where do you like to shop?

Teddy: Thanks… I don't even know… I usually just get em at like photo shoots…

Audra: Really?

Jeni: You get lucky then!

Audra: Wow, cause they're really cool.

Teddy: I know… I'm like, uh I really like this shirt can I um, you think maaaybe I can have it? And they're like, yeah whatever.

Jeni: On a funnier topic, what is like the funniest thing that's ever happened to you on the road, like something embarrassing or something that you always look back on and you laugh about it?

Teddy: You guys already know about Mankato. That was like the only funny road thing that ever happened.

Audra: No, what was that?

Teddy: Mankato? It's on my journal? It's the thing when me and Evan just kinda wandered through that city… and then the doors were open and we walked in and we watched Full House…

(Jeni and Audra Laugh)

Audra: You need to get a little more excitement in your life.

Teddy: I KNOW! There's, there's… ah! There's nothing to do! We're always in like really small towns.

Jeni: Ok, this is the one that every single person that we could possibly have talked to wants to know. Like every person asked this… The beginning of the "Day in the Life" video that you have… what is the song you're playing?

Audra: Like when you're on the piano with the milk and stuff.

Teddy: Oh yeah.

Jeni: Seriously, everybody on the site, everybody we know…

Audra: Like if you don't make it into a song…

Jeni: Everybody is like "what is that?!" and everybody fights over what you're actually saying, seriously I think the post has gotten to be like 30 threads long by now where people are trying to figure out what you're saying.

Teddy: Oh I haven't seen that, that's awesome!

Audra: It's like, the song in the beginning! Ok so what's your answer?

Teddy: Um, it's a song I wrote… that I was actually just listening to it in the car today… see I don't have a verse for it, just a chorus, but um yeah… it's called "Crush."

Audra: Ok so it's not like finished…

Jeni: Could you tell everybody what you're actually saying?

Teddy: Noooo… laaater!

Jeni: Oook.

Audra: Later, when's later?!

Teddy: I dunno…

Jeni: We'll get it out of him eventually.

Teddy: I could show it to you if I had my computer.

Audra: You probably just don't remember it huuuh!

Teddy: I dunno, at the time I was playing it everyone was like "no don't play that it's not on the album, don't play it!"

Audra: But it's so cute, I like it.

Jeni: I think that now it's gotten everyone's attention, like everybody…

Audra: It's the one thing cause nobody has heard THAT one song, like everyone has heard like, Gentlemen, you've played it, or some of the stuff…

Jeni: Most of the stuff that people don't know, that like makes them come back.

Audra: Like the ones that are gonna be on Underage Thinking people have heard of…

Teddy: I wish I had a verse for it, cause then I'd play it tonight.

Audra: You could just like randomly play it, I dunno. Oh you know what, speaking of Underage Thinking, I wanted to know, you know like how in a lot of the songs, we were actually listening to one earlier, where you have the extended solos, the music solos, or when you play them live with the band?

Teddy: Yeah.

Audra: Are you gonna do that on Underage Thinking or any of your future albums?

Teddy: Possibly… it's not on Underage Thinking.

Audra: It definitely would be cool as a suggestion, like an extra on the album… (Jeni starts laughing), I know I'm terrible, I said this, I feel like every time I see you I'm like… you need to do this.

Teddy: Nah it's alright, it's good.

Jeni: She started stressing out because we got lost and I'm like, wait I have the way to fix it! And I found the live version of it… and I'm like listen!

Audra: Yeah, she played me "A Million Years." Cause it's my favorite, and when you played it at Water Street it was really good too.

Teddy: Thanks!

Jeni: She calmed down, it worked.

Audra: You're welcome, seriously, you're music is amazing…

Teddy: Thank you!

Audra: OK… here's one… at what age was your first kiss?

Teddy: I don't… 15, 15.

Audra: Ok. So as far as acting, cause we know you're gonna be doing "Love Monkey" and stuff, I just wanted to know how is it different from music and do you think you're gonna pursue it as well as music?

Teddy: I dunno, its REALLY different from music… and um, I definitely don't love it as much as I love music. But I like doing it, so I'm gonna keep doing it.

Audra: Ok, so you are gonna keep trying it… Um… uh, (Audra is scanning over the question list)…

Teddy: (begins making random "do-do-do-do-do" noises)

Audra: Alright out of curiosity, being that you're from New York, and you know about lousy cold weather and all that good stuff, what's your best remedy for when you get a sore throat or a cold and you have to sing?

Teddy: Tea.

Audra: Tea, like any kind?

Teddy: Yeah, seriously, any kind of tea, just hot water even.

Audra: (laughs) When I said "any" I meant like any kind in particular, but no that's fine, that's ok. So like any kind of tea helps out?

Teddy: Yeah, tea is awesome.

Jeni: Since Christmas is coming up soon, is there anything special you wanna see under your Christmas tree this year?

Audra: Be specific, you might get it!

Teddy: Uh… I don't know yet!

Jeni: Cause if you think of something good, heaven's knows you might actually end up with it… or like 12 of it by accident.

Teddy: I dunno yet…

Audra: Cause most people will see this interview on the site, so definitely like…

Teddy: I reeaaallly want… um… I dunno. I dunno yet, I usually don't know until like a few days before.

Jeni: Are you kinda a last minute type person?

Teddy: Yeah.

Audra: It's ok.

Jeni: This is kinda a standard question in a lot of interviews, but what's on your Ipod right now? Like if you could tell everybody to listen to something, what would you tell them to listen to? …Other than yourself!

Teddy: Um… Actually, the new Paul McCartney album is good. And this band Mae, they have like a B sides album, that's good. And, um… Death Cab for Cutie.

Jeni: Oh yeah, that's on mine.

Audra: Good band.

Teddy: All that.

Jeni: Are there any foods that people would be surprised to find out that you don't like?

Teddy: That I DON'T like? I was like, things that I like, yes I have a lot of that, don't like… uh…

Audra: Stuff that's like normal

Jeni: That you refuse to eat

Teddy: Oh… oh cake!

Audra: Oh you don't like cake?

Teddy: I don't like cake.

Audra: hmm, ok.

Teddy: Or potato chips, they're boring.

Both Audra & Jeni: Really?!

Teddy: Potato chips bore me, like I don't mind, it's not like I don't like em, it's just I get bored when I eat them.

Jeni: So you wouldn't go out of your way to eat them?

Audra: See when I get a tub of French onion dip with it I don't mind them.

Teddy: But see, no, I get bored when I eat chips. I just get really bored.

Jeni: It's the same thing over and over.

Teddy: And like the bag never gets small, it's always the same amount of chips in the bag no matter how many chips you eat.

Jeni: …and you keep eating that amount of chips,

Teddy: Like it never goes, the level, it never goes down.

Jeni: You should eat a small bag, if you eat a small bag you'd eventually get to the bottom of a small bag, the bigger bag…

Teddy: I was doing, I got a small bag and I was thinking about this the other day…

Jeni: Still didn't work?

Teddy: I was on a plane and I was like, I'm so done with this bag of chips… it's not shrinking at all.

Audra: Well… you should dump some on the floor? Er…

Jeni: Of a plane, there's a great idea…

(Everyone laughs)

Jeni: EXCUSE ME CAN YOU PICK THIS UP PLEASE!?

Audra: I say really dumb things sometimes, sorry…

Teddy: It's alright, me too.

Audra: Alright, so this is kinda a bigger question… is there any moment when you were on stage when you just kinda had the feeling that this is what you wanna do for the rest of your life?

Teddy: Hmm…

Audra: Like was there ever a moment that you kinda knew?

Teddy: I don't think there was ever just like a straight up like one moment that I was like, yeah this is definitely what I wanna do. I just kinda always wanted to do it.

Audra: Cool, well, there ya go. Hmm… I dunno what questions…

Jeni: We should just go down the list…

Audra: Ok wait no, I have my favorite one. This is my favorite one because somebody asked me to ask this. At what point did you decide to ditch your glasses and grow out your hair, and what made you do it?

Teddy: Glasses, I still didn't… well I really didn't ditch my glasses 'till like a year ago cause I lost em. And I just ordered a new pair, um… but I had contacts, even though I had em I'd still go out in glasses just cause I'd be so lazy and didn't wanna put my contacts in.

Audra: Was it just like, you got old enough to put contacts in?

Teddy: Yeah.

Audra: And the hair?

Teddy: The hair is like… the summer after 8th grade I started growing it out. So when I was like… 14?

Audra: You just wanted to be all stylish…

Teddy: No, I just didn't like my hair being short so I just was like, lets see what happens if I make it long.

Audra: Well… it looks good.

Teddy: THANKS.

Audra: Don't cut it too short, ever.

Teddy: I'll try not to.

Audra: Not until you're in your 20's or something.

Jeni: Like it's so far away…

Audra: Well, it gives me two or three years… so you don't have to be too weird looking…

Teddy: I do look really weird with short hair! That's why I have long hair!

Audra: You know… I highly doubt it.

Teddy: No I look really weird. That's why I grew it out cause I was like, I look so weird with short hair, mine as well try long hair.

Jeni: He's like "look at all these pictures I look weird!"

Audra: Everybody tries something else, right. Oh geeze, I dunno.

Jeni: If someone offered you a million dollars is there something you wouldn't do for a million dollars? Like is there anything that crossed your mind and you're like NO, I won't do that for any amount of money.

Teddy: Um… kill humans?

Jeni: GOOD! I like that!

Teddy: Joe, what about you?! (as Joe Tall walks by) Lets have a feature Joe question.

Joe: What about Joe?

Teddy: What wouldn't you do for a million dollars?

Jeni: If someone offered you any amount of money you wanted for something…

Joe: I wouldn't DO anything for money.

Jeni: Really?

Joe: Cause I'd take it!

(Everyone laughs)

Teddy: So you gotta feature that, you gotta say "Joe Extra" [THERE YA GO TEDDY!]

Audra: Yeah we'll have Joe interupting… Teddy have you seen teddygeigerfans.com

Jeni: Since we started re-doing it?

Teddy: I haven't. I saw the old one.

Audra: Cause I did the devoted to Teddy Geiger one, and she [Jeni] got a hold of me and was like…

Jeni: lets do it bigger and better…

Audra: Than any other site. You know, you have no idea how excited I was when I heard you're playing Ithaca for one show…

Teddy: What time is it?

Audra: I'm sorry, we're keeping you for a while…

Teddy: No, I'm ok.

Audra: It's 40 after… uh, 4:40? Is that right?

Teddy: When we got here they were like, oh cool, like yesterday I was like we're going on at 4:30 we'll be out early. And now they're like six…

Audra: Yeah, right… but we'll keep you company.

Jeni: Yeah there were a bunch of people who called, no one knew what time exactly, we're like we're just gonna get there when Joe told us to get there…

Audra: Yeah, they had 8, 6, 4:30, 3:30, I'm almost glad we got lost cause we could have showed up at like 3.

Teddy: Well when we got here it was almost gonna be like 7, we were like… uhhh… so Joe said we had another show. Joe's bad.

Audra: Yeah, say you're having one in Cortland, pretend like you're coming over.

Teddy: Yeah I can play at your house… YES!!

Audra: Yeah you could, you could show up.

Jeni: This is just my personal question, just because I've wondered this, not really for the site, but I have to ask this question… does it ever like, is it really cool to you or really weird when you see the same faces show after show?

Teddy: It's cool.

Audra: Ok, I'm gonna hit stop and we can take it off the record now…

**Thanks to Travis, Nick, and Jen for their help with some of the questions.