About this interview
In a 2009 interview with Ryan Minic of Ryan’s Rock Show, Nashville band Look What I Did dive headfirst into near-death experiences, the state of the music industry, and why they refuse to sell out. From dodging drunk drivers and skating across icy highways to forecasting the death of over-saturated music scenes, the band offers an unapologetic, no-BS take on life as an independent band in a crumbling economy.
The interview kicks off with harrowing road stories: a drunk driver crashing at full speed just inches from their trailer, and the band wrestling with the aftermath, wondering if they were somehow responsible. They share another close call, sliding sideways over a frozen bridge in Michigan, and recount navigating an ice-coated Memphis, where they were forced to maneuver their van and trailer through bumper-to-bumper traffic on NASCAR-style ramps.
Shifting gears, Ryan asks what keeps them going after eight to nine years of grinding. The answer is simple: the music itself. The guys describe music as a “sick addiction”—the payoff of finishing a song or album outweighs the chaos and struggle of getting there. But they’re candid about the commercial pressures of the industry and how truly original music often clashes with the demands of labels and mass markets. As they put it, “the more effective you are at music, the less effective of a commercial enterprise you are.”
They compare label-approved bands to generic knock-offs: instead of Coca-Cola, they’re Big K Cola, manufactured because someone bought the original. They slam bands playing music for money, saying the crashing economy will wipe them out—and they’re fine with that. If it comes down to hyperinflation, they joke about touring by horse and buggy, trading tobacco and canned food at shows turned general stores.
When asked about pressure to commercialize, they admit labels have outright laughed at their suggestions, like wanting to work with Dan from Sleepytime Gorilla Museum as a producer. Labels pushed back with superficial alternatives, but Look What I Did won’t budge.
The conversation also touches on getting signed. They reflect on how the old model—start a band, get signed, tour, and “make it”—was already dying by the time they got serious. Today, they argue, it’s about building your own store: high-quality goods, low prices, direct point-of-sale at shows, and touring based on genuine connection, not label hype.
If they were starting over, they say they wouldn’t even bother with labels unless labels offered something truly valuable—and by then, the band would have all the leverage. Their advice? Focus on making great music first, build an internet presence, then tour and sell directly to fans.