Jokermen Podcast – In Conversation: BUCK MEEK

Date: September 15, 2025
Host: Ian (w/ Evan)
Guest: Buck Meek (Big Thief guitarist/vocalist)
Topic: Big Thief’s new album Double Infinity – origins, recording process, community, change, and the enduring spirit of rock & roll

Episode Overview

This episode of Jokermen finds hosts Ian and Evan in deep conversation with Buck Meek, guitarist and vocalist for Big Thief. Together, they dive into the creative processes, community changes, and emotional backdrop behind Big Thief’s much-anticipated album Double Infinity. The discussion is rich with insight into the band’s evolving dynamics post-Max Oleartchik, the experimental and communal recording approach, themes of healing and transformation, and the continuing relevance of rock as a collective, spiritual pursuit.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal and Environmental Upheaval

• Santa Monica Fires Impact
  • Buck recounts the intense experience of wildfires near his Topanga, CA home, the community’s unity during the crisis, and the regenerative power of nature.
    • “The town where I live up here in the Santa Monica mountains definitely came together in a way that was pretty moving.” (02:57, Buck Meek)
    • He was actively rehearsing and recording in New York while fires raged, not knowing if his house survived. Ultimately, it did not, but the recording process became an emotional anchor:
      • “I was really grateful to have the recording session to focus on during the time. ...the material was far less important to me than the opportunity to make music with my friends.” (05:39, Buck Meek)

2. Album Genesis: From Isolation to Community

• Band Changes and Writing Process
  • The departure of longtime bassist Max led the remaining trio (Buck, Adrianne Lenker, James Krivchenia) to first attempt recording in isolation before sensing a need for community and new creative energy.
    • “We were still kind of grieving that and processing that...our first instinct was to go into isolation...but we were feeling a little stuck.” (08:33, Buck Meek)
  • Out of a pool of 50–60 songs written over several years, 15 were tracked, and the final album was carefully sequenced as a concise, cohesive statement.

3. Radical Recording Process

• Collective, Improvised Sessions in NYC
  • Sessions involved 9–12 musicians (including drone legend Laraaji, tape manipulator Mikey Bush, percussionist Michael Patrick Avery, and background singers like Hannah Cohen, June McDoom, and Elena Spanger).
  • The studio approach prioritized live jamming, improvisation, and first instincts. Musicians did not receive music in advance; parts were captured as they discovered the songs together.
    • “We showed them the songs like in front of the microphones. ...We would just loop the tune for like an hour until we ran out of tape and then pick a take.” (11:39, Buck Meek)
    • “Impossible to synthesize that simultaneity of people responding to each other at the speed of sound.” (20:49, Buck Meek)
• Use of Drones and Tape Loops
  • Mikey Bush ran eight simultaneous live tape loops, feeding in sounds from each session to create spontaneous sonic textures.
    • “He had made like a 10 foot long tape loop around and reversing that. ...create drones from the room.” (15:07, Buck Meek)
  • Laraaji’s zither and iPad-based drones, and his laughter therapy energy, played a powerful, grounding role.

4. Community, Collaboration and Healing

• Music as Emotional Healing
  • Making music in this communal, responsive fashion provided Buck with a sense of healing and presence:
    • “It just kind of. It felt like just jumping into a river...and I think that was really healing for me at that time, for sure.” (07:04, Buck Meek)
• Letting Go of Preconceptions
  • Although the band initially planned a “super heavy rock” album, they allowed the new songs and session energy to guide the outcome, redefining what “rock and roll” means for them now.
    • “What felt radical to us at the time was...to create a lot of drones...improvise arrangements from scratch.” (11:07, Buck Meek)

5. Soulful Spontaneity: Memorable Recording Moments

• Track “No Fear”: Jam Sessions & Editing
  • “No Fear was an hour long jam that we...cut down to seven minutes.” (12:07, Buck Meek)
• Recording “Grandmother”
  • The magic of Laraaji’s surprise vocal improvisation was a highlight:
    • “He started singing into his zither mic and...made the hair stand on end....I just got chills again thinking of it.” (18:53, Buck Meek)
    • The unfiltered reactions of singers and band are captured on tape, conveying the energy of discovery.
• Organic Musicianship, Less Overdubbing
  • Minimal overdubs, with most elements tracked live together, resulting in an irreproducible, “human” sound:
    • “You get it all done in, like, one fell swoop because everybody’s there.” (20:12, Buck Meek)

6. Big Thief Live & Album Sequencing

• Translating Live Energy to Record
  • Years of live improvisational performance prepared the band for this collective, responsive studio dynamic.
    • “We’ve practiced that enough. I think it really served us in this session, for sure.” (24:04, Buck Meek)
• On Sequencing and Album Identity
  • The band is intentional about albums as art forms, carefully sequencing for flow, mood, and narrative.
    • “It’s a cryptic art form. ...so much of it is about...the attention span, rhythm...adrenaline to the point of a boiling point and then sometimes then falling into...a very slow song.” (31:46, Buck Meek)

7. Change, Adaptation and Band Dynamics

• On Max’s Departure
  • Navigating the loss of a bandmate required role shifts and deeper collaboration.
    • “It’s been a...beautiful thing to witness...in absence of that, we’ve all kind of had to step forward and maintain that.” (40:06, Buck Meek)
• Touring Lineup
  • Joshua Crumbley joins the band on bass for touring; full band is planned only for select shows.
    • “He brings so much melody. ...He’s just a hook machine, like Carol K level hook writer.” (43:10, Buck Meek)

8. Reflections on Rock & Roll, Age, and Longevity

• Expanding Definition of Rock and Roll
  • The band views “rock and roll” as an amorphous, spirited, and collectively defined phenomenon, not tied to volume or genre.
    • “We really believe in the spirit of records. And people say that...rock and roll is dead, but it’s just...our responsibility to make good, good albums and good rock and roll.” (37:06, Buck Meek)
• Aging Gracefully in Music
  • Cites Neil Young, Michael Hurley, and others as guiding inspirations. Sees the essence of rock as staying true to youthful creative risk, even while growing older:
    • “To me, it feels like the music of the young spirit. ...the older I get, the more I’m able to...relinquish fear and control in the pursuit of music.” (49:32, Buck Meek)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Fires & Perspective:

  • “The material was far less important to me than the opportunity to make music with my friends and create something more permanent.” (05:39, Buck Meek)

• On Community in Crisis:

  • “A lot of the, like, local surfers put together a little brigade to help out the firefighters...helping older folks and helping move animals.” (02:57, Buck Meek)

• On Spontaneous Recording:

  • “We didn’t send anybody the music ahead of time...we just looped the tune for like an hour until we ran out of tape.” (11:39, Buck Meek)

• On Laraji’s Studio Presence:

  • “He just held court in the studio. He didn’t speak a word. He never asked a single question...just centered and kind of neutral and with just open eyes and open ears.” (17:20, Buck Meek)

• On the Value of Simplicity in Ensemble:

  • “It makes it very clear that there’s...not a lot of space for you to fill, you know, and so you just kind of have to find your one little spot...and just kind of repeat that and let it evolve slowly.” (21:16, Buck Meek)

• On the Role of the Album:

  • “We love albums, we’re inspired by albums. ...It’s also just like a healthy limitation. ...To tell a story.” (29:27, Buck Meek)

• On Letting the Songs Lead:

  • “The song kind of tells you what it wants to be and the parts that it wants to frame it...so we were just trying to listen to the tunes, I guess.” (27:40, Buck Meek)

• On the Band’s Future:

  • “We’re just picking up steam for sure. ...I hope to be doing this with these people till the day I die.” (55:36, Buck Meek)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–02:57 — Introduction, Buck on Topanga fires and community bonding
• 05:01–07:04 — Recording Double Infinity while homes burned, using music as healing
• 08:09–13:03 — Rewriting and reimagining the album after lineup change, embracing community
• 13:03–16:01 — Recording approach: improvisation, first reactions, drones, live loops
• 16:51–19:59 — Role of Laraji, standout recording moments (“Grandmother”)
• 20:12–24:04 — Live ensemble process, no overdubs, trust, and presence
• 24:42–29:27 — Live vs. studio, album sequencing, collaborative decision process
• 31:46–34:06 — Sequencing philosophy, concision vs. expansiveness, Trojan horse dynamic of positive feel/complex lyrics
• 35:04–38:44 — Song deep-dives (“Happy With You”, “Rock and Roll”—Velvet Underground nod, vocal solo tricks)
• 40:06–45:41 — Adapting to Max’s absence, touring with Joshua Crumbley, his unique contributions
• 47:00–49:32 — James Krivchenia’s history and role, creativity in recording
• 49:32–52:49 — Aging as a musician, looking up to elders, bar-band stories as rock and roll spirit
• 53:53–55:39 — On why new albums are made and the writing process as a collective overflow
• 56:31–57:10 — Audience growth, hope for music’s future
• 59:16–End — Outro, promoting the record and tour

Tone and Language

The conversation is open-hearted, insightful, sometimes technical and always informed by a deep love for music as a social, spiritual act. Buck’s speech is gentle, patient, philosophical, and anecdotal, blending realism with optimism.

For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In

This episode offers a thorough look at major transitions—personal, musical, and social—behind Big Thief’s Double Infinity. It’s a candid exploration of how adversity, community, and steadfast creative values coalesce into the music, with Buck Meek’s thoughtful voice at the center. Listeners get rare insights into the band’s methods, the reasons why an album feels the way it does, and how change, loss, and growth can produce enduring, collective art.

Recommended if you want:

• A clear, personal backstory to Double Infinity
• Inspiration on embracing change, letting go of control, and experimenting as a collective
• Affirmation that rock & roll’s spirit is alive—if you make it so