Any Other Questions with… Sunflower Bean

Yes, Dear Reader. We enjoy those ‘in depth’ interviews as much as anyone else. But – BUT – we also enjoy the lighter side of music, too. We simply cannot go on any longer without knowing that Julia from Sunflower Bean would like to be a professional hot dog eater.

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What is your earliest memory? 

Julia: Of wanting to be in a band.

Olive: Digging in the sandbox at the 3rd St. playground in Brooklyn.

If you had a warning label, what would it say? 

Julia: No poker face and a big mouth.

Olive: Perfection comes with a cost.

If your life were a movie, what genre would it be? 

Julia: Dark comedy.

Olive: I don’t know about genres, but Richard Linklater would be the director.

Nick: Mid-90s cult classic.

What’s the most memorable thing you’ve ever worn? 

Julia: I have a jacket Hedi gave me many years ago when I worked for him that is covered in giant multicoloured rhinestone studs. None of the studs have ever fallen off, so I call it my lucky jacket. It’s certainly the most memorable to me.

Nick: Red flip-flops on the NYC subway in 2012 inspired by Tame Impala.

Olive: Some of the looks from the new press shots we did were pretty great, I thought.

If you could have any mythical creature as a best friend, what would it be? 

Julia: Sasquatch.

Nick: Tinkerbell or the Grinch because I love gossipy shit-talkers.

Olive: All my best friends are mythical creatures.

What’s the most unexpected skill you’ve picked up? 

Julia: Lifting heavy objects up flights of stairs.

Olive: Driving like 10 hours straight.

Nick: DJ’ing.

What’s the last thing you did for the first time? 

Julia: A few days ago, I went to something called a Death Cafe in Los Feliz. It was an open conversation about the end of life. It was open to anyone who wanted to come, and we all shared over tea and pastries. It was a humbling, powerful experience.

If you could be a professional in any obscure sport, what would it be? 

Julia: Hot dog eating.

Nick: Skateboarding.

What’s your go-to excuse when you want to get out of something? 

Nick: I’m always super down for anything, so people usually cancel on me.

Olive: I can’t do that.

What’s the most out-of-character thing you’ve ever done? 

Nick: Surfing during the pandemic because I’m afraid of the ocean and nature in general.

Olive: Try to be a guy for 26 years?

If you could invent a new holiday, what would it celebrate? 

Olive: My girlfriend, Carmen. Although I celebrate her every day, having a specific holiday on the calendar would be awesome. Carmen Day.

What was the first record you bought? 

Julia: Probably ‘Transformer’ by Lou Reed.

Olive: ‘Pleasure’ by Pure X.

If you could cast a hex on someone, what would it do? 

Julia: I would hex them to get everything they ever wanted.

Olive: Ditto what Julia said, that would be sick.

Who’s your favourite new band? 

Julia: Hello Mary.

Olive: My favourite contemporary band is The Lemon Twigs.

Nick: Pop Music Fever Dream.

If you had to hide from a ghost, where would you go? 

Julia: There is no hiding from a ghost.

Olive: Hiding from ghosts is what gets you in trouble. You gotta face them.

What’s the most absurd thing you’ve convinced someone to believe? 

Julia: When Lou Reed died, I didn’t want to believe it. I convinced myself (and Nick) that it was a hoax for a couple of days. We had an extra two imaginary days with Lou on Earth!

What is your most treasured possession? 

Julia: My Rickenbacker.

Olive: My stuffed animal, Tigey. I once made us drive an hour back to Memphis because I left her in a hotel room. I was so scared; I’ll never leave her again.

Have you ever fallen for a scam? 

Olive: Unfortunately, yeah 🙁

What is the most irrational superstition you have? 

Olive: I just watched the Saw movies for the first time, so now I’m checking my closet before I go to bed for sure.

Nick: I believe in premonitions.

If you could bring something extinct back to life, what would you choose? 

Julia: Glam rock.

Nick: Being a hipster.

Olive: Recording to tape.

What’s the silliest thing you own? 

Julia: Completely studded Rhinestone cowboy boots.

Nick: A Minion phone case.

Olive: Also Tigey; she is a very silly lady.

Tell us a boring fact about yourself? 

Julia: I can’t whistle.

Olive: My car takes regular gas.

Nick: I also can’t whistle.

What’s the scariest thing you’ve seen in the middle of the night? 

Olive: We were driving through the forest in Northern California one time, and 100% saw a ghost on the side of the road.

If you could have any job for a week, what would it be? 

Julia: Paleontologist.

Olive: Farmer.

Nick: Detective.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten? 

Nick: I recently used an In-N-Out pepper to cork a bottle of red wine. It accidentally fell in and made the wine spicy. Everyone at the dinner party loved it.

If we gave you $10, what would you spend it on? 

Julia: Positive beverages.

Nick: Groceries.

Olive: Cigarettes.

What are your Top 3 favourite horror films? 

Nick: Exorcist 3, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Shining.

Olive: Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Malignant, Paranormal Activity.

What’s one thing you can definitely beat the other members of Sunflower Bean at? 

Julia: The ability to sleep anywhere at any time! And hopefully, bass.

Olive: I used to beat Nick at driving, but now Nick is the best driver.

If you could time travel to any moment in your life, where would you go? 

Julia: Dancing with my Dad by standing on the tops of his feet in our living room. We used to listen to ‘Waltz #2’ by Elliott Smith.

Nick: The entire year of 2016 felt like a real life-changing year. Personally and generally. It would be really interesting to experience it again.

Olive: I would go back to when me and my friends were building dirt jumps in the woods behind the high school. It was such an amazing time in my life, totally free and in charge of this DIY illegal bike park that we were building from scratch.

How punk are you out of ten? 

Nick: I would say pretty high. My first-ever DIY shows were at Tompkins Square Park and ABC No Rio.

If you could only eat one type of cheese for the rest of your life, which one would it be? 

Julia: Sharp Cheddar.

Nick: Mozzarella.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? 

Nick: Carrie Bradshaw. Maybe I’m not a punk.

What’s your biggest fear? 

Julia: Regret. I fear not being able to make all the music I dream of in this life.

What is your favourite time of day? 

Julia: 5am, if you can manage to wake up then while the world is asleep and not be tired. Magic quiet.

Nick: Sunset at 8pm in the summer.

If you could live in any TV show universe, which one would you choose? 

Julia: Mad Men, visually and also if the show was about being mad at (deserving) men.

Nick: I would want to be the most insufferable character on White Lotus.

What’s the strangest way you’ve injured yourself? 

Julia: Surprisingly, bass can injure one quite a bit if you headbang hard enough!

Nick: A gummy bear went in my lungs when I was on a flight. I felt a really painful lump in them until it dissolved.

Have you ever been mistaken for someone else? 

Julia: Grimes!

Nick: I went to an estate sale with a mask on, and people thought I was Charlie Puth.

Olive: Lol.

If you had to live in a cursed house, what would your survival strategy be? 

Julia: I’ve lived in many cursed houses, and it isn’t so bad. The only strategy is to not show any weakness or fear.

Olive: Yeah, I think from travelling so much, we’ve definitely been in cursed/haunted places. Best thing is to just acknowledge and be chill.

What’s your breakfast of choice? 

Nick: Veggie omelette.

Olive: Scrambled eggs with parsley on top and crispy potatoes. With a generous squeeze of lemon over the whole thing. Oh, and coffee.

Julia: Egg on a roll with cold brew, black.

Why are you like this? 

Julia: A series of fortunate or unfortunate events, depending on who you ask!

Olive: I’m from Long Island. ■

Taken from the October 2024 issue of Dork. Sunflower Bean’s EP ‘Shake’ is out 27th September.